jen

Hi all-- I have a 9am interview at Stanford this week... will be staying in San Francisco at Union Square. Can anyone give me an idea of how long it will take me to drive there during rush hour? I've checked out Mapquest, but it doesn't factor in traffic, etc. Many thanks!

xx

I'd suggest staying in Palo Alto the night before. There's no reason to put yourself through the extra stress of dealing with traffic on the morning of an interview. With the unemployment rate so high, you can't afford to be anything but fresh and stressfree during the interview.

J Correa

I'd stay in PA also. I wouldn't want to risk missing the interview.

Susan

Jen, if you can't stay in Palo Alto the night before, I'd allow as much as two hours to get there. That way, if you arrive early you'll have a chance to find parking, find where the interview will be and stroll around to collect your thoughts.

Your best bet would be to travel south on the 280 freeway, less traffic. You'll encounter traffic leaving the city, and then again as you approach Palo Alto, but in between it shouldn't be too bad. Take the Sand Hill Road exit and follow the signs to the university. Don't take the 101, as mapquest probably suggests, because the traffic is much worse. Good luck!

another

Two hours might even be cutting it short if you hit an accident zone or have a tough time finding parking on the campus. I often find that campuses can be very confusing when trying to find a particular building. I wouldn't risk it...either leave at 6 am, or stay there in Palo Alto the night before and get a good night's rest.

David

I agree with the above posters who recommend staying in Palo Alto before the interview. Being that you will be heading in the commute direction in the morning, a 2 hour travel time is about what it will take to get to Stanford.

jen

Excellent advice-- you are all so right.. staying in Palo Alto that night is the way to go. While, as a Chicagoan, traffic is nothing new to me, there's no need to make the process any more stressful than it has to be.

Thanks so much!

anotherjen

if you end up having to stay in sf the night before, do take susan's recommended route. that is definitely the easiest way. as for time, 2 hours is plenty. i drive the sf to palo alto rush hour route in the a.m. and find that it takes approximately 55 to 60 minutes to do the trip on the 280. staying in palo alto the night before though is not a bad idea because sometimes you will encounter unknown variables like construction or an accident. there are lots of little motels and hotels around the stanford/palo alto area. good luck on the interview!