Like many Stanford students, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) found it hard to define himself as either techie or a fuzzy.

Schiff, who represents the Pasadena area in California’s 29th congressional district, graduated from Stanford in 1982 with a B.A. in Political Science and having fulfilled all the premedical requirements.

“I figured that one interest would work itself out over the other [in college], but it didn’t work that way,” Schiff said. “I took the MCAT and the LSAT to try and figure out what I was going to do.”

Schiff ultimately decided to forego medical school to attend Harvard Law School. He served with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles and in the State Senate before his election to the House of Representatives in 2000.

“I realized that when I read Time Magazine, I never flipped to the ‘What’s New In Medicine’ section,” Schiff said, explaining how he made the decision between medical school and law school. “But I always wanted to know what was going on in the world and in government.

“I thought medicine would be interesting and satisfying, but it didn’t get me as excited as issues of public policy,” he added.

Schiff said that his time at Stanford gave him a good foundation for his political career.

“The faculty taught me to have good analytical skills and how to approach and solve problems,” he said.

Schiff’s Stanford experience was far more than academic, however.

“The other students taught me not to take myself too seriously,” he said. “Public service is preeminently a people job and the kind of people skills you learn in college, interacting with your classmates — it’s just great preparation, all of it.”

Schiff said he enjoyed his time on the Crew team his freshman year. “Being out on the water was really wonderful,” he said, though he recalled painful memories of running the Stadium stairs with the team.

He also fondly remembered seeing Casablanca for the first time at Memorial Auditorium and staying up late talking to dorm mates.

Schiff, like many former and current students, also recalled “going to the library late at night and dozing off in those overstuffed chairs.”

“I arranged my classes so I could sleep-in in the morning,” he said. “I enjoyed getting up late, living at Roble and enjoying the sunshine outside by Lake Lagunita.”

Schiff encouraged Stanford students to stop by his office and visit if they ever find themselves on Capitol Hill.

As for this year’s election, Schiff predicted victories for his party.

“I think Election Night is going to be a tremendous night for Democrats,” Schiff said. “I think it will give us a chance to anchor the direction of the country and employ the checks and balances of the government.”

If reelected, Schiff said he will continue his focus on national security and work to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

A member of the House Judiciary Committee and the House International Relations Committee, Schiff has also directed attention to public transportation, education, and children’s healthcare.

What else would Schiff like to see accomplished in his next term in office?

“I’d like to see us win back the Axe,” he said.