Learn, Grow, Inspire: Stanford 101

Stanford University is a private university located in Stanford, California, which is about an hour drive south of San Francisco. The university operates on a quarter system, and the academic year begins in mid-September.

The campus is massive - the second largest university campus in the world in terms of contiguous land area. Without my trusty bike (albeit a $50 cheap frame on wheels with one functional brake) I'd be hard-pressed to get to my classes on time.

The 'Stanford Duck Syndrome' refers to students exuding a bright, relaxed, carefree demeanor when in the company of others, while regularly burning the midnight oil when alone (ducks appear calm above water but require constant paddling to stay afloat). In other words, a casual conversation with a typical Stanford student will sound quite different to one with a run-of-the-mill Harvard student.

Quick facts about Stanford:

Established in 1891 (very young relative to Ivy League schools)
Has roughly a 50:50 split between grads and undergrads, totaling ~15,000 students
Enjoys a bitter athletic rivalry with Cal (University of California, Berkeley)
Was ranked #2 in 2009 in the Academic Ranking of World Universities, has one of the lowest admission rates in the US, and a top collegiate athletics program
Nurtured alum that founded companies including Google, Yahoo, Hewlett-Packard

Other facts that might interest you:

Official mascot is the Cardinal - not the bird, but the color (a vivid red)
Unofficial mascot is a tree (without having to delve into its historical significance, you can tell that we got the short end of the stick when it came to mascots)
Stanford's Marching Band is arguably the craziest and most controversial in the country
Some more alumni: US President Herbert Hoover, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Tiger Woods, John McEnroe, Ryan Nelson, John Steinbeck, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Connelly, Sigourney Weaver, Tablo (from Epik High)