[Spiny_Norman]

From the youngest age, college to me meant football.  I have a theme that I wrote in kindergarten - "When I grow up, I want to play football for the University of Oklahoma."  Those of you who have met me know what a ridiculous aspiration that was.  Still, I have always been crazy about sports so it was not too odd that I might make a college decision based on the impression left by athletics teams.  Growing up in a small town in Oklahoma, I was of course a Sooners fan.  As the son and grandson of Michigan alums, I learned Hail To The Victors about the same time as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  My first exposure to Stanford was joy when they beat the hated Buckeyes and heartbreak the following year when they upset Michigan.

I did not know much about the academic reputation until my older cousin (who was sort of my idol) considered Stanford before finally deciding on Brown.  If John had such a high opinion of Stanford, maybe it was worth investigating.  Then a friend from Tulsa who was two years older enrolled at Stanford.  Jeff is a cool guy.  If he likes Stanford, maybe I would too.

I had done well in high school and was keen to leave the state for college.  But if your main criteria is "not OU or OSU," that leaves a lot of others to consider.  I remember receiving the Stanford brochure but I don't know that it made a lasting impression.  All of the college collateral kind of looked the same.  I did have one other strong preference - a school where you could have a social life outside of the greek system.  Fraternity life was not for me.

Ultimately with advice from parents, relatives, friends and especially a wonderful guidance counselor (God bless you, Maxine Kaiser), I applied to Stanford, Yale, Duke and Michigan (my safety school).  I had never been to any of them.  When I was accepted at all 4, my folks said "you have time to visit one."  I chose Yale.  My best friend from high school was a freshman there and the alumni interviewer had helped to convince me that it could be a great fit academically. 

My trip was disillusioning especially for a kid from Oklahoma who had never really been in an urban setting like the Northeast corridor.  New Haven is a dark place even on the nicest weekend of the spring.  Old, soot encrusted buildings.  Students that I did not have much in common with.  I went with my friend to visit one of classmates in the hospital.  She had been hit by a car while crossing the street.  Jeez, maybe this is not the place for me.

On the plane ride home, I was explaining my situation to the passenger next to me.  He was a professional (doctor, lawyer, something like that).  He said "If I was in your situation, Stanford would be my top choice, no question."  When I got home, I called Jeff who was a sophomore living in Roble by then.  I missed him and left a message.  Turns out he was studying outside at Lake Lag.  Now you're talking!  Everything he said sounded like the antithesis of Yale.  In a (somewhat informed and somewhat naive) leap of faith, I chose Stanford.

Everything turned out to be Fred Hargadon Great (despite making a wrong turn into East Palo Alto initially before my first view of campus on the jaw-dropping approach down Palm Drive).  In 4 years, I grew personally and academically, I made great friends who are still great friends today, I studied overseas.  And I saw a lot of football games.

[Spiny_Norman]

From the youngest age, college to me meant football.  I have a theme that I wrote in kindergarten - "When I grow up, I want to play football for the University of Oklahoma."  Those of you who have met me know what a ridiculous aspiration that was.  Still, I have always been crazy about sports so it was not too odd that I might make a college decision based on the impression left by athletics teams.  Growing up in a small town in Oklahoma, I was of course a Sooners fan.  As the son and grandson of Michigan alums, I learned Hail To The Victors about the same time as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  My first exposure to Stanford was joy when they beat the hated Buckeyes and heartbreak the following year when they upset Michigan.

I did not know much about the academic reputation until my older cousin (who was sort of my idol) considered Stanford before finally deciding on Brown.  If John had such a high opinion of Stanford, maybe it was worth investigating.  Then a friend from Tulsa who was two years older enrolled at Stanford.  Jeff is a cool guy.  If he likes Stanford, maybe I would too.

I had done well in high school and was keen to leave the state for college.  But if your main criteria is "not OU or OSU," that leaves a lot of others to consider.  I remember receiving the Stanford brochure but I don't know that it made a lasting impression.  All of the college collateral kind of looked the same.  I did have one other strong preference - a school where you could have a social life outside of the greek system.  Fraternity life was not for me.

Ultimately with advice from parents, relatives, friends and especially a wonderful guidance counselor (God bless you, Maxine Kaiser), I applied to Stanford, Yale, Duke and Michigan (my safety school).  I had never been to any of them.  When I was accepted at all 4, my folks said "you have time to visit one."  I chose Yale.  My best friend from high school was a freshman there and the alumni interviewer had helped to convince me that it could be a great fit academically. 

My trip was disillusioning especially for a kid from Oklahoma who had never really been in an urban setting like the Northeast corridor.  New Haven is a dark place even on the nicest weekend of the spring.  Old, soot encrusted buildings.  Students that I did not have much in common with.  I went with my friend to visit one of classmates in the hospital.  She had been hit by a car while crossing the street.  Jeez, maybe this is not the place for me.

On the plane ride home, I was explaining my situation to the passenger next to me.  He was a professional (doctor, lawyer, something like that).  He said "If I was in your situation, Stanford would be my top choice, no question."  When I got home, I called Jeff who was a sophomore living in Roble by then.  I missed him and left a message.  Turns out he was studying outside at Lake Lag.  Now you're talking!  Everything he said sounded like the antithesis of Yale.  In a (somewhat informed and somewhat naive) leap of faith, I chose Stanford.

Everything turned out to be Fred Hargadon Great (despite making a wrong turn into East Palo Alto initially before my first view of campus on the jaw-dropping approach down Palm Drive).  In 4 years, I grew personally and academically, I made great friends who are still great friends today, I studied overseas.  And I saw a lot of football games.