Stanford University

Founded in 1891 and located between San Francisco and San Jose in the heart of Silicon Valley, this institution's motto is 'the wind of freedom blows'. Stanford is named in honour of Leland Stanford Jr. (the son of railroad magnate Leland Stanford) who died of typhoid just before his 16th birthday. Stanford is not short on quirky traditions such as the full moon on the Quad where seniors dutifully gather to exchange kisses with freshmen, with it not being unknown for the occasional graduate student or stranger to join in.

Many of the great and the good have enrolled on Stanford courses including writer John Steinbeck and actors Ted Danson and Adam West (who played Batman in the TV series). After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake inflicted damage to the campus, the university implemented a billion-dollar capital improvement plan to renovate older buildings for new, up-to-date uses. Recently a new pilot plan was unveiled which allows men and women to live in the same room in five campus residences.