I think I've decided that I want to go to Stanford to get my PhD in computer science. I also got accepted at University of Michigan (and turned down by Berkeley) as detailed in an earlier diary entry.
I visited Stanford last weekend. It is awesome. The professors are legends—I have numerous textbooks that are written by current professors there. The weather and the environment are beautiful; the campus is almost as lush as MSU's (right now; it gets dry later in the year). The area is littered with high-tech companies desperate for competent employees. Housing in Palo Alto is expensive but at least for the first year I'm guaranteed campus housing (it's spacious and pleasant—I toured the campus apartments) at $500-$700 a month. I can even keep a car for $100-$300 a year and there's no snow or ice to fuck it up. It's a 20 minute drive to San Jose, 30 to San Francisco, 45 to Berkeley. They'll even give me the first quarter to, not take classes, not do research, but to find an advisor.
There are ten fencing clubs in the area, one of them on Stanford campus itself. Look at these quotes from the club's official webpage:
...Stanford Fencing Club
The Coach
George PogosovGeorge Pogosov came to Stanford Fencing in 1999. He is the Assistant Coach for the Men's and Women's fencing teams as the Head Coach for the Stanford Fencing Club. His credentials include being an Olympic Silver Medalist in 1988, an Olympic Gold Medalist in 1992 and a Team World Champion.
Our Facility and Location
Offering the best facilities in the Bay Area - eight grounded electric strips, locker room, showers for both men and women, and a weightroom, Stanford is a great place to learn the sport of fencing. The Stanford Fencing Club is located in the Roble Gym at 375 Santa Teresa St. on the Stanford campus.
Can't beat that. I guess I can keep fencing throughout grad school then... Shame it's so expensive, at $450/year.