I came from a middle class suburb outside Atlanta, and I had no clue where Stanford even was. Couldn&#x27;t even have told you the state. I&#x27;d heard of it (mostly the physics program), but no idea what they were all about. I applied to top engineering schools, but at the time I wouldn&#x27;t have put Stanford in the top 10.<p>I&#x27;d have been wrong, but I didn&#x27;t know anyone who went there or even applied there, which counts for a lot. MIT, the Ivies, sure. Cal Tech and even Harvey Mudd. But not Stanford. No doubt it was a regional thing at the time, and it may well have changed by now.