Menlo College

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Hallmarks and Quirks

Business. I'm all business, all the time. My business program rocks and reaches into almost every aspect of my curriculum. In fact, I only offer business-related degrees, like Finance and Sports Management. That's right, I'm a pre-business school business school.
Women's basketball. My ladies shoot some mad hoops. My team often makes it to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Championships, and star players have been nationally recognized.
Women's Soccer. My team was crowned Pac Conference Champion in 2014 and made their first appearance in the NAIA national championships. Megan Rapinoe would be proud.
Internship Opportunities. Professors here tend to be well-connected people. Having the opportunity to get to know them as well as you do at a small school like Menlo means they will be happy to hook you up with awesome internships while you're at school. So long as you don't annoy them too much.
Sports. I'm a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. So while I'm not a Div-I school, I'm still able to provide scholarships to many of my student-athletes. They can play the sport they love and get a nice break on that pesky tuition. Win-win.

Money or the desire to get some. I am a private school that emphasizes business in all my programs. There's also a pretty high cost of living in the surrounding area…
A business-oriented mindset. I only offer business-oriented majors and my professors stress the importance of completing internships in your chosen field. You've got to be ready to play the game, or the game will play you.
Athletic ability. Over half of my students are athletes. That's a lot of working out.
A penchant for gossip. With less than 800 students, everyone knows everyone. And you thought high school was bad…
A love of squirrels. I have a beautiful campus filled with trees, sprawling lawns, and more squirrels than students. Some of my students have even been known to befriend specific squirrels, like Nubby, the squirrel without a tail. He's cuter than he sounds; trust me.

My admins cut our football program. On Super Bowl Sunday of 2015 (don't ask me about the terrible timing), university officials announced they were cutting the school's football program because the costs associated with the sport were simply too high. Business-oriented protests ensued. How appropriate.
On that note: business. They don't call me "Silicon Valley's Business School" for nothing. Aside from sports, I eat, sleep, and bleed business.
Nate Jackson. Speaking of football, Jackson played with the Denver Broncos for six seasons. Sure, he graduated back in 2001, but I can still claim him as my own.
AACSB Accreditation. I recently earned AACSB accreditation, meaning I'm one of one of the top 5% of business schools worldwide. I have 93% employment success rate for graduates in my business program—not that I'm boasting or anything.

In the dorms. For those of you over twenty-one, I am a wet campus. That means you can have alcohol in your dorms and around campus, as long as you keep things responsible.
Old Pro and The Patio in Downtown Palo Alto. Partying with Stanford nerds and Silicon Valley tech geeks is a lot more fun than you'd expect.
Stanford games. Stanford has a better stadium than I do. Shh, don't tell.
Giants games. The recent three-time World Series Champions' home is a forty-minute train ride away. How could we resist?
Celebrating a recent win of one of my home teams. Whenever we win, you can expect there will be a party to celebrate.

Celia's Mexican Restaurant. It's right across the street from campus. What could be easier?
Downtown Palo Alto. It's right down the road and the closest thing to a college town you'll find around here.
Thursday Tavern Night on Campus. Two-beer limit and fun times with your classmates.
The Library. Going to the library is more of a social experience here. If you actually need to study…well, good luck.
The Caf(eteria). Bomb food, but for on-campus residents only.

I was originally a junior college known as the Menlo School for Boys. I didn't become coeducational until 1971.
A lot of teachers live on campus. Atherton is expensive for everyone—including professors. Luckily, I offer housing for some of my faculty on campus as well. Living among your professors might sound kind of strange, but it's an awesome way to get even closer to your teachers.
I offer a women's wrestling team, which isn't the most common collegiate sport.
My mascot is a nut. What more can I say?

Julio Iglesias, Jr. Son of a singer and a singer himself
Nate Jackson. Former Denver Bronco
Jeff Van Gundy. Former pro basketball coach and current ESPN commentator
Danny Castillo. An MMA fighter
Roger Avary. A screenwriter and director known for working with Quentin Tarantino on Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs