It was very easy for me to find a really nice apartment near Stanford University. The landlords are used to getting a new crop of students each year and were quite willing to accommodate us in anything we needed. Another thing the landlords here keep their places in good repair and don't want a bunch of crazy students tearing the place up so keep the rough housing to a minimum if want to have a peaceful stay here. Since I'm not particuarlly wealthy I had to get a couple roommates but we get along good and thats all that counts.