Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, olny taht the frist and lsat ltteres are at the rghit pcleas. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by ilstef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
This is all over the net, and I don’t know who originated it (but I do know the author was clever).
Before you get taken in by it, notice that there are heavy contextual clues built into each sentence and that all words of three letters or less are left in correct order. It’s interesting (and worth posting on the dorm bulletin board), but I wouldn’t cite it in any papers if I was you.
Anyway, welcome to Stanford (or welcome back, depending on who you are).
If you’re a new student, you might want to check out our advice on living with a roommate.