I would say that college is a good time to learn how to socialize. Sure, you won't learn anything in college that you couldn't teach yourself by reading a book,

I would say that college is a good time to learn how to socialize. Sure, you won't learn anything in college that you couldn't teach yourself by reading a book, but you will get four years of practice interacting with others. People go from being kids to adults while they are in college, and the social opportunities are one of the reasons why. College is an environment where it is particularly easy to meet people. Particularly if you're the hacker news type, your social skills are probably below average for someone of your age. If you don't go to college, you will likely suffer even more. A lot of people I know who dropped out of college or graduated early have significantly poorer social skills than those who finished school. If you are smart enough, you may be able to compensate for the lack of social skills. However, social skills are extremely important in the working world and while starting a company.