Much of the personal development in college years takes place outside of the classroom, including deep friendships forged with others who are also growing up.

Much of the personal development in college years takes place outside of the classroom, including deep friendships forged with others who are also growing up. Thiel himself was the beneficiary of his college network - he met the PayPal team through his Stanford roommate. It’s inauthentic for him to discount the power of these networks. College is broken in many ways. But a positive college experience adds more depth and richness to life in the long-term than a check from Thiel.