Odds are you'll ignore the advice of a graybeard with multiple degrees. But I'll have a go just in case. Being accepted to MIT is a great accomplishment. Don't

Odds are you'll ignore the advice of a graybeard with multiple degrees. But I'll have a go just in case. Being accepted to MIT is a great accomplishment. Don't blow it. The primary reason to go to university is to learn and graduate. Part of the learning experience is an ever increasing awareness of little you actually do know. After completing SICP, you'll realize how little your programming chops as a kid matters. Education is an expensive investment. However, the credentials and the network you build will pay dividends for decades after you graduate. The odds of a part-time startup matching those returns are very slim. The few people who have created truly successful startups at university have dropped out. But the majority have ended up with a failed startup, a failure to graduate and a student debt for the wasted years. By all means enjoy your sport. Build a network of like-minded folks. Undertake ambitious projects, but with the primary goal of learning. But most importantly of all, study seriously. Lapses during the early years tend to bite hard in the later years. In my case to the point of needing to repeat mandatory subjects.