5 ms·

As someone who essentially took that path, I can't recommend it. My parents and I had saved up a decent college fund ($100k or so), but instead of using that to

As someone who essentially took that path, I can't recommend it. My parents and I had saved up a decent college fund ($100k or so), but instead of using that to go to Top School I took the chance on a school which offered me a full ride. Sure, I'll be graduating about ~$140k better off than most other students. But over the lifetime of a successful tech entrepreneur that amount of money is fairly meaningless. Having spent a significant amount of time on top campuses (where most of my friends went), I often regret making that decision—the caliber of students is truly higher, and the friends/networks you have from a school like Harvard will pay dividends throughout life.

acjohnson55 13y ago
Get the best of both worlds and do a master's at a top notch school. That's my story. I went to good-but-not-world-renowned state school for undergrad on a full ride. I did my best to wring the absolute most out of that experience, and it paid off in many ways, including a fellowship that paid for my master's at an Ivy. Most grad students don't get plugged into "the network", but I went out of my way to engage in campus life. In the process, I'm fairly positive I built just as good of a network as if I had attended for undergrad. Point being, everywhere you are has something to offer. Make the most of your situation!
- morgante 13y ago
  > Get the best of both worlds and do a master's at a top notch school. Glad that worked out for you. To be clear, my school is actually extraordinarily good academically (we're privately funded by an oil fortune)—it's just that the prestige of the name and student's isn't quite at Ivy quality. > Point being, everywhere you are has something to offer. Make the most of your situation! I'm doing my best, and doing pretty well (making 6 figures as a college sophomore), so my regrets are more social/intellectual than monetary. Though sometimes I wonder if YC would have accepted me if I had advertised my Ivy League stamps of approval (acceptance letters)... Maybe I'll go to Harvard when I get tired of developing and decide to "pivot" into management/finance.
  - MaysonL 13y ago
    If you're making 6 figures as a sophomore, have you considered putting in apps to transfer to some of the top tier selective colleges? Couldn't hurt.
    - morgante 13y ago
      > If you're making 6 figures as a sophomore, have you considered putting in apps to transfer to some of the top tier selective colleges? Couldn't hurt. I've considered it, but HYPS essentially don't accept transfers. Plus, being in New York for the next year is very helpful professionally (I currently attend NYU).
  - tim333 13y ago
    For what it's worth I went to Cambridge (UK) and didn't really build a network of useful friends and contacts. You often have to work at that stuff and I was a bit of a geek / not extra social. You can always do it deliberately later through something like MBAs, YC etc. I had a friend who had a good time and made lots of high power contacts doing the UCLA Executive MBA later in life. The brand recognition of the name is handy - people assume you are bright in a way they wouldn't if you go to a no name place.
  - acjohnson55 13y ago
    Though sometimes I wonder if YC would have accepted me if I had advertised my Ivy League stamps of approval (acceptance letters)... Be glad you didn't. I don't think it would have sent a positive sign. Frankly, no one wants to hear about the things you didn't do, and things like acceptance letters and SAT scores don't matter going forward. Life is going to be filled with tough calls. Sometimes, you may have 5 promising but exclusive options to choose from. You can't make the most of the path you've taken while wasting mental energy on the ones you didn't. Take it from someone who wasted a lot of mental energy on such things before learning not to. You said elsewhere you go to NYU -- what's stopping you from maximizing your social and intellectual opportunities?
    - morgante 13y ago
FD3SA 13y ago
Listen to this man. Going to a top school has a massive effect on your luck surface area. Given that the best course materials can increasingly be found online, the only benefit of a school is its social network, in which the elite schools have a formidable monopoly.

acjohnson55 13y ago

Get the best of both worlds and do a master's at a top notch school. That's my story. I went to good-but-not-world-renowned state school for undergrad on a full ride. I did my best to wring the absolute most out of that experience, and it paid off in many ways, including a fellowship that paid for my master's at an Ivy. Most grad students don't get plugged into "the network", but I went out of my way to engage in campus life. In the process, I'm fairly positive I built just as good of a network as if I had attended for undergrad. Point being, everywhere you are has something to offer. Make the most of your situation!

morgante 13y ago
> Get the best of both worlds and do a master's at a top notch school. Glad that worked out for you. To be clear, my school is actually extraordinarily good academically (we're privately funded by an oil fortune)—it's just that the prestige of the name and student's isn't quite at Ivy quality. > Point being, everywhere you are has something to offer. Make the most of your situation! I'm doing my best, and doing pretty well (making 6 figures as a college sophomore), so my regrets are more social/intellectual than monetary. Though sometimes I wonder if YC would have accepted me if I had advertised my Ivy League stamps of approval (acceptance letters)... Maybe I'll go to Harvard when I get tired of developing and decide to "pivot" into management/finance.
- MaysonL 13y ago
  If you're making 6 figures as a sophomore, have you considered putting in apps to transfer to some of the top tier selective colleges? Couldn't hurt.
  - morgante 13y ago
    > If you're making 6 figures as a sophomore, have you considered putting in apps to transfer to some of the top tier selective colleges? Couldn't hurt. I've considered it, but HYPS essentially don't accept transfers. Plus, being in New York for the next year is very helpful professionally (I currently attend NYU).
- tim333 13y ago
  For what it's worth I went to Cambridge (UK) and didn't really build a network of useful friends and contacts. You often have to work at that stuff and I was a bit of a geek / not extra social. You can always do it deliberately later through something like MBAs, YC etc. I had a friend who had a good time and made lots of high power contacts doing the UCLA Executive MBA later in life. The brand recognition of the name is handy - people assume you are bright in a way they wouldn't if you go to a no name place.
- acjohnson55 13y ago
  Though sometimes I wonder if YC would have accepted me if I had advertised my Ivy League stamps of approval (acceptance letters)... Be glad you didn't. I don't think it would have sent a positive sign. Frankly, no one wants to hear about the things you didn't do, and things like acceptance letters and SAT scores don't matter going forward. Life is going to be filled with tough calls. Sometimes, you may have 5 promising but exclusive options to choose from. You can't make the most of the path you've taken while wasting mental energy on the ones you didn't. Take it from someone who wasted a lot of mental energy on such things before learning not to. You said elsewhere you go to NYU -- what's stopping you from maximizing your social and intellectual opportunities?
  - morgante 13y ago

FD3SA 13y ago

Listen to this man. Going to a top school has a massive effect on your luck surface area. Given that the best course materials can increasingly be found online, the only benefit of a school is its social network, in which the elite schools have a formidable monopoly.