4 ms·

Does it matter what college you go for undergrad?

1 points by hirematheeth 20y ago

mauricecheeks 20y ago
What is the context of the question? Does it matter for what?
- hirematheeth 20y ago
  I guess I should have added "for a successful startup." Also, if you can tell me how it matters for the comp. science field in general, I would appreciate it.
hirematheeth 20y ago
Hey guys, I am 17 and I posted this because I received my admissions letters this week. I got full rides to every state college I applied but I got wait listed at Stanford, MIT, Harvard, and Caltech. I really don't know how to think of this. Can I still start a successful startup? Can I still be more successful than an MIT undergrad? Is there something about these colleges that makes students there better or is it completely dependent on the student's personality, work ethics, etc.. to be successful? Sorry if the question seems out of whack. I am probably overwhelmed right now by the admissions letters.
- far33d 20y ago
  It won't change your ability to start a startup. It might change how strong a background in CS you get... but again, that depends on what kind of learner you are. What states?
  - hirematheeth 20y ago
    I got into University of Maryland, Purdue, Georgia Tech, and University of Texas, Austin.
    - far33d 20y ago
      Knowing little about any of those schools, I'd say visit each one, choose the one that "feels" right. Look for inquisitive students. College is all about the community. Lame advice, I know, but you know, I only went to one college.
    - whacked_new 20y ago
      I have high school friends who graduated from three of these schools. They are all smart people, did well in college, and are doing well after graduating. But none of them are starting a company. The idea doesn't seem to intrigue them either. If you have the entrepreneurial spirit in you, constantly remind yourself that you have it, regardless of where you are and what people tell you. If you have it as a highschooler, great. The eye for opportunity is a great gift, and colleges do not know how to measure this, nor can they teach you how to acquire it. I don't think you should worry if a school will turn you into a successful entrepreneur. The greater concern should be people to bounce ideas off of, and potentially work with. Talent is everywhere; train yourself to spot it. That is an asset second to none. I must agree with pg though. Vibe is very important. It's a lot more enjoyable to build stuff when everybody around you is talking about building stuff too. Where I went to school, people spend more time talking about philosophy :)
- pg 20y ago
  Larry and Sergey went to Michigan and Maryland. Woz went to Berkeley. Jobs, I think, did one semester at Reed. I don't think it matters super much in starting a startup. Stanford is a good place to go if you want to start a startup simply because it's in the middle of Silicon Valley and thus infused with startup culture (in a way that MIT definitely isn't). But you already seem to have that down. However, where you go to college can have a great effect on how much fun you have and how much you learn, and that is the most important thing. I'd just go wherever seems to you to have the best intellectual vibe.
- zaidf 20y ago
  I got rejected from Carnegie-Mellon and Rhode Island School of Design - both top design schools. I was pissed but honestly I never associated those rejections to my startup success. Like PG has said in past, startup is more about determination and ability to learn from failure than any specific school or skill. If anything just laugh off any rejection you get and keep working towards your startup path.
- IMorgothI12 20y ago
  Actually one thing I would look for is something like the WARF program at university of wisconsin. I think what you want from a University is a place that help you with your invention. If you have an idea they can help you get a patent (Unlike Andrews) and then you as the inventor can share some of the profit. Not all Universities do that and this is the one thing I would emphasize from a University. This can also help you establish a better record for jobs or startups. http://www.warf.org/about/index.jsp?cid=26 http://www.warf.org/about/index.jsp?cid=26
- IMorgothI12 20y ago
  A University should provide support in nurturing the invention process or providing patent and invention support.
jmtame 20y ago
I would try and find a college that has at least some entrepreneurial initiative. For example, at the Univ of Illinois, they have the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the Technology Entrepreneur Center, plus one of the best ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) chapters around. We had Max Levchin and Jawed Karim speak at our last conference, plus companies like Google, Amazon, EA, Microsoft, etc. are showing up. The only reason I'm really here is to find some CS students to help me startup. But it wouldn't happen without my connection to the school's CS groups. In the end, I doubt it matters one way or another where you go. As someone mentioned, many successful founders didn't go to ivy league schools. Jobs dropped out after 6 months at Reed. You'll decide how far you go.
soulcrusher 20y ago
It doesn't matter for a startup. But it does matter if you want a cushy job or want to get into a top professional school.

1 points by hirematheeth 20y ago

mauricecheeks 20y ago

What is the context of the question? Does it matter for what?

hirematheeth 20y ago
I guess I should have added "for a successful startup." Also, if you can tell me how it matters for the comp. science field in general, I would appreciate it.

hirematheeth 20y ago

Hey guys, I am 17 and I posted this because I received my admissions letters this week. I got full rides to every state college I applied but I got wait listed at Stanford, MIT, Harvard, and Caltech. I really don't know how to think of this. Can I still start a successful startup? Can I still be more successful than an MIT undergrad? Is there something about these colleges that makes students there better or is it completely dependent on the student's personality, work ethics, etc.. to be successful? Sorry if the question seems out of whack. I am probably overwhelmed right now by the admissions letters.

far33d 20y ago
It won't change your ability to start a startup. It might change how strong a background in CS you get... but again, that depends on what kind of learner you are. What states?
- hirematheeth 20y ago
  I got into University of Maryland, Purdue, Georgia Tech, and University of Texas, Austin.
  - far33d 20y ago
    Knowing little about any of those schools, I'd say visit each one, choose the one that "feels" right. Look for inquisitive students. College is all about the community. Lame advice, I know, but you know, I only went to one college.
  - whacked_new 20y ago
    I have high school friends who graduated from three of these schools. They are all smart people, did well in college, and are doing well after graduating. But none of them are starting a company. The idea doesn't seem to intrigue them either. If you have the entrepreneurial spirit in you, constantly remind yourself that you have it, regardless of where you are and what people tell you. If you have it as a highschooler, great. The eye for opportunity is a great gift, and colleges do not know how to measure this, nor can they teach you how to acquire it. I don't think you should worry if a school will turn you into a successful entrepreneur. The greater concern should be people to bounce ideas off of, and potentially work with. Talent is everywhere; train yourself to spot it. That is an asset second to none. I must agree with pg though. Vibe is very important. It's a lot more enjoyable to build stuff when everybody around you is talking about building stuff too. Where I went to school, people spend more time talking about philosophy :)
pg 20y ago
Larry and Sergey went to Michigan and Maryland. Woz went to Berkeley. Jobs, I think, did one semester at Reed. I don't think it matters super much in starting a startup. Stanford is a good place to go if you want to start a startup simply because it's in the middle of Silicon Valley and thus infused with startup culture (in a way that MIT definitely isn't). But you already seem to have that down. However, where you go to college can have a great effect on how much fun you have and how much you learn, and that is the most important thing. I'd just go wherever seems to you to have the best intellectual vibe.
zaidf 20y ago
I got rejected from Carnegie-Mellon and Rhode Island School of Design - both top design schools. I was pissed but honestly I never associated those rejections to my startup success. Like PG has said in past, startup is more about determination and ability to learn from failure than any specific school or skill. If anything just laugh off any rejection you get and keep working towards your startup path.
IMorgothI12 20y ago
Actually one thing I would look for is something like the WARF program at university of wisconsin. I think what you want from a University is a place that help you with your invention. If you have an idea they can help you get a patent (Unlike Andrews) and then you as the inventor can share some of the profit. Not all Universities do that and this is the one thing I would emphasize from a University. This can also help you establish a better record for jobs or startups. http://www.warf.org/about/index.jsp?cid=26 http://www.warf.org/about/index.jsp?cid=26
IMorgothI12 20y ago
A University should provide support in nurturing the invention process or providing patent and invention support.

jmtame 20y ago

I would try and find a college that has at least some entrepreneurial initiative. For example, at the Univ of Illinois, they have the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the Technology Entrepreneur Center, plus one of the best ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) chapters around. We had Max Levchin and Jawed Karim speak at our last conference, plus companies like Google, Amazon, EA, Microsoft, etc. are showing up. The only reason I'm really here is to find some CS students to help me startup. But it wouldn't happen without my connection to the school's CS groups. In the end, I doubt it matters one way or another where you go. As someone mentioned, many successful founders didn't go to ivy league schools. Jobs dropped out after 6 months at Reed. You'll decide how far you go.

soulcrusher 20y ago

It doesn't matter for a startup. But it does matter if you want a cushy job or want to get into a top professional school.