
Does it matter what college you go for undergrad? - hirematheeth

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jmtame
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.

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hirematheeth
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.

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far33d
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?

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hirematheeth
I got into University of Maryland, Purdue, Georgia Tech, and University of
Texas, Austin.

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whacked_new
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 :)

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soulcrusher
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.

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

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hirematheeth
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.

