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YC at Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UPenn

blog.ycombinator.com

11–20 of 98 posts

Re: YC at Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UPenn

#11
post #2

Does YC ever visit non-top-tier schools?

I was just going to ask this. Silicon valley would be better served (and better serve others) when they stop giving hand service to the same schools they they went to and the people who think and act exactly like them.

I went to a very small state school, and I made my way to Silicon Valley. It's not impossible.

Re: YC at Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UPenn

#12
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I attended their office hours with Kevin Hale at my school - NC State, very far from a top tier school. Neat experience, but [0] they never posted about visiting on HackerNews. [0] Apparently they did in their Winter Tour last year, my mistake.

We announced the visit to NC State last year: https://blog.ycombinator.com/winter-2016-college-tour/

My mistake, must have missed that. I found out through our school's entrepreneurship program.

Re: YC at Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UPenn

#15
post #2

Does YC ever visit non-top-tier schools?

I was just going to ask this. Silicon valley would be better served (and better serve others) when they stop giving hand service to the same schools they they went to and the people who think and act exactly like them.

Top schools attract a disproportionate of intelligent young people. Ignoring that would be stupid.

Re: YC at Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UPenn

#16
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was just going to ask this. Silicon valley would be better served (and better serve others) when they stop giving hand service to the same schools they they went to and the people who think and act exactly like them.

We try to mix it up. Here's where we went last winter: https://blog.ycombinator.com/winter-2016-college-tour/ . And last fall: https://blog.ycombinator.com/yc-office-hours-in-11-countries...

When YC posts about visiting the top-tier schools, it gives the impression that they are the only schools that matter.

And I have to ask: If the Ivies/MIT/Stanford aren't the only schools that matter, why call them out in a post that's distinct from the winter tour post?

Re: YC at Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UPenn

#17

What about the other 99% of talented students that couldn't afford these schools?

Through need based financial aid, these schools are very affordable for many of those students.

Once you get in. Unfortunately, it's often extremely expensive to build the resume required for getting into these schools in the first place.

Re: YC at Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UPenn

#18
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I attended their office hours with Kevin Hale at my school - NC State, very far from a top tier school. Neat experience, but [0] they never posted about visiting on HackerNews. [0] Apparently they did in their Winter Tour last year, my mistake.

NC State is more qualified than you give credit. US News ranks NC State's Engineering program higher than Duke's. Duke / NC State / UNC are three strong universities. http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-gradu...

Eh - quality of education and research aside, and it's fine in that regard, it still doesn't have the same prestige as the other two by a long shot.

Re: YC at Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UPenn

#19

What about the other 99% of talented students that couldn't afford these schools?

Through need based financial aid, these schools are very affordable for many of those students.

The marketing departments at these schools have done wonders. People whose families have modest incomes of 100-150k annually are going to pay a very large sum of money to attend these schools. It is only the very poor and very wealthy who do not have issues funding their education at one of these schools.

Re: YC at Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UPenn

#20

What about the other 99% of talented students that couldn't afford these schools?

These schools are actually some of the most affordable in the country due to their extremely generous financial aid. Poor families pay nothing and even middle class families have minimal contributions. (For example, all of the elite universities I was accepted to cost less than my state school would have.)
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