Scholarships From FOSS Organizations?

Athaulf writes "I'm a high school kid with big dreams of prestigious technology schools like MIT or Cal-Tech. The problem is, my upper-middle class family had more down to Earth plans for me and my college choices (about $30,000/year more down to Earth, actually), so financial aid and college savings won't come anywhere near MIT's price tag. However, I've been programming in C for a while now, and might release a GPL'd Linux app soon. With this self-taught programming experience, academic merit, and plenty of extra curricular activities, are there any FOSS supporting organizations who might grant me a scholarship for my contributions? Do companies like Google or Red-Hat offer scholarships to big name schools in return for a few years of work after college?"

Comments

Education is an investment

[dokebi]

According to their website, MIT's tuition is 35K/yr + 10k in housing. If your parents will foot 30k, that's only 15k year you need to pay. I'd say that's a good deal for an education that'll keep paying you after you graduate.

If you think that's too much, go to a good community college for the first two years, transfer, and still get that MIT degree. The introductory classes are generally taught better at some of these places.

Or, most states schools have great programs, diverse people, and provide excellent education.

And no, counting cards will not pay your tuition.

You're just paying for the brand name.

[ZirbMonkey]

MIT is outrageously expensive, but will have no effect in determining to an employer that your a better candidate than someone at any other 4-year accredited university. But you don't want to be just a guy with a degree. You want to be a guy with an MIT degree.

I'm not sure what CS guys get at MIT that they won't be eligible to find at any other college. But if you work your ass of at any other college, with the grades and extras to prove it, I don't see how it matters.

Unless of course you just want to get the "MIT" label for the brand name.

Re:You're just paying for the brand name.

[Dominic_Mazzoni]

The difference between getting a CS degree at MIT vs a CS degree at an average state college is your classmates. At MIT, you'll be surrounded by the best and brightest - people who were not only accepted, but chose to go to MIT, even though that meant working harder and taking out more loans. Many of your classmates will be the people starting the next Google, Facebook, or FedEx. The people you do a class project with your senior year might be the people you start a company with the following year. You'll be surprised to discover that top science/engineering schools tend to not be that competitive - they're mostly collaborative. Everyone studies in groups, and your peers will inspire you to do better than you thought you could. The basic material is not much different than at other schools, but when everyone in your class is actually excited about it, you'll learn it better.

When you go to an average school, you'll be surrounded by average students. On the plus side, you might stand out as exceptional. On the down side, you will have relatively few other students who are as smart, ambitious, and interested as you are. It does make a difference.

Re:You're just paying for the brand name.

[nebosuke]

You're paying for an image. A label.

My experience has been that the difference between top private U's and state school isn't necessarily in the facilities or the faculty (at least with respect to well-funded state schools), but the degree to which your fellow classmates catalyze the learning process.

Any school, including small community colleges, will have some exceptionally intelligent and talented people, but taking a class with an excellent prof and 2-3 other people who 'get it' is an entirely different experience than when the entire class instantly absorbs the primary principles and the lecturer is constantly fielding insightful questions that illuminate corner cases, the underlying theory, etc. Then, when you're chatting after class, you find that it just so happens that one of your classmates did a graduate-level thesis on related algorithms in his junior year of high school, and you learn even more over some Chick Fil A.

You will occasionally have that kind of experience anywhere, but at the top schools you can have them pretty much daily.

Re:You're just paying for the brand name.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm not sure what CS guys get at MIT that they won't be eligible to find at any other college.

Perhaps he has an interest in some area of research which MIT excels at - for example, someone interested in autonomous vehicles may consider going to Stanford or CMU because if you want to play with $100,000 experimental LIDARs you need to go somewhere that already has them. Big-name universities may also be better funded from government, research and alumni. More money means better academics (attracted by money to perform their research) and better equipment. Or at least, MIT has seven noble laureates in the current faculty - I can believe that would translate into highly knowledgeable instructors.

Furthermore, if admission standards are high your fellow students are likely to meet these high academic standards; this would make discussion and group study more productive, if you choose to engage in them, and may lead to a different 'culture' and 'experience' during your studies (room mates, parties, sports, girls...). Of course, spending $30,000 a year because you like the culture may not be the best idea.

In summary, though many undergraduate courses are probably very similar between universities, differences between universities exist and prospective students may want to consider these to differentiate between universities.

Re:You're just paying for the brand name.

[williamhb]

I'm not sure what CS guys get at MIT that they won't be eligible to find at any other college. But if you work your ass of at any other college, with the grades and extras to prove it, I don't see how it matters.

Unless of course you just want to get the "MIT" label for the brand name

Much as I hate to be the fly in the Slashdot's idealistic ointment, that branding is very valuable. It is not simply a branding, it is an endorsement from one of the most respected institutions in the world: if you have an MIT degree, then the MIT admissions panel felt you are one of the brightest of your age group nationwide, because everybody knows that is all they will take. If you have a degree from Bog Standard College, then Bog Standard College's admissions panel endorsed that "they think you could just about get through the course", because everybody knows that is their criteria.

The best employers really go out of their way to try to attract talent from the top institutions. Cambridge University's Computer Lab recruitment fare has more companies with stands than it has students graduating each year. And of course companies often try to hire locally -- if you're after a role with a top technology firm, you'll quickly notice they are mostly clustered around the top universities, and usually have deep links within those universities.

And while you're there, both the best scientists and the best business people in the country will probably be giving free talks at the top institutions.

Re:You're just paying for the brand name.

[cbart387]

I think you have some good points. I have the utmost respect for my faculty. It's my fellow students that are the slouchers. I think the reason for that _is_ the GP's point. The label. It's what attracts these driven kids (or the driven parents behind them). It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.

From the way you talk though, it do fills me with a little regret that I went the public school route. Besides the unending projects, I enjoy being in academia with the opportunity to learn new things. I consider even the stuff that you learn not directly from a prof, because it's (in my opinion) the environment that fosters the willingness to learn. It doesn't seem like a lot of the other students feel that way. They're only using it as a mean-to-an-ends. Granted the whole 'job' thing is not unimportant.

On the other hand there, is opportunities with in the public schools. Maybe not as much as MIT but they're there if you so desire. At least in my school there's usually a couple profs involved in research. Choices choices...

Re:trust me don't do it.

[1point618]

OK, first off, to OP: money isn't everything, and if you really think that your education didn't give you anything but technical skills, then you obviously didn't get out of college what I an most the folks I know are or did. College is a time to learn to think critically and to learn a variety of different subjects. You'll never quite get that chance again.

Secondly, to the question: MIT gives full financial aid, based on what they think your parents can afford to pay. Yeah, you might end up paying a bit more a year than a $10,000 a year state school once you get finaid from them, but then again maybe not, and for the education you'll get at MIT and the people you'll meet there, it will be worth it. I go to a school that costs more than MIT and my parents make less than 100k a year (well less), and I got through the first two years of school without loans. This brings up my second point to you: don't look at loans as a bad thing. Look at them as an investment in yourself. If you come out of MIT with an engineering degree, you can easily be making a high five or low six figures straight out of college. You'll pay off your loans in a year or two at that pace. Well worth it.

Personally, I'd suggest looking at not just MIT, too. I was a CS major for my first two years here at my school (oh fuck it, I go to Yale, just so you know, I don't know why we always beat around the bush here), and there is a great, theoretical program. However, I found that while I enjoy programming, computer science is something completely different from programming, and decided to change my major to Linguistics. It's wonderful the large range of possibilities a school like Yale or Stanford or Brown can give to you. Don't confine yourself to a technical school, especially if you already have a lot of technical skills.

Let's see. What other advice besides don't worry about money and try to broaden your horizons? Get an on-campus job, you'd be surprised how well some of them pay (I get $13.50 an hour to fix computers and sit at shifts doing homework and helping folks who need it if they ask), get loans, go to a school that gives good financial aid, and you'll graduate, get a great job, and not have to worry about the pittance in loans you have. Go abroad, go to lectures, take advantage of any alumni networks you can get on, especially if they're related to a group or club you are in, just take advantage of the resources your university offers you as much as you can. And even if you don't end up going to a top-tier school, all this will still hold true.

Best of luck. If you want to talk to me at all, feel free to PM me.

Don't be such a downer!

[RPalkovic]

Wow, I'm somewhat appalled by the acerbic replies to this post. There's a post or two saying that education doesn't get you anything, and while I tend to agree because college didn't work for me, that's no reason to tell someone not to go. I spent 6 years in crappy jobs that I probably wouldn't have had to endure had I gone to Insert College Here instead of the school of hard knocks. Then there's the dedication factor. Many employers want to see a 4 year degree simply because it shows that 4 Year Degree kid had enough drive and dedication to see it through. As for MIT vs. another college... If I were a hiring manager and all other things were equal (skills, interview prowess, etc) I would almost definitely hire the person who had a degree from a well known, highly respected school over Generic University. NOTHING beats experience, but don't knock a kid for trying to "do it right."

MIT

[Anonymous Coward]

"You get out of an education what you put into it; if there's something you really want to learn, you'll pick it up on your own, no matter if you're at MIT or at a state university."

Back when I was an undergraduate, my thesis adviser mentioned that to me when I said that I wanted to apply to MIT. At first, I thought that he, having finished his PhD at an Ivy League institution, was somewhat out-of-touch; but, it turned out that he was right. You can learn, and do, just as much, if not more, at the right institution versus some highly ranked university, like Stanford or MIT. While the allure of a big-name degree might be appealing, walking out knowing that you accomplished what you wanted to, had plenty of fun, and are debt-free, I think, is the best feeling.

After all, there are always MIT post-doc positions.

Re:TAG: youarenotanuniquesnowflake

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a 40 year old ex-labourer whose family couldn't afford to send me to college but who learned computers in my spare time because I find them and the associated logic fascinating. My problem was I had to start earning money as soon as possible , so as to ease the strain on my family, despite living in a civilized country where third level education is free I had to start working as soon as I left what you would term high-school initially as a farm labourer but later in construction, I learned skills which still stand to me this day and I bought my first computer with money I earned myself. Initially I learned Basic, then taught myself C and later started a company with two like minded individuals looking after machines for local companies.

You on the other hand are a spoiled little bollix who has yet to learn that life isn't fair and you just have to make the best of your current situation.

Welcome to reality you pampered tart.

Re:trust me don't do it.

[timmarhy]

spoken like a true college kid who hasn't been out in the real world yet.

sure, money isn't EVERYTHING, but it's about 90% of it. when your all grown up and have a house and other responsibilites like a family, you'll learn you'd happily shovel shit for a living if it paid the right money.

and call me jaded, but even in my day critical thinking was dead in college.

i'd also like to point out that "you can easily be making a high five or low six figures straight out of college" is bullcrap and won't happen. you'll have to go into a graduate program after getting your engineering degree, where they will teach you how things are really done and pay you shit money for the pleasure.

Mighta, woulda, coulda

[Schraegstrichpunkt]

However, I've been programming in C for a while now, and might release a GPL'd Linux app soon.

Might? By the time I finished high school, I had released at least 3 GPL'd programs that were entirely my own work, a 3-clause BSDL'd one, a couple of scripts dedicated to the public domain, and a several patches to existing free software. Nobody sent me to an ivy-league school.

You're going to have to do better than "I might release a GPL'd app someday" if you want to convince the people here that you're the unique snowflake you claim to be. And remember: even if you're brilliant, why should anyone put you through school? What's the payoff for them?

Re:Mighta, woulda, coulda

[Bryan Ischo]

Oh my god, this guy's question was like an invitation for every holier-than-thou type to come out of the woodwork and spout off about how much more worthy than he is they are and how stupid he is for even asking the question.

Well, I guess if you really need the ego stroking - you sound like a real genius man, like you must have been the best qualified high school grad of all time and I am sure that all the universities were begging you to sign up, and if they weren't, well it's the dumbest thing they ever did to pass up on talent like you.

Now that that's over with - do you actually have a useful answer to his question?

Re:Join the Army

[NewbieProgrammerMan]

Anyone joining the military with a college degree (especially from a place like MIT or an ivy) will a) instantly be an officer and b) be a huge commodity and will be put doing some sort of awesome research or tactics, and not be put in line of fire. I'm sorry, but: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! For starters, there's *not* that many "awesome research and tactics" billets that need to be filled. Second, unless your kinfolk have influence of some kind, you go where the "needs of the [Army,Navy,Air Force,Marines]" dictate they need warm bodies. If that happens to be a place where you get shot at (and there seem to be quite a lot of those nowadays), then that's where you're going, no matter what your degree or where you got it.

Re:A Few Clarifications

[lukas84]

First off, learn to make paragraphs. That post was horrible to read.

and would be proud to put some time into the cause.

It's a god damn operating system, not a cult or a cure for cancer. You're not helping "the cause". You're working for a company which has the sole purpose of making as much of money for their shareholders as possible. There is nothing wrong with that, but you desperately need a reality check.

Re:Join the Army

[Roger W Moore]

Hmmmmm... maybe join the Canadian Army instead.

It's great that you are so aware of all the help Canada has been giving you in Afghanistan. It may come as a surprise that they have been shooting at our soldiers too. I'm so glad their sacrifices are appreciated by our southern ally.

Re:trust me don't do it.

[timmarhy]

one other point i want to make about places like google and MS, they seem like awesome places to work, giving you free lunches and rides to and from work. that is until you realise it's a trap so you don't notice the 70 hour working week. trades make significantly more money (atleast here in AU they do). i make 6 figures now all up, but friends of mine that did electrical trades are on 2x what i'm on.

Re:trust me don't do it.

[FishWithAHammer]

Also, as far as anyone has ever told me and I've ever seen, grad school for engineering and ESPECIALLY for CS is completely worthless for getting a job, and is done almost only by those who wish to go into academia.

That's funny. That's really funny. Google (who you mention below) has a minimum of a BS in computer science, but recommends a MS and a Ph.D. is a big plus. I would wager that you really don't know what you're talking about here.

Sure, 2 years of Business school might be required after 5 or so years in the work force in order to get a managerial position that really pays bank, but that's far in the future. Places like MS and Google and Yahoo! are hiring kids out of my school at 75k or more a year for software engineering jobs (there is obviously a variance, and some jobs get a lower salary).

Try "pretty much all jobs have a lower salary." Expecting 75K+ straight out of college is ludicrous unless you have some sort of proven track record that shows you aren't just another college graduate. For someone leaving school with a master's, I'd buy 75K+ (but that'd still be a huge stretch). Same for a Ph.D. Not some kid with a bachelor's.

Re:A Few Clarifications

[Viv]

1. So, take their $10K and raise the rest. Good for you for looking for FOSS scholarships. Don't stop with just that. There are plenty other sources of funding, you just have to take the time to look under every rock you can find.
   
2. Your brother didn't look hard enough, or wasn't very well qualified. Or wasn't willing to take enough of the burden on himself in the form of loans and sweat.
   
3. Same.
   
4. College ain't high school kid, sure there's plenty of stupid folks at both, but pick a hard major and take the hard classes at any reasonable, accredited college -- even the lower tier public ones -- and pretty soon you'll find that there aren't so many of them. It ain't very often that I'm the stupid person in the room, but it happened when I decided to take the highest level EE courses my university offered. I knew I was in deep shit when half the class (all graduate students) dropped out in the first 3 weeks, and everyone left (except me) were 2nd/3rd year PhD students with 3 hours of lecture and 6 hours of dissertation.
   
5. College professors ain't public school teachers kiddo. As a rule, they all have PhD's, and are an expert in at least their own field (their field being the subject of their dissertation). There are exceptions of course, mostly at the worst universities, but by and large, even at any given flagship state school, you can learn something from all of them. The only reason you wouldn't is because you didn't want to.
   
6. Meh.
   
7. Call them anyway. Apply, and figure out the funding later. If you want to go badly enough, your financial situation will not stop you.
   

Re:A Few Clarifications

[FishWithAHammer]

2. My brother could never find financial aid, and scholarships only go so far.

I know two or three people offhand who funded their entire education through scholarships they applied to outside of their educational institute's financial aid office. It's very doable.

4. I'm not saying that I haven't considered public schools; I simply much prefer a school that I'm not in the top 1% of math SAT scores. If that sounds arrogant I apologize, but I'm just tired of going to schools like my high school that don't have a *single* person (student or otherwise) who knows C.

Oh, please. Don't be a fucking douchebag if you can at all help it. "Wah, wah, I am so smart!" You will find people at any institution who will kick your ass up and down the road and know much, much, much more than you do about what you proclaim to be good at; you will find people who are far hotter shit than you are or ever will be. It doesn't matter where you go, this will be the case.

"Oh, no, nobody in my high school knows C! I am adrift in a sea of stupidity!" Grow up.

5. I want to go to MIT because I think that I can learn something about programming from other students and teachers (the computer programming class is taught with JavaScript and teachers certified by a one day course) for the first time in my life.

You can do that at any university. Hell, MIT's learning materials are given away for free. Do you want to learn, or do you want the little piece of paper?

7. Yes, I was about to call the MIT admissions office, but my mother brought up the argument "don't even try, we won't have the money for that", hence this ask slashdot article.

Your mother is a moron, and you shouldn't be listening to her when it comes to this.

8. I want to find scholarships from FOSS organizations because I want to support the community and working for a FOSS company would be a dream come true. I love Linux and free software, and would be proud to put some time into the cause.

"Work" is the exchange of your time for their money, and if they want you to fuck up a Holy Sacred GPL Project because it suits your purposes, you do it or you get fired. You need a cluestick to the head or need to learn about the real world. It's not a cause, it's an operating system and a style of releasing software.

9. I hate to respond to my own article, but I felt like I needed to clear up a few things.

Frankly, you just make yourself look like more of an ass. You're in plentiful, if not good, company, though--you sound like half the kids in my school's CS department.

Re:TAG: youarenotanuniquesnowflake

[Bryan Ischo]

Oh my god give me a fucking break. The kid wants to find out of there are options to help him go to the college he wants to go to, and you are jumping down his throat because you don't think he's going to be earning his chops like you did? Sounds like 'sour grapes' to me. M.I.T. is a very good computer science institution, maybe the kid will end up being one of the great researchers of the 21st century and contribute to the field.

Why don't you just answer his question instead of spouting off about how much better your way of doing things is? What, you don't have an answer to his question because instead of going to a good school you fucked around with a "Berufsmatur" instead? Well then shut the fuck up.

Re:trust me don't do it.

[Your.Master]

Program Management is not management, don't make that mistake. Some PMs have 6 figures, some high 5's, some mid-high 5 (that's how I'd classify 75K). At Microsoft, they're paid pretty much lockstep with SDEs, and my friend who got a PM offer from MS got an identical offer amount to the one MS gave me (this was an SDE offer). You can even see the chart of their pay if you search the Internet long & hard enough; it was leaked a couple years back. At Google I expect it's about the same, but I've not seen any leaked reports on their salaries.

That said, MS and Google both have generous bonus plans and signing bonuses and benefits; all things considered your total value might be at low 6 figures from another company but if that's what you mean then you should say that, because it's not how it reads.

You've backpedaled to can (not will). Earlier you said that an MIT degree would "easily" land you these jobs (yes, Yale is not MIT, but come on here, we're not talking about a night & day difference). I would say mid 5 figures is fairly "easy" once you've gotten an engineering degree from a good school, 60 is reasonable, and 75+? That's both effort & luck conspiring together.

Don't get me wrong -- I mostly agree with your points about school, but I really do not want people expecting that they'll easily get 6 figures on a bachelor's degree. I did not need to read that you were still at school to know that you were when you said that :).

Re:TAG: youarenotanuniquesnowflake

[reiisi]

education is everything, but uni doesn't have a patent or any other kind of monopoly on it.

Lots of kinds of education you simply can't get at uni.

But, yeah, if he's motivated to go to school now, best to do it now and get it over with. And, as someone else said, he shouldn't worry about the money when he applies. If he's good enough to get the admission, he should go talk to the profs, counselors, and the financial aid department. Paths may open up, especially if his project is any good. MIT is definitely one place that will recognize open source projects, if they're good.

But if it doesn't work out, he should be willing to be glad he tried and move on. Go to a school he can afford, or go to the school of hard knocks.

Work is its own reward.

Re:trust me don't do it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps I am just a "college kid". However, the majority of my friends are actually out of college, many of them married with children, so I feel that I have at least a little bit of perspective on this. I know plenty of them who got 6 figures or a high 5 figures out of college, even 5 years ago. The fact that you know their salaries should tell you something about the quality of your friends.

Places like MS and Google and Yahoo! are hiring kids out of my school at 75k or more a year for software engineering jobs (there is obviously a variance, and some jobs get a lower salary). The variance is going to depend on the proven abilities. In hiring, I evaluate on what you've done in your own time, not what you've studied. A 4-year college student with no significant experience is not worth $75k/year -- no matter the university.

Finally, I'm sorry critical thinking was dead at your college, but that is not the case here, and does not seem to be the case at many of the colleges my friends go to. Quite honestly, that seems to be one of the largest differences between some of the "better" schools and some of the lesser-known schools, which is just a sense I get from talking to my few high school friends who went to Ivy or equivalent schools and comparing our experiences to those who went elsewhere. If you think you need a $40k/year education to engage in critical thinking, you're not engaging in anything of the sort.

DO NOT Let Lack of $ Get in the Way

[chiefthe]

DO NOT let lack of money dissuade you from what you want to do. That breads resentment and bitterness. Do it, do it well, and the money will come.

I went to MIT. I hate it when people assume that you have to be rich to go there, or make comments like "my parents couldn't afford that." That isn't a reason to not even try. I'm not sure about the original poster's financial status (upper middle class can be a big range), but MIT recently announced it will be tuition free for those families making $75000 or less.

And the name does make a difference. I got my first job due to it (poor match in the end, but that is another story). Many employers see it as a short cut to the type of person you are. You *will* get a good job if you went to another school, especially if you are good (goodness will always override name in the end), but as other posters have mentioned the fact that you are surrounded by smart and clever people kicks your own performance up a notch. Being able to see exactly what you are capable of and find and notice your limits is an amazing experience. I wouldn't trade my time at MIT for the world, despite 4 years of complaining about the workload, the pressure and the frosh.

Re:trust me don't do it.

[tomhudson]

If you think you need a $40k/year education to engage in critical thinking, you're not engaging in anything of the sort.

That's because he's bought into the PHB mindset - he'll outsource all that "critical thinking stuff".

One thing nobody's mentioned yet is that people with a BS in CS are FUBAR'd if they're just coming onto the job market in a declining economy. Between outsourcing, contracting, and plain old cutbacks/layoffs, doesn't matter what "name" university you went to ... but the debt associated with that "name" university makes your monthly nut that much harder to crack.

It may also make you less, not more, employable, since employers will figure that you'll either want more $$$ to start with, or will quickly jump ship for more $$$ once you have a year's "real world experience" under your belt. Both of these are negatives, which is why you see people with a couple of decades experience "dumbing down" their resumes when they get tired of what they're doing and want to change their speciation.

interesting point on picking schools

[zogger]

It might be better for him to research the teachers as in your example and pick the university that way instead. Choose the subject (down to a more fine detail level) that is really interesting and seems to have the most potential, then see who are the leading researchers in that subject, go to their school.

writing FOSS vs. university studies

[szobatudos]

Writing Free and Open Source Software is cool, especially if you attend high school now, but Computer Science/Engineering schools are not (just) about coding. How good are you in math? Other languages than C?

Did you see the courses MIT offers? Are those really the ones you would like to learn?

The greatest gift

[wonkavader]

The greatest gift your parents can give you is NOT PAYING FOR YOUR COLLEGE.

Go to MIT. Get loans. They'll have low interest rates. Pay them off as SLOWLY as you can. Having a degree from MIT on your resume will pay for your investment in 10 years or so. You'll get aid, you'll get loans, you'll get a JOB and you'll afford it just fine

Remember that high housing costs mean high labor costs -- which means the hourly you get for labor in Boston will be higher than you expect. Get skilled labor jobs. Avoid working on campus unless the job helps you academically (meaning in the lab of a person you're learning from). Never work for a faculty member who starts off pointing out that working for him or her will get you a great recommendation which will open doors for you. Such people are weasels, and will screw you.

Stop looking to your parents. Stop trying to figure out how some third party will pay for it. Go directly to the school and deal with them. They'll help a lot. The rest you'll either pay for immediately from your wages or loans, and it'll be FINE.

Welcome to the real world

[Anonymous Coward]

First, congratulations on graduating High School, and don't get me wrong, I wish you well, but here's my dose of reality for you.

What you're asking is not going to happen. One day, these organizations MAY give out scholarships, but it's unlikely. There are many reasons why, but here are some things to consider:

A fairly significant number of University students change their major during their course of study - this means that by 'investing' in High School graduates, these organizations would be taking a risk, that after 1-4 years, their scholarship student will be doing something different.

What they would much rather do is wait for you to graduate with a major in a field of their interest, and judge you then. It's much less risk for them, as well as allowing them to rely on the tried and tested methods of Universities for creating employable people.

Also, you'd do really, really well to get hired by Google. Really well. In fact, if Google came to you today and said they'd hire you after you completed your University degree, but only if you shelled out for MIT, I would very strongly suggest shelling out. You may also suggest they'd like your first-born child/kidney. Getting money isn't hard, there are LOTS of scholarships, bursaries, and low-interest loans you can get if you think you're worth it. Getting and internship and getting hired is harder. In todays world, it is entirely possible to be bright, very hire-able, and not get any offers at all.

Re:trust me don't do it.

[Anonymous Coward]

I know plenty of them who got 6 figures or a high 5 figures out of college, even 5 years ago. Umm, no you don't, or they all lied to you. Try listening to the 10 people who are older than you here correcting you on this thread. Making this kind of outlandish claim doesn't help make your argument. Especially when you say things like "plenty of them" and then reference a time frame of the worst economy in recent memory. I'm sorry, but it didn't happen. Maybe you'd like to believe that you're going to come out of Yale and get a $90k-120k job, but sorry, it's better you find out now and start to plan accordingly.

Get in the school, it will happen.

[iperry]

MIT and similar caliber schools WILL give you financial aid packages that are tailored to your financial situation. I'm graduating from MIT this year, I only have about $3,000 in loans. Guess what I paid for tuition this year? Nothing. Due to financial aid, MIT was actually cheaper than UC Berkeley for me, despite being an in-state California resident and a Regents scholarship recipient. The basic point is, the hard part is getting into the school--once you have that, the university will make it as easy as possible for you attend. Those massive endowments are thankfully occasionally used for something good. If you've got the brains, don't let money be an impediment to your education. Check out a recent Tech article from MIT--if your parents make less than $75k/year, tuition is free: http://www-tech.mit.edu/V128/N11/endowment.html

Sounds Like A Crock

[Myopic]

Any kid can afford any college in the country. As a child, you can't be any more poor than $0, and that's what I had when I went to a top-cost college in this decade. After four years of paying for tuition with only forgiveness and loans, I graduated with about 6-months-salary worth of debt. (Forgiveness is where the school just kind of reduces tuition for you.)

MIT, like all top-tier schools, including every school in the Ivy League, and many many more-accessible schools, offer need-blind admissions, which means they will find a way for you to be able to afford college, one way or another.

So, my suggestion is to go do what every other kid in America is doing, even those who aren't so lucky to be in an upper-middle-class family: get a job, borrow money, get thru school, then get another job and pay back the money. In fact, that makes me realize that taxpayers are the ones funding the low-cost government student loans, so we all already are giving you the scholarship that you are requesting.

Re:Or, get a job

[MikeFM]

Who was trying for the moral higher ground? The point was that very few people feel a need to help someone that has more than them. If you want to ask for help then don't advertise that you have it better than most of the people that you're asking for help. It's just not an intelligent way to go about the process.

It's like asking for handouts at the soup kitchen while decked out in a lot of expensive jewelry.