While many students do not have a clear idea of what they would like to study in college or what they want to do with their future careers, there are a select few students who clearly know they want to go into business.
Taiwan has a rich history of entrepreneurship and family business, and for students who have entrepreneurial blood running through their veins, it may be a good idea to consider attending an ‘entrepreneurial college’ to give yourself further insight into the skills and knowledge required to help catapult your family business or personal venture to the next level.
Listed below is a list of the top twenty most entrepreneurial colleges in the United States along with notes on some of their most distinguished entrepreneurial alumni. Keep your future network in mind when considering which colleges you will apply to!
1. Stanford University
Richard Fairbank (B.A. ’72, M.B.A. ’81) is the founder and CEO of Capital One Financial. (2011 revenue: $18.5 billion).
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
According to a 2011 report from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, as of 2006 there were 25,600 active companies founded by MIT alumni, employing approximately 3.3 million people.
3. Harvard University
Harvard has produced 10 self-made billionaires, more than any other school on this list. Billionaire grads include Steve Ballmer (’77), Phil Falcone (’84) and Sumner Redstone (’44).
4. California Institute of Technology
Charles Trimble (B.S. ’63, M.B.A. ’64) cofounded Trimble Navigation (2011 revenue: $1.6 billion), which makes GPS products, including devices for delivery trucks and military jets.
5. University of California, Berkeley
This past spring Weili Dai (’84), cofounder of the Marvell Technology Group (2011 net revenue: $3.4 billion), was the first woman to give the commencement speech at the college of engineering.
6. University of Pennsylvania
Elon Musk (’97) founded SpaceX in 2002, which has approximately $4 billion in contracts, including a large one with NASA. Musk also cofounded Tesla Motors and PayPal.
7. Dartmouth College
In 2004 Steve Hafner (’91) cofounded Kayak, a travel site (2011 revenues: $225 million).
8. University of California, Los Angeles
Allen Adham and his 1990 classmates Michael Morhaime and Frank Pearce cofounded Blizzard Entertainment in 1991, makers of the online videogame World of Warcraft, which in 2010 had over 12 million players worldwide.
9. Princeton University
Jeff Bezos, who launched Amazon.com when he was 31, was a member of the class of 1986.
10. Haverford College
Despite its tiny size (the average class has 294 students), nearly 300 alumni describe themselves as entrepreneurs.
11. Yale University
The Yale Entrepreneurial Institute has nurtured 52 companies that have raised a total of OK a total of $45 million in funding since 2007.
12. Babson College
13. Brown University
Steven Rattner, cofounder of the Quadrangle Group, graduated from Brown in 1974.
14. Northwestern University
Sixty-three percent of Northwestern students claim they want to start their own businesses.
15. Harvey Mudd College
The school is named for Harvey Seeley Mudd, who cofounded Cyprus Mines, a copper mining concern, in the early 1900s with his father.
16. Swarthmore College
John Montgomery (’77), founder and partner of Bridgeway Capital Management, manages over $2 billion in assets.
17. Claremont McKenna College
LBO king Henry Kravis (net worth: $4 billion) was a 1967 graduate of the college.
18. Amherst College
John Abele (’59) cofounded medical device giant Boston Scientific in 1979 (2011 sales: $7.6 billion).
19. Williams College
AOL cofounder Steve Case (net worth: $1.5 billion) graduated from Williams in 1980.
20. Hampshire College
Yogurtmaker Stonyfield Farm (2011 sales: $360 million) was founded by Gary Hirshberg (’72).
– Source: Forbes
Many students in Taiwan have aspirations of studying abroad, gaining insight and experience in western culture, and using what they have learned to help their business and country grow to the next level. If you are considering entrepreneurship in the future, or think you would like to go into business or continue your family’s business at some point in your career – these colleges may each be well suited to your needs.
If you would like any help talking through the pros and cons of the entrepreneurial undergraduate schools in the US, or making the decision about which schools are right to apply to, feel free to reach me at david@transcendadmissions.com.