words Al Woods
Regardless of the college that you attend, if you intend to become an entrepreneur, college is the ideal place to get started on your journey and build a network that will make achieving your dreams much easier after graduation.
Learn more by checking out the following helpful guide.
Entrepreneurship at College
One of the biggest benefits of college is social networking. Many successful entrepreneurs formed companies with friends while still at college.
And seeing as you can get flexible private student loans from SoFi that enable you to get through college with minimal debt, you have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of those entrepreneurs. Find out more about private student loans with no fees from SoFi here.
Some of the most famous college friends who went on to create incredibly successful businesses include Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Yahoo’s Jerry Yang and David Filo, and Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
So, if you can network with the right people at college, you could go on to build a brand that becomes a household name.
You don’t have to enrol in a specific entrepreneurship course at college. Plenty of business-related programmes and other courses can help you to build the skills you need to become an entrepreneur.
But at the same time, it could be very helpful to enrol on a course that is specifically geared towards entrepreneurs.
In the U.S., colleges like Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan Business School, and Harvard Business School all offer excellent programs for aspiring entrepreneurs.
In the U.K., the University of Reading, Warwick Business School and Newcastle Business School are good choices.
But there are plenty of other excellent options.
Networking at College
Once you’ve chosen the right college and course, you can begin networking.
You might find the perfect business partner or you might make connections with multiple people who can be of help once you set up your business after graduation. Indeed, there’s nothing stopping you from setting up a business while you’re at college.
Networking with Peers
One of the best ways to network with your peers at college is to take advantage of professional networking groups and other clubs on campus. You’ll be able to expand your opportunities and meet incredible people.
In fact, there will never be another time when you can connect with so many smart and interesting people, so you really should make the most of meeting people when at college, not just for business networking.
And if you can’t find any groups or clubs that you’re interested in, you could always start your own. Indeed, starting your own group will help you to meet like-minded people even more and, as the leader, you can instantly gain group members’ respect.
Networking with More People
Another great way of networking with the right people is to simply reach out to everybody around you.
Spend time building your personal network by getting to know friends of friends and their friends.
And be sure to talk about your interests early on, so you can find out who does and doesn’t have similar passions.
Networking with Professors
It’s not only other students that can become a part of your network and help you in your path of entrepreneurship. Professors and guest lecturers can also be invaluable.
At college, you have access to some of the most brilliant academic minds, so make the most of it.
Spend time talking to college professors outside of class and building up a rapport with them. You don’t know just how valuable their insights and connections could be to you when you graduate.
