Sources of Data
There were two sources of data, comprising a mixed methodological approach. On the qualitative side, we pursed interpretative interviews with Stanford students, entrepreneurs, and faculty to get their perspectives on these issues. We aimed to find recurrent patterns and trends from the different points of view. The interviews consisted of semi-structured, open-ended questions, and a sample of typical questions is provided below:
- What role do you see a college education playing in today's society (or what value do you see in getting a college education today)?
- What drew you into entrepreneurship (or made you pursue something else: research, academia, established companies)?
- What types of entrepreneurial resources have you taken advantage of during your time at Stanford?
- What do you think of the Thiel Fellowship? Would you take it if you had the option?
- What do you think of entrepreneurship options at Stanford? (are they sufficient? over saturated? lacking? --why and how?) Is it really necessary/beneficial to have so many undergrad organizations focused on the same topic?
- Why do you think Stanford students are so entrepreneurial? Do you think students come in with the intention of starting companies, or do you think Stanford creates an environment such that students come to have entrepreneurial leanings? (Chicken-and-the-egg)
We also surveyed the undergraduate community at large in order to gain a broader perspective on student attitudes toward entrepreneurship on campus. This was a multiple choice survey on Qualtrics and was sent to all undergraduates at Stanford. It was designed to minimally intrusive and take less than two minutes to complete. In total, 588 undergraduate students responded to the survey. The survey questions are shown below:
- Select the option that best describes you. I am a:
- Freshman
- Sophomore
- Junior
- Senior
-
What school are you associated with at Stanford?
- Earth Sciences
- Education
- Engineering
- Humanities & Sciences
- Interdisciplinary
-
Do you consider yourself entrepreneurial? (in terms of starting and running your own company)
- Yes
- No
-
How did you get interested in entrepreneurship?
- I always knew I wanted to start a company, and I believed Stanford was the best place to pursue my start-up goals.
- I liked the idea of starting a company, but without Stanford, I probably wouldn't have pursued entrepreneurship.
- I never considered starting my own company before coming to Stanford, but the Stanford/Silicon Valley environment has pushed me in a new direction.
-
What resources at Stanford were most helpful in preparing you for entrepreneurship?
- Class projects
- Faculty mentors
- Student entrepreneurship groups (e.g., BASES, ASES)
- Talks by entrepreneurs, VCs, etc.
- STVP programs (e.g., Mayfield Fellows, ETL, courses)
- Other entrepreneurially-minded students
- Other
-
Do you think a university should provide a broad classical education or a focused vocational education?
- Broad classical education
- Focused vocational education
-
Do you think Stanford focuses too heavily on entrepreneurship at the expense of a classical liberal arts education?
- Yes
- No
-
If you had a great idea and were offered $100,000 to work on it full-time for two years, would you take the opportunity? You would have to drop out of college during this time.
- Yes
- No
-
What if you had just graduated from high school and were given this opportunity? Would you take it over attending college?
- Yes
- No
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