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How An Ivy League Education Prepares You For Building Successful Business Ventures

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Suresh Rajan, Founder & CEO, LCR Capital PartnersIvy league schools have clear advantages when it comes to quality of education, access to domain / subject matter experts, seasoned professors and diverse perspectives in classroom interactions. These value-added benefits create a sense of prosperity and develop a growth-mindset in the minds of the students, which prepares them for future challenges. Some of the best CEOs, engineers, and managers have emerged from top Ivy league schools, and they’re changing the way we think about the world traditionally.

Ivy League Universities also provide access to multiple opportunities, networking events, and diverse course-experiences that build a well-balanced leader; who has the necessary skills to create successful business ventures. While the criterion for admission may seem difficult at first, the returns upon graduation are mani-fold. In fact, you might even build your first venture while at school. Here are some of the main reasons why an Ivy league education prepares you for building successful ventures.

Networking Opportunities & Alumni: There are few people who may not have heard of Ivy schools. From a professional stand-point it’s a great community to be a part of, as these schools offer a premier educational experience and enhanced networking opportunities. The opportunities presented to you, begin from the time you start taking your first classes. You can network with alumni, professors, visiting faculty, domain experts, peers and other students in your classroom right from the day 1 of school. A lot of entrepreneurs begin their journey as early as a few weeks or a semester in, and decide to raise seed capital while still completing their coursework. Startupreneurs that become successful venture builders, network with their counterparts across the world during alumni meetings and networking events to further enhance their growth opportunities.

Freedom to Explore: Another great benefit of studying in an Ivy league school, is that there is freedom to explore other classes, majors and fields of excellence. You become a well-rounded entrepreneur and leader, as you learn about your industry area from various
lenses. Students often combine courses like psychology and finance, to get a deeper understanding of the consumer mindset. Some double major in mathematics and coding, to develop an algorithmic approach to building next-gen applications. The freedom to explore your own 'self' is a big advantage, as there are people from different backgrounds and industries who share insights and experiences that enrich that of your own. This freedom to explore, adds immense value to your personal and professional development.

Diversity of Thought & Experiences: One of the key hallmarks of an Ivy league education, is its diversity. Diversity comes from freedom of expression and experiences that transcend traditional norms. When you are exposed to a rich and diverse educational environment, you can draw from multiple sources of knowledge to enhance your own life experiences. Diversity must arise organically, and that’s what an Ivy league school offers. By introducing students from different backgrounds, nationalities and educational backgrounds, your ideology gets sculpted towards refinement. Not only does this impact work ethic and quality of output, it also impacts your decision-making skills. By drawing from various sources and schools of thought, you can make better life and professional decisions to create successful businesses.

Ivy league schools offer multiple avenues of grooming and confidence development that are unmatched by any other school experience

Access to Better Opportunities: Ivy league schools offer access to better opportunities, both from a professional and personal stand-point. The best corporations in the world fulfil their employment roles primarily through Ivy league schools, and start-ups prefer hiring Ivy league graduates for their quality work. Regardless of what your ambitions might be, an Ivy league school offers a broader horizon for candidates that want to leap ahead of the competition. As qualifications are enhanced by the depth of opportunities, Ivy league schools offer the perfect environment for students to fulfil their ambitions.

Ivy League Pedigree: When building your personal network and enhancing your business skills, your Ivy league pedigree becomes an important tool that adds value. Not only will it open opportunities and create interest, it also develops a sense of trust in your abilities. If you walk into a job-interview or an investor meeting, an Ivy league background signals that you are hard-working, qualified, and have a strong sense of personal self. These attributes allow graduates to create more value for themselves and have more power in difficult situations. What you have to offer, whether it's in a job or a start-up, counts for even more with an Ivy league background.

Personal development: One of the overlooked areas of overall growth, are that of personal development. We often come across people in our professional lives that have impressive skillsets but may lack personal development, thereby limiting their overall options. Ivy league schools offer multiple avenues of grooming and confidence development that are unmatched by any other school experience. The access of and interaction with various domain experts and leaders, business and industry insights, presentations and public-speaking opportunities, and personal development opportunities, helps Ivy league students in all aspects of self-development. They have a better understanding of themselves and can present coherently and clearly, when talking about their areas of excellence.