Do YC after you graduate: Early decision for students

YC’s In‑Person Requirement vs Remote Accessibility

• Some argue YC should return to remote batches to include founders with caregiving duties, disabilities, or strong geographic ties.
• Others reply that accelerators are more like universities than companies; most high-status universities reverted to in-person post‑pandemic.
• Counterpoint: many universities now offer substantial remote options; quality and cost dynamics, not pedagogy, may drive in-person bias.
• A few say SF itself is a unique advantage for venture-backed startups; others reject the idea that relocation should be mandatory in 2025.

Founding Right After School vs Getting Experience First

• Many urge graduates to work at a good company (ideally a smaller, functional one) before founding: you learn how orgs actually operate and which practices not to reinvent.
• Multiple commenters regret founding too early, saying prior work would have saved time and pain.
• Others note they learned the most by running their own business—but agree most grads don’t yet understand how business works.
• Several link the high average age of successful founders to accumulated domain knowledge and networks.

Wealth, Risk, and Alternative Career Paths

• Strong disagreement over “startups or small hedge funds are the only way to be rich by 30.”
• Critics highlight low odds of meaningful exits, dilution, and that many “exits” leave founders with little. YC is framed by some as closer to a lottery than its mythology admits.
• Others argue a 10%+ chance at a valuable outcome early in life is attractive and that startup skills translate to later bootstrapped successes.
• A substantial camp says working 10+ years in big tech (especially FAANG) is a more reliable path to multi‑million net worth, with far less stress.

Early Decision, “Cookie‑Licking,” and Credentialization

• Some see Early Decision as YC “cookie‑licking” the next generation’s plausible startups, especially amid a flood of “AI for X” companies.
• There’s worry YC is becoming another prestige badge for pipeline students (elite high school → elite college → YC) rather than a countercultural path.
• Others view Early Decision as a helpful option: a 3‑month, time-bounded experiment with funding, network, and status that preserves the ability to finish school.

Power, Exploitation, and Culture Concerns

• Critics describe the model as extracting long hours from inexperienced 20‑somethings while spreading risk across many bets; YC’s incentives aren’t aligned with individual founders’ life goals.
• Some call the program predatory or ideologically driven (likened to dropout fellowships), pushing kids into extreme-risk paths before they know what they want.
• Defenders respond that these students are highly capable, have many options, and that YC specifically seeks high‑agency founders who resist being “managed” by boards.

Co‑founder Commitment and MBA Dynamics

• Early funding could help technical cofounders avoid working unpaid while MBA cofounders “test” a startup during school.
• Debate over vesting cliffs, firing cofounders, and whether an MBA is worth delaying a startup or is itself a negative signal.

Meta‑Perspective

• Some claim modern YC has shifted from ultra‑selective kingmaker to scaled “finishing school” for founders, with more spray‑and‑pray, AI‑themed sameness.
• Others insist the core value—intense learning, network, and a forcing function to take a swing—is still real, but should be weighed against opportunity cost and personal well‑being.