[ak217]

Wadhwa ends up helping Thiel's cause, not challenging it. He starts by proclaiming his bias and stating he "asked three [engineering deans] to help me quench this fire". But the deans try to challenge it with statements like "most will fail", "they aren't ready", "it would be a good thing if more [cohort] stayed in school", "it's unlikely they'll succeed", "getting an engineering degree reduces variance in your career..." Can those responses get more stereotypical?

He's right that students will take Thiel's message very seriously. His message is emotional, inspirational, anti-authority, and anti-establishment. And it's impossible to counter with those kinds of responses.

Also, the experiment that the Stanford dean describes is impossible to run, and the closest possible thing has already been realized. The people who want to drop out to take responsibility and start a venture are self-selecting. You can't just randomly assign roles like "you'll stay in school" and "you'll go to a startup" because the students would be emotionally invested in either decision. And many of them do already receive huge no-strings-attached financial assistance to stay in school.