UnCollege
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Type of site
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Education |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | Dale J. Stephens |
| Key people | 2010 |
| Slogan(s) | Hacking Your Education |
| Website | http://www.uncollege.org/ |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Current status | active |
UnCollege is a social movement that aims to change the notion that going to college is the only path to success. UnCollege was founded by Dale J. Stephens in 2011.
Stephens is a self-described "elementary school dropout", as he was homeschooled with emphasis on real-world experience for the majority of his childhood. He briefly attended Hendrix College. While there, Stephens had a night-long discussion with a friend regarding the disconnect between the theoretical subject matter taught in college and its real world applications. This discussion would become the basis for UnCollege, which Stephens founded in 2010.
In 2010, Stephens also applied for the Thiel Fellowship, a program founded by Peter Thiel which grants fellows US$100,000 to forgo college for two years and focus on their passions. After his initial proposal was rejected, Stephens was encouraged to reapply in pursuit of his work as an educational futurist through UnCollege. His second application succeeded and he was in the first batch of Thiel Fellows.
UnCollege provides resources for students that wish to define their own educational paths, whether in or outside of traditional higher education models. The site is inspired by Stephens' background in unschooling and his frustrations with the college experience. He states that his goal with UnCollege is not to take down universities, but to encourage more people to consider the opportunity cost of attending college.
UnCollege features resources, forums, and workshops designed to help students, both in and out of college, gain useful skills. The site also hosts the UnCollege Manifesto, a 25 page document written by Stephens that covers subjects like "The value (or lack thereof) of a college degree" and "Twelve steps to self-directed learning." Additionally, the site matches students with mentors, and encourages students to collaborate and learn outside of the classroom.
The UnCollege movement is founded on these principles:
The UnCollege movement believes that college, while not itself adverse, needs significant changes because:
Through his work with UnCollege, Stephens was named as one of Splashlife's 30 Under 30: Social Media Titans. UnCollege has been profiled in world publications like CNN, The New York Times, The Asia Times, ABC, Fast Company, Mashable, NPR, CBS, Inc., TechCrunch, and The Huffington Post.
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