Agree, they are exceptional. What I find problematic is the way Thiel is choosing the candidates. He's choosing the exceptional ones and touting them as normal everyday students. Sure if you sort for the exceptional ones then you're going to have success. It's not valid to criticize the university system and prove your point by only picking the best. The way to prove the point is to pick a random set and see the results. The way Theil is doing it proves nothing. He puts dought in the university system without giving a valid fix or alternative for the great majority of students. We know exceptional people will do exceptional things. There's nothing new there.
And ... assuming that you work in the tech industry, rather than as a university academic or lobbyist, why not focus on the positive - what Thiel Fellows can accomplish?
I've worked for two famous R1 universities. Even more than most tech companies, they have a lot of room for improvement! The dichotomy of "universities should be shielded from all criticism" and "fire all tenured faculty, burn down the establishment" is not helpful to anyone.
Wouldn't you agree that someone who got in to Harvard and then won this Thiel contest ... is "exceptional"?
And judging by their class, they're not skipping most of the "education." They're skipping a couple semesters and the degree.
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