Stanford University

After visiting Google, the van started and we headed to one of the best universities in the U.S., Stanford University.

 

The interns with a professor and his assistant form Stanford

When we arrived to the university, we realized that we were in one of the most fascinating places. The university is so big, and so beautiful! On campus, I saw some advertisements from companies, like Google, inviting students to apply for fellowships.When we talked to a professor on campus, he spoke about a student's future in the U.S. The student starts to work in his field after his graduation. Of course before that, he works in an unrelated area, so that he can earn money, but here is the dfference in the equation. In the U.S., companies come to the university campuses to make contact with the student, while he is a student, to work with them. Then the student has the opportunity to apply what he learns in university, to work, in a real world application.

          

We wish we had an opportunity like this back in Iraq. An opportunity where there is real cooperation between companies, and universities start to teach students what real world application is, instead of teaching them just the concept.

I cant believe how fast time is going. We spent the time with the professor talking, and talking, then it's time to go. But before that, there is one thing that caught my attention. That is the statistics done by the university to keep track of their students. The professor makes it clear how many of the students work while at the university; around 20%. He also talks about the students working in companies, and the students whom start their own businesses.

If you keep track of your student, you will know your strengths and your weaknesses, and you will know if you have a problem, and how to fix it. In Iraq, we simply don't do that, and i wonder if  the professors in our intern group realize this fact or not, and why they don't do it.

This makes me start thinking of leaving the whole IT profession, and start a new university in Iraq, where a student has a real opportunity to work not inside Iraq alone, but even at international companies.