I just wanted to create a small personal hub on great startup thoughts. I keep this hub open so I can easily find inspiration. This keeps me moving!

I’ve started from Paul Graham’s “A Student’s Guide to Startups” essay. The original essay is here http://paulgraham.com/mit.html

Taking a shower is like a form of meditation. You’re alert, but there’s nothing to distract you. It’s in a situation like this, where your mind is free to roam, that it bumps into new ideas.

I find that to have good ideas I need to be working on some problem. You can’t start with randomness. You have to start with a problem, then let your mind wander just far enough for new ideas to form.

Another classic way to make something people want is to take a luxury and make it into a commodity. People must want something if they pay a lot for it. And it is a very rare product that can’t be made dramatically cheaper if you try.

This is not the only way to start startups. You can sit down and consciously come up with an idea for a company; we did. But measured in total market cap, the build-stuff-for-yourself model might be more fruitful. It certainly has to be the most fun way to come up with startup ideas. And since a startup ought to have multiple founders who were already friends before they decided to start a company, the rather surprising conclusion is that the best way to generate startup ideas is to do what hackers do for fun: cook up amusing hacks with your friends.

As a young founder your strengths are: stamina, poverty, rootlessness, colleagues, and ignorance.

Most startups end up doing something different than they planned. The way the successful ones find something that works is by trying things that don’t. So the worst thing you can do in a startup is to have a rigid, pre-ordained plan and then start spending a lot of money to implement it. Better to operate cheaply and give your ideas time to evolve.

The 32 year old probably is a better programmer, but probably also has a much more expensive life. Whereas a 25 year old has some work experience (more on that later) but can live as cheaply as an undergrad.

The number one question people ask us at Y Combinator is: Where can I find a co-founder? That’s the biggest problem for someone starting a startup at 30. When they were in school they knew a lot of good co-founders, but by 30 they’ve either lost touch with them or these people are tied down by jobs they don’t want to leave.

That’s what we look for. Above all else, above academic credentials and even the idea you apply with, we look for people who build things.

Speaking of cool places to work, there is of course Google. But I notice something slightly frightening about Google: zero startups come out of there. In that respect it’s a black hole. People seem to like working at Google too much to leave. So if you hope to start a startup one day, the evidence so far suggests you shouldn’t work there.

I realize this seems odd advice. If they make your life so good that you don’t want to leave, why not work there? Because, in effect, you’re probably getting a local maximum. You need a certain activation energy to start a startup. So an employer who’s fairly pleasant to work for can lull you into staying indefinitely, even if it would be a net win for you to leave.

Ignorance can be useful when it’s a counterweight to other forms of stupidity. It’s useful in starting startups because you’re capable of more than you realize. Starting startups is harder than you expect, but you’re also capable of more than you expect, so they balance out.

What goes wrong with young founders is that they build stuff that looks like class projects. It was only recently that we figured this out ourselves. We noticed a lot of similarities between the startups that seemed to be falling behind, but we couldn’t figure out how to put it into words. Then finally we realized what it was: they were building class projects.

In technology the difficulty is compounded by the fact that real startups tend to discover the problem they’re solving by a process of evolution. Someone has an idea for something; they build it; and in doing so (and probably only by doing so) they realize the problem they should be solving is another one. Even if the professor let you change your project description on the fly, there isn’t time enough to do that in a college class, or a market to supply evolutionary pressures. So class projects are mostly about implementation, which is the least of your problems in a startup.

That is one of the most distinctive differences between school and the real world: there is no reward for putting in a good effort. In fact, the whole concept of a “good effort” is a fake idea adults invented to encourage kids. It is not found in nature.

So one of the things employers expect from someone with “work experience” is the elimination of the flake reflex — the ability to get things done, with no excuses.

One thing you can do while you’re still in school is to learn how startups work. Unfortunately that’s not easy. Few if any colleges have classes about startups. There may be business school classes on entrepreneurship, as they call it over there, but these are likely to be a waste of time. Business schools like to talk about startups, but philosophically they’re at the opposite end of the spectrum.

I’m just saying you should think about who you really admire and hang out with them, instead of whoever circumstances throw you together with.

This one is my favorite. 

I kind of loved the web player they built and designed.

I really liked the idea that I can choose the kind of the music I want to listen to. Of course you may argue that this feature is available mostly in all current music radios and players but not the way it shown below. I’m so impressed how much they cared about the UX which leads me to switch again to Spotify.

play.spotify.com

Tips that can make your Sundays more productive and funnier.

I have always been thinking about Sundays and how I can spend my time so it wouldn't be waste. I used to have a lazy Sunday every week.Then, finally it happened. I found a way to change my worst productive day of week.

I decided to make my Sundays funnier, more interesting and of course more productive.

I started my blog.

I have always dreamed about having my own blog. I believe many people like writing but cannot find appropriate time for it, so they just give up and carry on without even getting back to it. I don’t want to be that guy. I started to write on Sundays. Believe it or not, but Sunday morning is the best time to write an article or in general write something.It could be notes for coming weeks, reminders or any thoughts you want to share. The main reason I think Sunday is a good time for writing is that your brain much more fresher and there is always something to think about and write at the end of the week.Right?

I suggest you to take your morning coffee, take your laptop and start typing. The hardest part is the start then it becomes easier.

I spend time on my social profiles.

Well, nobody can argue the big impact of social media on our daily life. As a student I pay more attention on my LinkedIn profile as being a graduate student you should definitely have an impressive profile to attract more employers for your future job. That’s the best way for them to contact you. Aren't you going to find a job once you graduate?

Be very sociable on Sundays.Spend fair amount of time on your LinkedIn profile.

I spend time chatting with my friends.

I have many friends who are far from me now. During a week it’s hard for me to find time mostly because of time difference; I usually work when my friends are hanging out so I cannot answer to their video calls. Sunday is a good day to talk with your family and friends.

I am fresh and feel very enthusiastic to tell them every detail.

Drink your morning coffee in the best coffee shop at your town.

In my town the best coffee that you could possible find is served in Joe’s coffee shop. I live in Rochester, NY. Let me know if you’re near by.

“Coffee mood” —a moment when you feel you have a superpower.

I have always been thinking about why people drink coffee and what makes them to love it. On the other hand, some people who claim that coffee doesn't have any effect on them.

Well, I’m a part of the first group of people mentioned above. Coffee completely refreshes my mind and it gives me a superpower which itself leads me to be more creative and thoughtful. After having my morning coffee I feel I’m going to have my best working day ever. On top of that I have this strange (that time it seems very realistic) feeling every day I live. I even started to think about launching my own coffee shop bringing life a new brand of coffee. How would it be different than the best coffee in Starbucks? Well, it would be affordable for everyone and it would be even tastier.

Coffee is the best that happens to me every morning. I wish I could always be under those magic feelings.

This article is a quick overview of steps necessary for a foreign applicant to apply to US universities for a graduate(sometimes called master) degree. In other words, a short and direct guide for people who are considering to do a graduate study in the US.

The idea of writing this article came to me just recently when I realized that many of my friends keep asking me about the process of applying to US universities. Of course they ask me because I have previously experienced in it. I’d be very happy if this article could answer some of their questions.

The bullets below will be covered in this article. I've tried to be as direct as possible avoiding to leave any doubts for you guys.

How everything starts

Step 1. Preparation

Step 2. Applying process

Step 3. “Email” days

Step 4: Happy and unhappy days

Step 5: Finding a scholarship

Conclusion

How everything starts

Most probably you finished your bachelor degree and now want to continue your education in one of the best universities. If you calculate the ratio of applications from foreign countries for graduate and undergraduate programs in the US you will see that it’s about 7/1. Why is it so? Why do people prefer to study abroad for their graduate degree rather than undergraduate? Well, I believe there are many reasons which actually can affect this tendency; however, it’s worth mentioning few of them which are more understandable for me.

Overall the undergraduate program is comparably better developed and stronger in the world than the graduate program in terms of academic curriculum.

Financially it’s more affordable if you compare 2 (I assume 2 years is the maximum length for a graduate program) years with 4 years study. It’s about paying a half less.

In the US and I believe in the world as well, scholarships provided by universities are more accessible for graduates than for undergrads.

Even if you're planning for an undergraduate degree further reading would be relevant for you, maybe as an addition you will be required to pass one or two more tests. That’s not a big deal, so don't be disappointed if you're going for undergrad degree.You can carry on.

The idea about starting a new educational journey in your life usually starts at the moment when you look for something new and more than you can get in your country.Maybe you live in a developing country where educational system is still on it’s way to be better. Or most probably when it doesn't make any sense for you to spend a couple more years in the university where you have already spent 4 years learning nothing or something, or you’re just tired of everything and want to start a new life event in a different culture and environment.If one of those assumptions is true, you’re most likely to open your laptop and google ”top 10 universities in the world”.

And that’s how it usually starts.

However, the influence of your friends who’re studying abroad or studied might also be a possible push for your start. This inspiration could be pretty much natural for everyone including me. I personally was inspired and motivated by my friends choosing the same path as they did (well, they chose different universities then I chose, but anyway all of us studied abroad). I’m so glad that right now some of my friends are willing to pursue my path.

When you’re sure about your decision it’s time to make it real. Set a goal and start thinking about they ways to do it.

Preparation (Step 1)

If I tried to split this part into multiple sub-sections I would get these bullets. I’ll explain each one more precisely, so don’t be confused now.

English Proficiency Test (TOEFL, IELTS)

Recommendation Letters (2 or 3)

Statement of Purpose (SOP)

Transcripts

Sometimes your resume and cover letter, but very rarely

English Tests are the toughest part for a foreign applicant unless you are in a country where English is a widely used language in the community including schools, workplaces,movies on TV, etc.. Very good illustration of this is India. Students coming from Indian are good English speakers in terms of grammar and vocabulary because they have a goof opportunity to use the language. But if you are like me and English is just a class that you have taken in your school years you might want to improve your language skills. You can go to a specialized English center where you can learn all necessary skills for taking proficiency tests. Usually at the beginning you study general English then you continue to prepare for the test. For me learning a new language or improving is not easy when I’m luck of practice. Being said, “Practice makes perfect” is really make sense for language learners. Speak, read, write as much as you can and that would be the key to success which you should hold all the time during your preparation. It could be listening to new songs and remembering lyrics by heart or watching movies in English. The latter is widely used among language learners as it gives you fun and language improvement at the same time. To find a good English teacher is not difficult. Ask your friends and they will instantly get back to you with many suggestions. That’s how it happened to me. I went to the same English center as my friends did. Keep in mind learning language is not easy when you are a lazy person. You should spend fair amount of time on that and you will see your progress.

In order to be able to apply for a university and considered by admission committee you have to satisfy the minimum English requirements which is vary based on university and program. Some universities offer you paid English courses before starting (of course if you are accepted) your program if your score is lower than it must be. Well, I don’t want you to rely on this option. Just do your best and you will be set.Most cases those courses are expensive.

Even though English preparation is the most time consuming step, it’s worth mentioning that neither of them is less important. Especially, I would emphasize the role of the recommendation letters. It’s not only how beautifully and impressive your letters are written, but also who is your reference. If you have someone in your previous or current university whom you can ask for a recommendation go ahead and ask.

Remember, there is nothing to be embarrassed for asking. I think it should be a pleasure for the professor when you choose him/her as a reference.

Most universities require 3 recommendations and most likely one professional and two academic. Academic letters are the ones which you get from your professors who remember you and know well enough to evaluate your achievements and write it down on a paper. The professional recommendation you usually get from your workplace, it could be your direct chief or someone whom you work/worked with. Of course, it’s more preferable to get it from high positional chief. Make sure your letters are not longer than two pages. I don’t believe that admission committee members don’t get tired of your recommendation letter if it goes longer. Make sure your letters grammatically correct. You can ask your English teacher to go through it with you.

Statement of purpose (SOP) is usually not more than a page long letter which shows your motivation and purpose for applying that specific university and program. However, it could be a template and you can use it for all universities just changing the university name and maybe the program name. It’s basically your answer answer to this question

Why do you want to study “Program name” at “University Name” ?.

Show your passion about the major you have chosen and indicate the role of the university. The reader should definitely see your inspiration sources and motivation. Some people just ignore the importance of this letter, but I wouldn't do the same if I were you. Must remember rule for SOP is —

Write once and use always.

Transcript is a document showing your current or previous academic grades .Of course if your transcript is in your native language you should translate it into English making sure that all course names are translated correctly. This document is really important because it shows how successful you were as a student. If your GPA (Grade Point Average) is low it doesn't mean you don’t have a chance. Yet it could be a good point to mention in you SOP why you got low grades when you were at school. Of course the best GPA that you could ever have is 4.0 out of 4.0. However, I think any GPA that is greater than 3.4 might be viewed as a good accomplishment. You will need to scan and submit this document to the university. There might be universities which will ask you to send them hard coded version of your resume.You don’t have to send your original transcript, instead you will need to get a copy of your transcript stamped by your academic institution.

It takes some time for universities to translate your transcript and give you copies of it. You can start this process two weeks before you want to apply.

Some universities may require your resume and cover letter. I hope you have a resume and it’s always up to date. There are many resume tips on the web. Always remember resume should be only one page unless you have more than 10 years work experience, do you?

When I send my resume to someone I always convert it to pdf format.

Applying process (Step 2)

When you have collected all required documents and have passed the English proficiency test you are ready to apply to universities. Saying passed the test I mean you got a score which is enough to cover the English score requirement which is again differs based on universities. Usually IELTS 7.0 and TOEFL 92 are good scores to not thinking about retaking the test. One thing I noticed while I was looking at required scores that US universities require lower TOEFL score compared to IELTS in this way trying to encourage you to take a TOEFL test instead of IELTS. The reason of that is that TOEFL is an American test while IELTS is British.I think IELTS 6.5 score kind of corresponds to TOEFL 88-91. Keep in mind you can retake the test as many times as you want.

I assume you have already created your university list. it’s really encouraging to order your list. No matter how you do that but you may want to consider the application deadlines for each university when you’re creating your list. That’s what I did. If you are planning to apply for fall semester the earliest deadline that you might face is the mid of December. I remember the deadline for University of Chicago and UPenn for CS programs were December 15. To make it more clear If you are applying for 2014-2015 (starts from September 2014) academic year your deadline will be the mid of December 2013. However, most deadlines are open till the late April.Make sure you have your deadlines written down. You can find my university list draft right here to have an understanding how it should look. Applying process is not difficult but it might take a lot of time from you. So many fields to fill out in each application and many documents to convert and upload into the system. I remember I usually spent a day or two to finish one application.

“Email” days (Step 3)

As the name says this part is about the days when you spend on waiting for emails from the universities where you applied to. Sometimes you reply those emails and sometimes you just read and go ahead. It’s not like you enter this stage right after submitting the application. I believe it takes at least two weeks for universities to get back to you. Doesn't mean that they inform you whether you’re accepted or not. They may ask you to send more additional documents, or maybe you forgot to upload a required document, so they send you a reminder. I remember every time when I got an email from any university my heart started beating very fast. Then, I saw it was just an informative email about the university and its programs.

Your admission decision might come two weeks after you successfully submitted your application (saying successful I mean you don’t have any missing bullet or document).In most cases it takes a month or even more.

When you are in this stage make sure you have your mailbox checked every day.

I remember since “Email” days I started to check my mailbox daily and I continue it now. I have attached my email account to my phone so every time I got an email I was notified. I suggest you to do the same.

Happy and unhappy days (Step 4)

Well, I know this title sounds funny, isn't it? Yes, but this exactly what explains your feelings when you are done with applying process and waiting for admission decisions. There are three type of decision emails that you might get from the university.

rejection — You’re not happy, but not disappointed either. You still have more decisions in progress.

waiting list ( rarely) — You can just smile. This is not the end. This happens when you still have a chance to be accepted. You are currently in the waiting list and if someone who has got an offer rejects the offer you can fill his/her place.

conditional offer — You should be happy. This happens when one of requirements is not covered by your application. Very often when your English test score is a bit lower than it supposed to be. As I mentioned earlier some universities can offer additional English courses instead of retaking the test.Well, if you have money go for it. If no, just retake the test and submit your score again and get unconditional offer.

unconditional offer — You should be very happy. The happiest decision for you. This means you are fully admitted. Next step would be to find financial resources and buy a ticket.

Finding a scholarship (Step 5)

The toughest one. I know…education is very expensive especially in the US. Maybe educational system in the US is the best one in the world which itself leads to high prices. Maybe not, and there are other subtle reasons which I have no idea, but people pay for it. Yes, guys, people pay. Well, of course it would be awesome if you could find someone who is willing to pay for your education, it could be a foundation, a benefactor or just your family. Most Americans pay their education by loans. The US banks offer very good loan condition for its permanent residents, particularly for students rates are even less. But what about foreign students, how are they going to cover their educational expenses? Well, if you have a co-signer who is a US citizen you are lucky because you can apply for a loan in the US (not necessarily get). Many of my friends did and got. If you don’t, the only option left is trying to find a scholarship. Do a research on the web, find scholarships and apply. Apply to as many scholarships as possible but make sure you know the requirements.

I promise I will write another article about how to find a scholarship describing this process in detail. This step could be really confusing. There are many questions to ask before finding and applying to any scholarship.

Keep looking and keep applying. Never lose your hope. My personal experience states that the latter is always leads you to success.

Conclusion

I’m so glad that you chose to follow this path and ready to overcome all coming obstacles. It’s worth mentioning that sometimes these steps can be different for a student depending on programs, universities. For example some programs (MBA, Economics, etc.) may require GRE/GMAT score as an addition to IELTS/TOEFL.

To be a student in the US is really fascinating . I hope you will do your best to accomplish your goal and you will share your experience and knowledge with others.

The shortest bridge between passengers and drivers.

What is Wheelie?

The first thing you probably wondered about when you visited Wheelie was what it actually is. You might also be interested in who is Wheelie for? Should you use it? Then, you most likely took a look at other pages to gain a better understanding.

Let me answer your questions in the easiest way possible:

If you have a car you can use Wheelie as a driver to reduce your usual travel expenses.. It could be either your daily trip to college or the trips you plan once a year. There are many people who are looking for you as a driver. Find them, meet new people and make your trip more enjoyable.

If you don’t have a car you can be a passenger trying to find drivers who will give you a ride. It’s up to you to decide what you want to offer them. As an initial help, Wheelie suggests three options: gas split, lunch or coffee.

That’s it. Wasn’t it simple to understand whether you need Wheelie or not?

That’s why Wheelie is the shortest bridge between you and your road friends. It brings up fun, friendship and of course financial benefits, mostly everything what we students need.

Carpooling allows you to share the cost of gas and parking, cutting your expenses by nearly 50%. The more occupants in your carpool, the more you save.

Current version

If you sign up to Wheelie you will see that the current version is enough for you to start using Wheelie. The goal of this minimal version (MVP) is to figure out what you guys actually need; the thing that you really want. It will definitely help us discuss which parts of our plans work greatly and which are misguided so we can adapt our strategies accordingly. Day by day we will start understanding you better and thus we will be able to improve our product. With this beginning I really hope that we will continue the process of improvement adding more and better solutions. And that is exactly the main reason why I didn’t add any feature that doesn’t directly contribute to our learning.

How everything started

The idea of creating Wheelie came to my mind when I started using public transportation to get to my workplace. I didn’t have a car so I had to figure out a way to get there every single day. The bus system in Rochester isn’t reliable at all. Cabs are very expensive so you cannot afford taking a cab every day. You will go broke very soon. So, for the first couple of weeks I asked my friends for a ride. I knew I couldn’t do it every time. I also noticed that some of my friends faced the same problem and complained about buses and transportation in general. I saw many of them posting statuses on Facebook asking for a ride.

Therefore, I wanted Wheelie to help us find drivers who can give us a ride. On the other hand, as passengers we could share the trip expenses or offer the drivers something back so it would be both cooperative and mutually beneficial. I liked the idea of having such a bridge, which can connect us. Wheelie is that very bridge for me and for all of you.

Having fewer cars on the road means reduced gas emissions and improved air quality. Doesn’t this mean that Wheelie is a direct contributor to the Green World?

Is it only for RIT?

Right now our initial target is the RIT community helping them find and share rides. We truly believe that if we start our journey from a small number of people we can understand the needs of our users easier and faster. Accordingly, we can improve Wheelie based on all the feedback we get from the users

I’m so excited about the idea that Wheelie can be an inevitable part of our daily routine and I’m super motivated that you can find it useful.

I have a super awesome idea which I know will make me a millionaire. I want to build it and I know I can do it. But I don’t think I want to start it today, maybe tomorrow or next week …

How many of you have told this to your friend?

I know you have.

Today I want to talk about people who always have something in their minds but never actually take action for it. I call those people “just sayer”s.

You think (version 1) — I have a million dollar idea and I just need to form a team and start my own company. But not now, maybe after I graduate.

I think — Why don’t you start now? Oh I understand you need some time to be ready for being a millionaire right? When you graduate you will tell me that you need a full time job to pay your loan or pay your bills… Isn’t this true? You’re trying to convince me that you will have more time a couple of months after? Guys stop it, please. That’s not gonna happen you know better than I do. After some time you gonna tell me the same lie. You will get married, then have kids, etc.. We all become busier when we get older since there are more stuff in our life to think and care about.

You think (version 2) — I am so inspired by all these startup success stories. I dream to have my own startup and be successful and rich.

I think — When are you going to build your dream? When? You keep dreaming and watching VC startup school videos but no action is done towards it yet. You get inspired and motivated for a short time and then you need another push some time later to wake you up. Stop it! Start building right now. Your dreams can’t wait for a long time; they must be achieved.

You think (version 3) — I want to be as famous as Mark Zuckerberg or Jack Dorsey. I think I can be like them. They are not smarter than me at all.

I think — Well, maybe they aren’t but there is one thing they are better than you. They make stuff, they create and talk about what they have done afterwards. They build, learn and build again. You think, talk and think again. How long this going to last? it’s way better not to talk at all than talk and be a “just sayer”. Don’t be a “just sayer”. Can you be a “just maker” instead? I’d love to learn from you.

There is no tomorrow. There is no dream if it’s just a thought with no action. There is no start if it is not now.

You have to start right now. Period. I’m watching you.

I need your help to figure an awesome side project to do in this summer. 

Hi you! Thanks for clicking on this article. It’s incredibly exciting to see you reading this letters. I need you right now. Please…

I’m thinking about to do a side project during this summer. A project which doesn’t have “coding” in it (literally no coding at all). That means nothing to do with programming. As a Computer Science MS student I want to try something different for this summer (even though I’m still gonna code for Twitter this summer which is super exciting, don’t tell them about this, suu…).

I’m thinking maybe I could blog every single day about some topic which could become my project “title”.

That’s what I have so far ☹ But I have you, don’t I? And you can fill the below line …. right?

Dude you should….(put your idea as a note here)

Dude or maybe you should… (put your idea as a note here)

Thank you so much for your help. Please take a moment and recommend this article so more awesome people can help me!