If getting into an elite university is the signal. Why not apply to elite universities (or the best that the student can get into) and then shrug admissions when accepted?<p>The student can then turn around to some great companies and say &quot;I got into X university, but am thinking of waiting a semester and want to learn a bit about your business. Would you be open to some sort of internship?&quot;<p>I don&#x27;t know if that is the correct solution though. Much of what I learned came from being at school, but not necessarily the classroom. I learned a ton about alcohol and drugs and sex and other things that simply being in an environment with so many of my peers produced. Additionally, I&#x27;m a designer. If I weren&#x27;t an editor for the school paper, I&#x27;d never have picked up a copy of creative suite and probably would be working a miserable corporate job somewhere otherwise.