“If you could go back to college, where would you go?”
I think about this sometimes. After graduating from USC, spending 8 years in a Japanese trading company working across continents, building my own company, serving as CTO, and now working as a project consultant and screenwriter — if I could be a student again, where would I go?
This is my completely personal, biased, and honest ranking.
Stanford University👑
Palo Alto, CaliforniaSimple reason. Technology, business, and entrepreneurship — all in one place. Right in the heart of Silicon Valley, where the person sitting next to you might be building the next unicorn. Given that I’m combining AI and consulting right now, Stanford feels like the perfect fit. Zero distance between academia and execution. That’s Stanford.
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Pasadena, CaliforniaIt was right next to USC, but back then it felt too far above me to even look at. Incredibly small student body, almost zero distance between students and professors. As someone who studied mathematics, if I wanted to pursue pure intellectual curiosity to its limits, this is the only place. No other school embodies “small and elite” quite like Caltech.
Harvard University
Cambridge, MassachusettsHonestly, the brand alone doesn’t interest me. But Harvard’s real value is the network. The top tier of global politics, business, and academia — all gathered in one place. Having managed government ODA projects and built international networks, I now understand just how valuable those connections are.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Cambridge, MassachusettsThe “build things” culture is incredible. Not just theory — you get your hands dirty and build prototypes. Having built tech platforms as CTO, MIT’s “theory × implementation” philosophy resonates deeply. The Media Lab’s unconventional thinking also connects with the Brain Rental philosophy.
University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaWharton. The pinnacle of business schools. Having done international business at a trading company, built my own company, and now consulting — I can concretely imagine the value of what Wharton teaches. My 20-year-old self wasn’t ready. But now, every class would connect directly to real work.
University of Chicago
Chicago, IllinoisAn almost obsessive commitment to thinking. Chicago’s academic culture is about arguing thoroughly and thinking exhaustively. As someone who does brainstorming for a living, I want to be in an environment that sharpens depth of thought. Studying economics and game theory here would definitely level up my consulting.
Yale University
New Haven, ConnecticutThe pinnacle of liberal arts. As someone currently studying screenwriting, Yale’s Drama School is world-class. A place where you can pursue both business and art seriously. Meryl Streep came from here. For someone who wants to use the power of story to transform business, it’s the ideal environment.
Princeton University
Princeton, New JerseyWhere Einstein spent his final years. As a math graduate, Princeton’s mathematics department is something like a holy site. John Nash of Nash Equilibrium fame was here too. A quiet environment for pure thinking. Not glamorous, but perhaps the deepest intellectual well in the world.
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MarylandDominant in public health and international relations. SAIS (School of Advanced International Studies) is the place I’d most want to study again, given my background in ODA and international development. Having experienced the field firsthand in developing countries, studying the theory here would change how I see the world.
University of Southern California (Alma Mater)
Los Angeles, CaliforniaPutting my alma mater last isn’t because I don’t love it. It’s because I already went. But honestly, if I went back to USC now, I’d absorb 100 times more than I did back then. The film school is the best in the world, and Los Angeles itself is the intersection of entertainment and business. Now that I’m studying screenwriting, part of me wants to re-enroll in USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. But the honest answer to “if I could go again” is “I’d want somewhere new.” So it’s #10. Fight On. ✌️
This is a completely personal, biased ranking. Not based on test scores or employment rates. Just one question: “If the person I am today could go back to being a student, where would I go?”
The fact that I can even have this kind of fantasy is because I went out into the world, had all kinds of experiences, and finally started to understand what I’m looking for.
My 20-year-old self couldn’t even tell the difference between these 10 schools.
Stay tuned for the next edition of My Rankings.