Announcing the Dissent Scholarship



TLDR: Live for free in one of our global Edyfi locations and receive a $1000 grant to explore your work and change the world.

Some Thoughts on University:

We have collectively subscribed to a paradigmatic scam in which four years and hundreds of thousands of debt is expected, and dissent is heresy. After years of trial and error, schools have converged on “the lecture” as the pedagogy of choice, and yet, we entrust them.

When talking with many of the brightest and most curious young minds, it seems, though, that they just choose university for two reasons.

1. It is known, understood, expected, and accepted.

2. Curation — the prospect of living with other aligned people and finding community.

Nearly everything is an offshoot of curation: network effects, prestige, community and environment, place and belonging, and career.

Today, we rely on universities to do this curation for us. And yet, universities do a poor job at it.

Students come for a bunch of unconnected reasons. Status. Sports. Finances. A specific department. A lack of other options. Rarely do they select a school for its values. Any two students from the same school likely share very little with one another other than their sweatshirts. Universities have drifted so far away from their elemental values that all there is to anchor onto is the platitudes that season the website. And yet, what is the alternative for a young person today seeking to be around the best people? For those that completed their degree, opted out, or dropped out, what does community look like?

Young people are socially isolated and lonely. They live in cramped apartments or family homes — their social life confined to their digital co-workers or siblings. For opt-outs and dropouts, it is often more complex, as they lack the social foundation that comes with having attended college.

If we are paying universities for curation — why is it that students have to wade through a sea of classmates just to surround themselves with those that inspire and challenge them?

That is why we are excited to be reevaluating education and providing an alternative: co-living. At Edyfi, we are building a distributed network of co-living micro campuses for intensely curious and purpose-driven young outsiders.

Co-living is the future of living, community, and learning for young people. It is distributed, global and traversable. It is physical-first with a vibrant digital ecosystem. It is intimate, inspiring, and immersive. It is full of freedom and autonomy. It is optimized for discovery, growth, and impact. Co-living with value-aligned people allows curiosity to operate without constraint.

As one of our first house members said, “I am breathing air soaked in dreams and full-on dinners of wandering conversation.” Has a student ever said that about their university?

Today’s problems are vast and complex and the education system is failing to prepare the next generation to solve them. The kind of change and success we fawn over has all been built by outsiders. They are admired now, but they were once operating on the fringes. They’re ideas labeled as ludicrous and obscene. To solve the world’s most pressing problems, we need to bring together these people: “the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently.”

We want to invest in those who believe the world is malleable. The outsiders. The non-traditionalists. The subversives. The kids ready to “play in the sandbox of ideas.” And now, we are excited to be announcing our first scholarship to fully support one of these young people.

The Dissent Scholarship

About

The Dissent scholarship is for someone who is pursuing a life-defining endeavor. They are emblematic of our values and would greatly benefit from Edyfi’s community, resources, and environment.

The Offer

• Live for free in any of our global locations for two months

• Receive a $1000 no-strings-attached grant to explore your work.

• Get access to Edyfi’s network, partners, mentors, and infrastructure.

Qualifications

• Ages 18–23

• A drop-out, opt-out, or gap student

Be heretical — apply here

Next Steps for Edyfi

In 2021 and 2022, Edyfi will expand beyond the United States and pioneer a new model for co-living. Talent is distributed — Edyfi will be too. Pay one flat yearly price and live in any Edyfi location, at any time, so long as there is a room available. Know that, regardless of where you are, you live with brilliant people.

At Edyfi, find your lifelong friends, your first users and investors, and your intellectual sparring partner, all in one place.

At Edyfi, listen to world-class speakers, engage with mentors across timezones, join in bookclubs or learning groups, attend hackathons or day-long salons or writing workshops, adventure to local farms or parks and enjoy family-style dinners from local chefs or housemates.

At Edyfi, live and travel hassle-free. Change location with one click. Never deal with con-ed bills, landlords, or cramped apartments again. We optimize spaces for co-living: whiteboards, blazing-fast wifi, and bookshelves that overflow. Areas for focused work, collaborative projects, contemplation, and exploration.

All of this and at a fraction of the price of university.

If you are interested in where we are heading and want to support our vision, follow us on twitter or reach out to [email protected].

Otherwise, more coming — stay tuned.