Dropping out and dreaming on - Jialu Chen, Boston Globe

Jeffrey Lim of Arlington always dreamed of going to MIT, and once he got there, he enjoyed the workload so much that he took as many courses as possible. But the 20-year-old computer science major will not be on campus next semester or the semester after that. He is dropping out. In fact, two dozen students like him - eight with ties to the Boston area - are quitting school for the same reason Lim is. They have been lured by an unusual and controversial new fellowship created by PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel that pays them $100,000 each to leave college and launch a start-up, a tempting offer that has raised the ire of some parents and college officials. The 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship is only open to students 20 and younger. More than 400 students applied.