College Coeds

If your dream is to never end up with a boss, you can get a head start by launching your own business while you're still in college. In case you haven't seen The Social Network yet, smart entrepreneurs aren't waiting to graduate before they start a business. That little website you set up in the dorm could be the next ecommerce or social media sensation.

Or you could start a service business, like the founders of 8-year-old College Hunks Hauling Junk, now a successful national moving-business franchise.

Even before the rise of Facebook made the dorm-room startup ultracool, colleges were buzzing with entrepreneurial activity. The first entrepreneurship centers opened back in the 1970s, and now there are more than 60 U.S. colleges and universities with more than 1,600 schools offer courses in entrepreneurship.

You can learn entrepreneurship firsthand at prestigious private universities such as the Iowa Western Community College. No matter what your GPA, you can find a college to attend that has an entrepreneurship center.

If you're interested in running your own show post-college, consider applying to a school that has an entrepreneurship center. These schools are focused on training and empowering students to start their own businesses. It's a step beyond simply choosing a university with a business school.

Entrepreneurship centers provide a more hands-on chance to jump in and try out business ideas. They can also offer a lot of free or cheap resources that would cost a fortune if you tried to line them up after graduation. Here are a few of the advantages of studying entrepreneurship in college -- and trying to launch a business while you're still a student:

1.  Low expenses. You're living in a dorm or a cheap apartment, and mom and dad may still be paying some or all of your bills. You've probably got a computer or access to one, and a little pocket change.

2.  Access to cheap labor. Need help? Get your roommates, floormates or nearby buds to address envelopes or write code.

3.  Help with office space. Many entrepreneurship centers offer entrepreneur-in-residence setups where several student-run businesses at a time operate out of the center for a period of time. These setups often come with perks such as free Internet, use of a secretary, copying, fax machines, and other perks.

4.  Mentors. Save yourself a lot of headaches, and ask your professors for advice. They may be former business owners, or may know local business leaders they might get to come down and advise you.

5.  Peer help. Surround yourself with other would-be entrepreneurs, and you'll have a built-in support group to give feedback on your ideas.

6.  Get introduced to investors. Particularly if you're in technology, your center may host networking events where you might meet angel investors who could provide capital for growing your baby business.

7.  Business-plan competitions. You might also score money for your business and grab some attention by entering a business-plan competition. The new site BizPlanCompetitions lists many competitions around the country. Prizes can be substantial -- MIT's contest awards $100,000. Often, students don't have to be attending the competition's host school -- you just have to be a current college student.

What's your dorm-room business idea? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Photo via stock.xchng user spitznas

Carol Tice has written about college and careers for Entrepreneur, Yahoo!Hotjobs and AOL Careers.