College Optimized for
the 21st Century.
What is Optimum College?
Optimum College is a new kind of online, project-based college for the 21st century, designed from first principles to help you reach your optimum potential.
From Isaac Newton, to the Wright Brothers, to Steve Jobs, to Coco Chanel and countless others, some of the greatest success stories in history came from those without a conventional college degree.
They didn't need a conventional degree - they had a plan, they had a vision, they had a project.
All that is required to graduate as a Certified Optimist, and earn your personalized letter of recommendation from Optimum College, is the completion of a suitable plan or project of your choosing. Some people are able to graduate in under a month, and for less than the price of a single textbook at other schools.
To help you complete your plan or project, we have a network of mentors who are active & successful in real world industry, private brainstorming sessions through video-chat, a podcast to help your plan or project reach the world, and what we believe to be the most advanced video-textbook on earth which you can utilize as you see fit, The Optimum Theory of Everything - the first to simulate the 4 forces of physics from 1 equation & much more. Maybe that's why even world-renown academic & business leader, Dr. Stephen Wolfram, called us, "cool".
Members can also graduate through participation in any of our three Optimum Core projects: Optimum Championship, the first narrative & creator-driven fighting game for virtual reality platforms; FitSports® Optimum Sports Fitness our real-world sports fitness equipment manufacturing company utilized by NFL Super Bowl Champion coaches like Andy Reed, U.S. Military bases, P.E. Teachers of the Year and thousands of active clubs and groups worldwide; and of course, the Optimum Theory of Everything, the first to simulate the 4 fundamental forces of physics from 1 equations & much more.
So what is Optimum College? College redefined & optimized, from 1st principles, for the 21st century.
Why does the world need a new kind of college?
Countless voices from across the political, social & economic spectrum are calling for academic reform, Optimum College is answering the call.
Can you give an example of a public call for academic reform?
Sure.
Acclaimed academic & theoretically physicist, Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder from the prestigious Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Study, recently called academia "mostly bull****" in a public confession video thumbnail titled, "Why Academia Sucks". Dr. Hossenfelder is not alone, among countless others here is a quote from Forbes columnist Michael Poliakoff:
"On December 5, 2023, the public, perhaps more than at any prior time, began to fathom just how untethered our institutions of higher learning are from the values America generally endorses. This revelation, as disturbing and stunning as it was, also presents a rare opportunity to reclaim the values our colleges and universities once upheld. It could be the sea change, a chance to arrest the rapid slide toward illiberalism and enforced orthodoxy on campuses, stop the rampant indoctrination of students, wring out the bloat and wasteful spending associated with administrative regimes that police language and thought, fully grasp the urgency of free expression and heterodoxy, and return higher education to its core mission of seeking truth, welcoming all ideas and speech in an open forum, and, above all, teaching and learning unfettered by ideological preference."
The University of Alabama's newspaper, the Crimson White, bluntly wrote, "College is Broken but it doesn't have to be" while mentioning that, among other things, Pennsylvanian recently removed college degree requirements from more than 60,000 government jobs.
The trend away from conventional college degrees is accelerating.
As reported in a recent Newsweek article, "A November (2023) survey of 800 U.S. companies by Intelligent.com found that 45 percent of companies will get rid of bachelor's degree requirements for some positions next year. And another recent survey of 70,000 small businesses found that 67 percent of the surveyed employers believe college graduates aren't prepared for the workforce".
Even Elon Musk, the world's richest businessman at time of writing, is on public record saying he does not care about degrees, he cares about ability.
It's an attitude that Elon has shared often. Here is a 40-minute supercut of a few of the times Elon has publicly shared his opinion that, "There is no need to even have a college degree - at all".
Can you expand on this idea that Optimum is a new kind of college?
Sure.
One of our members recently said, "At other colleges you can ask questions, but only at Optimum College can you question".
That's generally true.
At other colleges, students face repercussions if they deviate from the curriculum or challenge established norms; however, in today's digital age, where information is readily accessible through the internet and artificial intelligence, emphasis on rote memorization is increasingly outdated: as highlighted in a recent article by the New York Post titled, "How AI Threatens to Make Traditional College Degrees Obsolete".
Optimum College graduates do not just memorize information. They blaze new paths, pioneer, innovate: optimize. And so at Optimum College we do not have grades based on memorization or agreeing with the instructor's worldview, instead our members receive personalized letters of recommendation based on their proven ability.
At Optimum College you have a voice, not just ears.
Groundbreaking ideas can come from anywhere, so at Optimum College we don't have lectures - we have conversations - because the greatest groundbreaking ideas are your own.
Optimization doesn't sleep.
Other colleges update their curriculum every 2 to 12 years, but we update our curriculum, sometimes daily, with the latest advancements and discoveries happening from around the world - this is vital because according to a recent survey of 800 executives, half of all employable skills will not be relevant 2 years from now.
The Optimum College approach is history-making.
At Optimum College your ideas are celebrated for their merit - great ideas can come from anywhere - and so we encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and critical, rational, empirical and evidence-based research & discovery. For these reason, we are proud to announce that Optimum College was the first to simulate the 4 forces of physics from 1 equation, called the "holy grail of science". Our unified physics simulation is open source, hundreds have programmed it for themselves & you can too.
In the 21st century success is earned through ability.
All that is required to graduate from Optimum College is the completion of a suitable, self-directed plan or project. It's an idea long past due. As previously mentioned, Elon Musk, the world's most financially successful business leader at time of writing, has publicly said he does not hire based on degrees, he hires based on ability.
That's good business.
Many of the world's most successful business leaders, thinkers & doers did not have a college degree - Steve Jobs, Coco Chanel, Mark Zuckerberg, Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Larry Ellison, Bill Gates & countless others - but they had ability, they had a plan, they had a project.
The Wright Brothers did not have college degrees, but they had an airplane. Thomas Edison did not have a college degree, but he had a light bulb. Michael Faraday did not have a college degree, but he was one of the most influential scientists in history - it goes on & on.
It's best to learn from people doing the work.
At other colleges, students learn from professors who have studied the achievements of others, but at Optimum College we encourage our members to study from history's greats while also learning from mentors who are active and achieving in the real world today.
Optimum College is a timeless idea at a revolutionary time.
Emmy Winner, Derrick Mains, host of The Convergence Podcast, called Optimum College a return to Plato's academic ideals and in many ways that is accurate. True to Plato's ideals, Optimum College is a community of colleagues - not an institute of ivory walls separating professors from students.
The Optimum College approach to academics has earned attention.
At time of writing, Optimum College is the most followed college on the world's fastest growing social media app, TikTok, with tens of thousands of followers and millions of views, likes & shares.
In many ways Optimum College is already leading academia, and we are just getting started.
What successes have been achieved by the Optimum College approach to academics?
Because of our status quo defy approach to research & discover, Optimum College was the first to simulate the 4 forces of physics from 1 equation, i.e. unified physics, "the holy grail of science", i.e. "the source code of the universe". Even acclaimed academic & business leader, Dr. Stephen Wolfram, called our unified physics simulation cool.
Optimum College was the first to theorize a universal principle of optimization that simulates the abiogenic origin of life & all complex matter: a revolutionary concept that went viral on social media, earning millions of views, before being endorsed years later by older, more "established" academic institutes.
Optimum College was the only academic institute to predict the "universe breaking galaxies" discovered by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Optimum College was the first academic institute, to our knowledge, to present a roadmap to artificial general intelligence.
Those are a few of our achievements in STEM.
In the arts, our Optimum Studios developed the first narrative & creator-driven fighting game for virtual reality platforms: Optimum Championship.
In health, sports & fitness, our Optimum Sports Fitness program developed, to our knowledge, the world's first evolutionary biology approach to sports fitness while also designing & manufacturing real-world sports fitness equipment utilized by NFL Super Bowl Champion coaches like Andy Reid, P.E. Teachers of the Year, U.S. Military Bases, Olympic athletes and thousands of schools, clubs & active groups worldwide.
Our successes at Optimum College are ongoing.
How is Optimum College able to produce high-level graduates in under a month for less than the price of just the textbooks at other colleges?
There was a time when it took months to travel the world by horse & boat - now it takes hours by plane. It took days to send a letter by truck - now you can send an email in seconds. It took hours to search for answers at the library - now answers come as quickly as you can type an online query.
It seems like technology is making everything faster, more affordable & more efficient - except for conventional college.
You can graduate from Optimum College in under a month, and for less than the cost of just the textbooks at other colleges because the technology exists to make it possible, and because we were bold enough to challenge the status quo. In fact, during this technological revolution it was necessary to challenge the status quo.
After studying history's greatest achievers we understood that a plan or project is enough to achieve success, and so to graduate from Optimum College you simply must develop a suitable, self-directed plan or project. To help you complete your plan or project we offer what we believe is the world's most advanced curriculum which you may utilize as you see fit, a secure & private brainstorming forum and our network of mentors.
We call our graduates "Certified Optimists" complete with certificate and personalized letter of recommendation, and our podcast & network of mentors can help you present your ideas, plans & projects to the world.
Our approach to academics is simple, efficient, affordable & logical. Our approach is Optimum.
Does Optimum College own what I create at Optimum College?
No.
Unlike other colleges that own and profit from your innovations, you have full ownership over everything you create at Optimum College, including your self-directed plan or project.
Who founded Optimum College & why?
Optimum College was founded by Garrett "Gary Lee" Lee Lebby, an award-winning public education applied STEM curriculum director. Gary uses his last name when working in public education and his first & middle names in private education here at Optimum College.
Gary was inspired to found Optimum College during the 2019-20 lockdowns after watching a TED Talk that encouraged the development of new academic models, and contemporary developments have only reinforced the need for reformed academics as shown earlier.
Can you walk me through how Optimum College works from sign-up to graduation?
After paying for membership you will receive a welcome email with detailed instructions & receive immediate access to the two, private pages on this website, the Members page where we post our regular Zoom discussion, and the complete Optimum Theory of Everything page where you can stream our exclusive video-textbook.
Clicking on the Members tab will take you to a calendar to schedule a time to video-chat with Optimum College founder Gary Lee: select a date & time that works with your schedule.
Video-chat conversations with Gary are usually between 1 and 2 hours. Gary will ask you to introduce yourself and you will discuss how to reach your optimum potential through a plan or project. You & Gary will discuss a roadmap to completing your plan or project; you can see a rubric to help you develop your plan or project ahead of time, here. Gary might suggest you work with our network of mentors to complete your plan or project, but working with a mentor is not necessary to graduate. You never have to agree with Gary during your conversation, and you are even welcome to argue against his ideas & suggestions.
Conversations are recorded to later use in your graduation video with your permission, and you can request a copy for your records. No part of your conversation will ever be released publicly or privately without your permission.
After your first conversation with Gary, you will work on your plan or project, and when it is completed you will use the calendar on the Members page to schedule a follow up conversation with Gary where he will determine if your plan or project is worthy of the name Optimum or if it needs revisions. Optimum College is not pass / fail, and you can take as long as you need to complete your plan or project.
Our member projects have included successful businesses, albums, podcasts, computer programs, outstanding athletic achievements & much more. What you choose as your plan or project is up to you, as long as it helps you reach your optimum potential and brings value to yourself & the world. Your plan or project can even be something that you have already achieved before joining Optimum College.
After your plan or project is complete, you will be made a Certified Optimist of Optimum College complete with a signed certification, personalized letter of recommendation, and with your permission your recorded conversations will be edited into a podcast-style graduation video so that you can share your plan or project with the world.
Can my plan or project be completed as part of a team?
Yes. Your contributions to the project will be reflected in your personalized letter of recommendation upon graduation.
How does the Optimum College mentorship program work?
Completing a plan or project at Optimum College can be done alone, collaboratively or with a mentor. You are welcome to collaborate with virtually any mentor you wish - even those not affiliated with Optimum College - and your mentorship will be reflected in your personalized letter of recommendation upon graduation.
Optimum College has connections to mentors who have found success in the real-world, not just academia, a few of which can be found on our Mentors page. Our network of mentors are real-world professionals, they are not employed by Optimum College: they choose who they agree to communicate with, advise & work with. Working with a mentor is not a requirement of graduation from Optimum College, but for the right person it can make all the difference.
Can you tell me about Optimum College's video-textbook, The Optimum Theory of Everything?
Included with your membership to Optimum College is our exclusive 2+ hour video-textbook: The Optimum Theory of Everything. We think it is the most advanced single collection of knowledge on Earth - the first to simulate the 4 fundamental forces of physics from 1 equation & much more. You are not required to utilize our video-textbook, but it is there as a resource as you see fit.
As one of our members said, "if life is a game then you must understand the rules to play". The Optimum Theory of Everything is designed to give a first principles understanding of the most fundamental rules of life, the Universe & everything to help you reach your optimum potential.
The Optimum Theory of Everything includes, for the first time anywhere, the 4 forces of physics simulated from 1 equation, i.e. "the holy grail of science", i.e. unified physics, i.e. the source code of the universe; a simulatable theory for how life began and optimized from those first principles - our optimization principle went viral receiving over 150 thousand views, and is only now being explored by older, more "established" institutes; what we believe is the world's first academic roadmap to general artificial intelligence, and much more.
True to the name, The Optimum Theory of Everything is theory, you never have to agree with it to maintain your membership or graduate from Optimum College, and you are even welcome to argue against the theory.
What is most important to us at Optimum College is that you are actively working to understand how this universe really works so that you can reach your optimum potential, and The Optimum Theory of Everything is simply there to help as needed.
Do I have to agree with The Optimum Theory of Everything to maintain my membership or graduate from Optimum College?
Never.
You don't even have to watch The Optimum Theory of Everything to maintain your membership or graduate from Optimum College.
Why are members not required to watch The Optimum Theory of Everything to maintain their membership or graduate from Optimum College?
If our video-textbook valuable to our members, then our members will want to review it on their own; our academic model is entirely self directed.
Can I sample The Optimum Theory of Everything?
Yes.
Below you can find an introduction to The Optimum Theory of Everything: the complete 2+ hour video-textbook is exclusive for our membership. You can also find an excerpt from the video-textbook about artificial intelligence & the nature of consciousness here, and an excerpt about the nature of life, and how it theoretically began and optimized the complex matter around us, here. These excerpts were recorded in 2018, and first presented publicly in 2019.
Optimum College claims to be the first to simulation the 4 forces of physics from 1 equation. If true, that's historic. Has the Optimum College unified physics simulation been published publicly anywhere?
Yes.
The video embedded below will walk you through how to program our simulation of the 4 fundamental forces of physics from 1 equation, i.e. unified physic: hundreds have & you can too.
Similar to Charles Darwin who published his theory of evolution, On The Origin Of Species, in bookshops for public review, Optimum College publishes for the public through modern media. Academic elites are welcome to review our theories publicly like everyone else - not hidden behind expensive, exclusive & invite-only journals which are susceptible to non-reproducibility.
NOTE: The video walk-through embedded below was recorded while Optimum College founder, Gary Lee, was still working in public education and in early development of Optimum College. The earliest versions of the simulation are available on our YouTube page. Gary's students & membership were helpful in replicating the results through their own simulations, many of which can be seen here; all non-Excel simulations are from Gary's students & members.
What does the Optimum College logo represent?
The Optimum College logo is a mathematical pattern that can be extended forever to create an infinite series of plus signs, i.e. optimism. It's math, but it's also a metaphor. Your optimism can create a chain-reaction that ripples outward forever. Fun fact: our logo was liked during a live video-chat by acclaimed academic & business leader, Dr. Stephen Wolfram.
Can you tell me about your Optimum College game development studio, Optimum Studios, and it's virtual reality game, Optimum Championship?
Of course.
Other colleges have football teams, but as an online college we founded Optimum Studios because gaming is increasingly the online "sport" of the present & future.
Our flagship title at Optimum Studios is Optimum Championship, the first narrative & creator-driven fighting game for virtual reality platforms. All the characters are based on real-world creators as they play the myths and legends across all timelines.
Optimum Championship is currently available to the public for Meta Quest through the Sidequest platform.
You can learn more about Optimum Championship here.
Optimum Championship strives to be art and push the boundaries of what is possible in the gaming medium.
We know that not everyone is a gamer, and agreement with Optimum Championship is never required to maintain your membership or graduate from Optimum College.
Can members of Optimum College participate in the development of Optimum Championship?
Of course! But participation is not required to maintain your membership or graduate from Optimum College.
Can you tell me about Optimum Sports Fitness?
Of course!
Optimum Sports Fitness was the first of our three Optimum Core Projects. In fact, Optimum Sports Fitness predates Optimum College and was founded by Optimum College founder, Garrett "Gary Lee" Lee Lebby, in 2011 as an American-made sports fitness equipment manufacturing company. Since then Optimum Sports Fitness, which later took on the name FitSports® Optimum Sports Fitness, has designed, manufactured and sold world-renowned sports fitness equipment to NFL Super Bowl Champion coaches like Andy Reid, P.E. Teachers of the Year, U.S. Military Bases, Olympic athletes and thousands of schools, clubs and active groups worldwide.
Optimum Sports Fitness is not just an American-Made equipment brand, it's a philosophy that fitness is best achieved through sports. Sport is the natural proximity to our evolved fitness function as human beings: hunting, running, chasing, jumping, throwing, communicating & strategizing.
Members of Optimum College are welcome found their own FitSports® Optimum Sports Fitness clubs, gyms, centers or sell FitSports® equipment to earn real-world commission. It's an Optimum project that can turn into a real job.
What is the Optimum College conduct policy?
Optimum College members must be high school graduates.
Members are required to follow U.S. law and not be a danger to themselves or others to maintain membership.
Members are required to uphold any non-disclosure agreements they might be under; simply, Optimum College is not a place to share your company secrets.
The Optimum Theory of Everything video-textbook, and anything posted to our forum, is copyright and cannot leave Optimum College without permission from the post creator(s).
Can I cancel my Optimum College membership at anytime?
Yes.
You can cancel by logging in, clicking on your profile and selecting the "cancel membership" option. You can also email us, and we can cancel your membership for you.
What is included with membership to Optimum College?
Membership to Optimum College includes the following:
Our 2+ hour video-textbook, The Optimum Theory of Everything.
At least 2 video-chat conversations with Optimum College founder, Gary Lee.
Our private podcast featuring guests from diverse fields & backgrounds.
Our private members forum.
Our Certified Optimist program, which includes permission to collaborate at Optimum Studios, Optimum Sports Fitness & on the Optimum Theory of Everything.
Is Optimum College accredited?
Similar to the Institute for Advanced Study which is often called the world's most prestigious academic institute and whose fellowship included Albert Einstein, J Robert Oppenheimer, John Van Neumann & Dr. Stephen Wolfram, Optimum College does not offer conventional credits or degrees which are requirements of accreditation & so the Institute for Advanced Study is not accredited, and neither is Optimum College.
Optimum College is not interested in being pulled toward the average or mean: Optimum College was designed from its inception to innovate, lead, pioneer, trailblaze & optimize.
Is employment guaranteed for those who graduate from Optimum College?
We are legally required to state the obvious, a Certified Optimist blazes his or her own path which may or may not lead to conventional employment.
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