College Suggestion

b_r_um
Mon, 30 Sep 2019 21:46:09 +0000

May I ask how much research you’ve done on Minerva? I am fascinated by the concept but I find it really difficult to form an opinion because they publish so little data.

Their basic premise is that all education happens online. There’s no classrooms or libraries, and students physically move to a different city each semester. That might be exciting at first, but I’d also worry that it might be stressful and lonely to start over with no friends every single semester.

At a minimum, I would ask them the following questions:

What are their retention and graduation rates? (Low rates are a cause for concern. Why are their students leaving? I'd worry that the online-only, move-every-single-semester model doesn't work for many students.)

How many students major in the subject you're interested in? How many courses are offered in your intended major each semester? (Best as I can tell, Minerva is a tiny school. If there's only 1 or 2 advanced classes in your major each semester, you won't get a choice about which classes to take.) Ask if you can see the course list for a single semester. Their website has a list of courses that have ever been taught, but that's hugely misleading. Many of these courses may never be taught again.

What are their job placement rates? What percentage of graduates have a full-time job within 6 months of graduation, and what's their average income? (Most universities keep tabs on this number. If the university does not survey its graduates, or if they are unwilling to share the results, that's a huge cause for concern.)