Minerva University

Minerva University

San Francisco, CA, USA
Private
4 Year

Haziq Azizi's Review

Review of Minerva University

from Malaysia

Describe your college in three sentences.

A Global Liberal Arts College designed to train students to solve complex global problems and move the world forward. Minervans take all classes seminar-style and travel to 7 different cities over 4 years. It's fun, challenging and

Do you have any tips for prospective students?

Relax before the tests, be academically excellent in high school, and demonstrate traits of creativity, leadership and initiative. Be excellent at one thing and good at everything else.

Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?

Tough, but what we're learning here is practical knowledge - designed to facilitate critical + creative thinking, effective communication and effective interaction. We learn habits of mind and foundational concepts in these areas - ways of thinking that are a both automatic, combined with concepts you can build on. These are continuously practiced (through spaced repetition) over 4 years until they become natural. This is unlike academics at traditional schools, where most of the concepts you learn to pass exams will likely be forgotten within a couple of months. The professors give great, detailed feedback and continuously challenge us.

Describe the dorm life at your college.

Super fun! All my classmates and peers are great to get along with, and we sing, dance, have philosophical conversations and intense debates. Traveling across the world with a group of tight-knit friends is, well, amazing.

Describe the food and dining at your college.

We have access to the best food in the city, and have our pick of cheap grocery stores. This is entirely up to you, but I gave 5 stars because my classmates cook REALLY good food!

What’s there to do for fun at your college?

The city is your oyster. We've gone to (and performed at ) poetry slams, visited art galleries, gone on road trips, hikes, built sumo robots..the Minerva on-site team will curate activities and experiences for you, and if you've got creative and adventurous classmates, even better.

Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?

At USD 10 k for tuition a year, this is probably the cheapest, most high-quality education you can get.

Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus

There are way too many inside jokes to list here. But, questions, comments? ;)

Which types of students will excel at your college?

Adventurous, mission-driven, who want to do something valuable and important to society with their educational experience.

Are you involved in any clubs or activities?

Since we're such a young institution, students have an opportunity to design and create their own clubs and activities, with support provided by the Minerva team. As of right now, we've got: MORE - philosophical hiking and adventure; Q3 (Quantum Quest Quenchers) - a philosophy club that transcends verbal discussions; Skillshare - (self-explanatory); MiCo Lisa - A club for artistic and creative expression; Write Night - students visit a historic bookstore here in SF and engage in creative writing.

Are you involved in any clubs or activities?

Non-existent. We have fun through other means!

How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?

Residential Assistants and Student Affairs Supervisors are always on-site, and we've got 24 hour security and access to emergency services.