Why I Applied To Minerva University( The School With The Lowest Acceptance Rate In The World). Do I Think I Would Get In?

Hello everyone, 

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. If you are new, this is my blog “Anna’s Styles”, a safe space to share my experiences and thoughts with the world. 

Today, I decided to write about my college choices. Which colleges am I applying to? Why did I apply to these colleges? Do I think I would get into these colleges? I would specifically be writing about Minerva University, a non-traditional school in San Francisco. 

What Is Minerva University? 

Minerva University is a private non-traditional university in San Francisco. It was established in 2012 by Ben Nelson. According to him, he was unsatisfied with the traditional way of learning in most universities and decided to reinvent higher education. That is, of course, the best decision anyone has ever made. Minerva is also the University with the lowest acceptance rate in the United States with lower than 1% acceptance.

Minerva’s Homepage

What Makes Minerva Different From Other Universities? 

I believe Minerva is the best university in the world. To begin with, Minerva adopts a global experience. Students travel to seven countries within four years, immersing themselves in various cultures and embracing new perspectives and diverse ideas. Also, Minerva is an online institution(that is, all classes are conducted online through their special learning platform) with no campus(students live in residential buildings which are well-furnished and have a stable internet connection). Minerva’s curriculum is also different from other schools. In the first year, every student takes the same courses called the Cornerstone Courses(which are Formal Analysis, Multimodal Communications, Empirical Analyses, And Complex Systems). In the second year, you can choose a major from the five majors they offer- Arts and Humanities, Business, Computational Sciences, Natural Sciences, And Social Sciences. The goal of Minerva’s curriculum is not the memorization of facts but the study of academic content that will develop the mind. At the end of the fourth year in Minerva, students create a capstone project, a novel project based on their major and concentration. 

Is Minerva Accredited? 

Yes. Minerva is accredited by the Western Senior College And University Commission Association Of Schools And Colleges (WASC). They were a lot of misconceptions about this institution during its first five years but I believe that the eliteness of Minerva is yet to come. This institution is growing, developing, and training world leaders from all over the world. In the next few years, Minerva will be one of the most elite universities in the world. 

How Did I Discover Minerva University?

The first time I heard about Minerva was in 11th grade. I had just been accepted to EducationUSA Abuja. A Minervian was a member of the group and she was sharing her story, of how she was accepted to Minerva despite her low SAT score and Waec result. However, I did not pay much attention to her story. I rushed to Google and checked the acceptance rate of this university. It was 1%. I was immediately confused. How could a university with such a low acceptance rate accept someone with a low SAT score and Waec result? I found my way to the group and listened to her voice notes again. I discovered she was an artist, who had magnificent artworks and paintings. But it still didn’t make sense to me. She wasn’t internationally recognized as an artist and she had never won any awards. “What sort of an Ivy League school is this?” I asked myself. I dismissed my thoughts and immediately tagged this school as an institution that accepted creative people with low SAT scores. 

What Inspired Me To Apply To Minerva?

On exactly August 27th, 2022, my best friend and I were deciding on my college choices. She had been admitted to Augustana University and we were trying to figure out what schools I could apply to. Then she said, “You should apply to Minerva, I think it’s a school for people like you..” For people like me? I laughed. And I asked her “Me? Minerva? With My Carton Brain?” We laughed at the idea and continued to talk about other schools.

My Chat With My Best Friend

At midnight on that day, I was still up and researching my schools. Something kept nudging me to check out Minerva University. I gave in and visited their website. By 2 am, I was still up and I was in love with this non-traditional school for people like me in San Francisco. 

Minerva is everything I have ever wanted. A chance to liberate me, a place to grow and develop my talents. I discovered that Minerva isn’t the kind of Ivy League that accepted people with low SAT scores, it is indeed an institution that didn’t care about SAT scores. A university that selected the best students who are passionate about the world. One thing was clear to me after reading through their website for over 2 hours that night. MINERVA IS INTERESTED IN MY STORY. And that’s why I applied to this institution. By just reading through their website, I felt like I was home. I felt like I had finally found a place I could fit in. And at that moment, I understood what my best friend said to me. MINERVA IS A SCHOOL FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU. 

How Can I Describe The Application Process? 

I started my application to Minerva the following day, August 28th, 2022. I was anxious and tensed. Why? You see, Minerva’s application process is complex and different from other universities’ application processes. The application is divided into three parts. The first part which is “An About You” section requires you to fill in your basic information and high school details. You can edit your information at any time. The second part which is the most challenging part of this application is called the “Challenges” section. Trust me, I cried for days after completing my challenges. The challenges are a series of tests, which you can not prepare for. The challenges test your Iq and other skills. There is no way to prepare for them, this way, Minerva can access your thinking ability. There are six challenges: understanding(which is a reading challenge), reasoning( Iq tests or puzzles), creativity (you are given an item and asked to list all the uses of this item. This was my best challenge), writing(a prompt to write about), mathematics(worst challenge), and finally expression(worse than maths😅). I took the challenges for two days, and yet, I was exhausted and sad. You know, once I had finished my mathematics and expression challenges, I gave up on applying. I cried all the way home after my expression challenge. My advice is, if you’re applying to Minerva this year, DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE APPLICATION PROCESS. 

The third part of the application is the “Accomplishment” part. In this section, you have to share six of your accomplishments with the admissions team. Minerva lets you define what you think is an accomplishment. Unlike other schools, you can share your projects, leadership position, family contribution, and anything that means so much to you. You don’t have to be a CEO to get into Minerva, you just have to show the admission team what matters to you. Although six is the maximum number, you can share less than that with the admissions team. 

I submitted my application yesterday. Yes! Congratulations to me. I finished my application early this month but I had to wait for my counselor to upload my documents. Overall, I think Minerva’s application process is interesting and unique. It provides an opportunity for you to define yourself and what matters to you. It helps you to critically think about different issues that are absent in most admission processes. The application process allows you to open up yourself to the admissions committee and I believe this is Minerva’s greatest strength. 

I Submitted My Application Yesterday

Do I Think I Would Get In?

I don’t know! As I have mentioned a thousand times, Minerva is unique and different from other schools. Minerva doesn’t have an enrollment cap. It is also need-blind (meaning that your financial situation is not considered during the application). Unlike other schools in the U.S, Minerva doesn’t look into your country or high school. It doesn’t matter if they are 100 applicants from Nigeria, if they all pass a certain “bar”, they would all be accepted. This is one of the major challenges encountered during college applications. The only person you have to compete with for a spot at Minerva is yourself. Once you have exceeded their bar, you will get in with financial aid. With that said, I think I have a 50% chance of getting in. I say that because my challenges were not so good. Also, no one particularly knows what the admissions team is looking out for. I have faith and I would keep praying that I will be accepted. 

What Would Happen If I Am Rejected? 

I would probably attend a Nigerian university and apply next year. To be honest, I don’t see myself in any other school in the U.S except Minerva. I have fallen in love with this school and I would keep applying, over and over again, till I am accepted. My objectives align with theirs and I am hopeful. 

What Is My Advise To Those Applying To Minerva?

Before you apply to Minerva, ask yourself these questions: Why do I want to attend Minerva? Am I ready to be rigorously challenged? Am I an extrovert(I will make another post regarding this)? Do I love to travel? Do I believe in routines and a particular standard of education? If you do not know why you want to attend Minerva, you will find the application process stressful and hard. Moreover, the admission committee is capable of detecting a fake student(I don’t know how they do that). You can only fit in or not in Minerva. I don’t think there’s an in-between. So be sure about your decision to attend, and show the admissions committee what you are proud of. 

Good luck to everyone applying to Minerva and other colleges. I know this period can be so stressful and exhausting, but be patient and work hard. God will do it for you! 

Link To Minerva’s Website: https://www.minerva.edu

If you are applying to any college or university, you can share your experience or talk about it in the comments section! Thank you for visiting and reading.

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