Though I have only encountered a mere three weeks of college life, I have already come to understand the importance of social interaction. A traditional university offers so much more than just an education. It provides programs and organizations that an online university, like Minerva, does not implement in its learning platform. Sure, Minerva offers study abroad and the student body lives together, but the lack of organizations and classrooms does not allow for the creativity of students to flow. I personally appreciate both the academic and nonacademic aspects of a traditional university over that of Minerva. Joining several different clubs and organizations of interest, having a personable teacher-student relationship, and being part of a spirited student body are aspects that I, along with many others, would really miss should education change to the online platform of Minerva.
In the essay, Is College Doomed, Graeme Wood states that “the teaching methods may well be optimized, but universities, as currently constituted, are only partly about class room time” (Wood 509). During my short time at Florida Atlantic University, I look forward to the time in between my classes. Free time allows me to go eat with fellow classmates at the dining hall, go to the gym, or do homework for my classes. There is a certain balance of hard work and relaxation in a traditional college experience, where if you prioritize correctly and plan out your schedule, you can actually have fun while earning your degree. Without the opportunity for Greek life or joining clubs that engage in your personal interests, Minerva misses out on a bigger audience of incoming students who attend a university for the full college experience. I would much rather attend a university with a social experience that is more personable than that of Minerva. And though social events can pose as a distraction, relaxation and enjoying time with friends is very important as well. Minerva seems to be a rigorous system in which you must remain extremely focused for a long duration of time. I personally do not know if I could succeed in such a system, but I do admit it seems interesting and effective.
It would be unfair to process only the cons of the online university without determining its pros. Minerva offers a different kind of social interaction that many people don’t come across in their lifetime. Minerva requires you to study at a different location in the world from year to year. This constant movement provides an experience that delivers culture along with the online academics that the school offers. Living in a dorm with other Minerva students is essential in that it gives the students the opportunity to embrace the culture around them with people who are in a similar position. If I attended Minerva and were to study abroad, I’d find comfort in hanging out with other students at the university. What is incredible as well is the fact that there is so much diversity and culture within the student body at Minerva already. It is entirely possible that I could end up studying in London with a roommate who grew up in China. The experience I would gain from such an event might give me insight and a new outlook on my previous views and opinions. That experience is not something I would obtain just in that one setting, but the other three years that I attend Minerva as well. It can be argued that having such a global experience and meeting people from different countries can prepare you for any profession you pursue. The world needs people who can empathize with other individuals and not make prejudgments of others based on their skin color or race. Minerva prepares you for the real world environment in ways that many traditional schools cannot.
Minerva possesses certain components that allows its platform to succeed. As the productivity of learning and general education worsens, the need for a new platform grows. It is possible that Minerva might be the solution to today’s academic calamity. The education system in most traditional universities allows for students to become off task, while at Minerva you remain interactive with the lesson at hand. Graeme Wood said, “Even in moments when I wanted to think about aspects of the material that weren’t currently under discussion- to me these seemed like moments of creative space, but perhaps they were just daydreams- I felt my attention snapped back to the narrow issue at hand, because I had to answer a quiz question or articulate a position” (Wood 507). Wood’s experience is something that is lacking in every day classes. The opportunity for distraction is present in almost every college class, and most people do get distracted and their minds wander off much like Wood’s did. To be able to eliminate these few minutes of distraction would allow students to learn more in the same amount of time. At the least, students would retain more information and gain a deeper understanding of the material presented to them. Another perk that Minerva possesses is the limited amount of people in the class. “Its courses are not massive (they’re capped at 19 students)” (Wood 508). With only 19 people in each course, there is potential to achieve a student-teacher relationship that many courses don’t have in traditional universities. Lectures that are comprised of hundreds of kids are nonexistent at Minerva. At times I enjoy the environment that lectures provide, but admittedly I get distracted fairly often. A smaller teacher to student ratio is favorable for an enhanced learning experience, and I think that is very important for any school’s overall success, not just Minerva.
On the other hand, I sometimes prefer to be in larger groups. While I’m capable to speak and engage in small environments, I don’t feel like doing it all the time. Sometimes when I’m tired, I would just prefer to sit in class, listen, and take notes without having to give my opinion every few minutes. I’m sure many other students feel the same, and universities probably prefer lectures because of the amount of money they save by having so many students participating in one class. Another factor that is avoided in a traditional classroom is the potential of internet problems. Graeme Wood said in Is College Doomed, “The system had bugs- it crashed once, and some of the video lagged” (Wood 507). If for some reason the internet was down for the students, the class would be missed. While the internet is usually very reliable, there are always cases in which it shuts down or the wireless internet becomes very slow. Any issues whatsoever would be counterproductive and distract the students from learning the information presented to them.
A traditional university does offer a few more aspects that Minerva does not. Many colleges have work-study programs, internships, and guest speakers that enhance a student’s learning experience. Work-study programs allow a student who couldn’t typically afford to go to college the opportunity to work on campus in order to cut down the cost of attendance. Minerva does not provide that opportunity to incoming students and also does not take federal funding to provide financial aid. At the moment, Minerva provides hefty scholarships to every individual attending the university in order to jumpstart the institution. When these scholarships dissipate in the future, the cost of attendance would be too high for those who cannot afford to pay for college in its entirety. Another aspect that a traditional university provides is networking and internships. There are many postings and openings presented on college campuses that indicate the opportunities available in the area. At FAU, there is even an entire department on campus in which students can acquire and seek job opportunities and internships. Minerva simply does not have that kind of access and role in a student’s life. Traditional universities also have guest speakers come to their campus to speak with the student population. For example, Daymond John came to FAU on September 8th and spoke about his life and experiences. I, personally, am insanely intrigued by business owners who have made it to the top much like Daymond John did. I aspire to learn from people like him in hopes to achieve similar success in my life. Having guest speakers can give a student invaluable information that can potentially change their life. With the lack of a campus and auditorium, Minerva does not have the capability nor the facility for a guest speaker to present and teach those priceless life lessons. Contrarily, a traditional university has the capacity to engage students and give experiences that Minerva simply cannot.
Traditional universities present an experience that is exactly that: traditional. It has been the norm for years to go to college to partake in clubs and organizations that develop your social skills. These organizations provide a certain level of social interaction that Minerva is incapable of. I personally wouldn’t want to go to a college that does not offer the opportunity to engage with other people in these clubs and organizations. There is a certain vibe and spirit of traditional college that I don’t think Minerva may ever possess. Those at Minerva are missing out on that spirit of college life and are not taking into account the value of such programs and organizations. However, Minerva does present many new ways to learn and grow your mind. Its learning platform along with its mandatory requirement to study abroad seems promising in bettering a student’s education and giving the student a new sense of culture. Perhaps Minerva is the future of education, but until it is proven that Minerva is as successful as it seems, I would not be willing to risk my education and my future. I know for a fact that I enjoy and excel in the traditional learning environment, and to take the risk of attending an online university with the possibility of failure is not something I’m willing to do. If Minerva’s platform were to fail, my degree would be worthless. But for the sake of bettering education and achieving a new form of worldwide social interaction, I hope that Minerva’s platform does succeed.