去年的三月，兒子還在緊張的學(xué)校申請(qǐng)中，今年已經(jīng)是“學(xué)長(zhǎng)”了。

以下兒子為密涅瓦招生部寫的博文，也算是對(duì)去年大學(xué)的申請(qǐng)和這一年在密涅瓦學(xué)習(xí)的簡(jiǎn)單回顧。

轉(zhuǎn)自Minerva官博。

是什么讓你申請(qǐng)密涅瓦大學(xué)的?

我一直對(duì)上大學(xué)的目的感到好奇。到大學(xué)申請(qǐng)季結(jié)束時(shí)，我設(shè)定了三個(gè)主要目標(biāo)：

1，探索世界，了解它的運(yùn)作方式。

2，培養(yǎng)終身軟技能。

3，最重要的是，與我真正喜歡共度時(shí)光的人建立有意義的友誼。

當(dāng)我發(fā)現(xiàn)密涅瓦大學(xué)時(shí)，我意識(shí)到它完全符合我對(duì)大學(xué)的期望。密涅瓦大學(xué)提供的全球輪轉(zhuǎn)和文化浸入提供了一個(gè)無(wú)與倫比的機(jī)會(huì)，以其他大學(xué)所沒(méi)有的方式探索世界。

課程也讓我印象深刻，因?yàn)樗⒅貙?shí)際應(yīng)用，而不僅僅是理論。通過(guò)每年的公民項(xiàng)目和頂點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目，我能夠?qū)⒄n堂上學(xué)到的知識(shí)應(yīng)用到現(xiàn)實(shí)情境中。這確保了我的教育不會(huì)顯得抽象或脫離實(shí)際，而是實(shí)用且與我生活和未來(lái)職業(yè)相關(guān)的。

此外，密涅瓦學(xué)院的小班制使得與人們建立更深層次的聯(lián)系變得更容易。由于學(xué)生群體由來(lái)自世界各地的杰出個(gè)人組成，我知道我會(huì)找到有趣和鼓舞人心的同伴。由于我的目標(biāo)和密涅瓦學(xué)院提供的課程緊密契合，我立即申請(qǐng)了?，F(xiàn)在，在這里度過(guò)一個(gè)學(xué)期后，我可以自信地說(shuō)，它沒(méi)有辜負(fù)我的所有期望。

在申請(qǐng)過(guò)程中，你對(duì)自己有什么了解?

在整個(gè)大學(xué)申請(qǐng)季，我經(jīng)常感到不自信，因?yàn)槲液茈y以一種我認(rèn)為能打動(dòng)招生官的方式呈現(xiàn)自己。然而，在密涅瓦大學(xué)的申請(qǐng)過(guò)程中，我感覺(jué)不同。我沒(méi)有感到不足，而是真正發(fā)現(xiàn)了自己的非凡之處。這在很大程度上是因?yàn)樯暾?qǐng)?jiān)试S我以清晰、結(jié)構(gòu)化的方式呈現(xiàn)我的成就。每一項(xiàng)成就都有自己獨(dú)立的空間，有足夠的空間來(lái)充分描述它。在其他大學(xué)，我不得不努力將我的成就巧妙地?cái)D進(jìn)個(gè)人陳述中，這讓我覺(jué)得自己沒(méi)有公正地對(duì)待它們。密涅瓦申請(qǐng)中六項(xiàng)成就的限制也幫助我專注于展示我最好的經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

你在密涅瓦大學(xué)的申請(qǐng)中提到的最喜歡的成就是什么?

我最喜歡的成就是我16歲時(shí)在一家區(qū)塊鏈技術(shù)公司實(shí)習(xí)的經(jīng)歷。在實(shí)習(xí)期間，我?guī)椭鷮彶榇a并開(kāi)發(fā)真正的平臺(tái)。我喜歡這段經(jīng)歷，因?yàn)樵趯?shí)習(xí)期間，除了獲得經(jīng)驗(yàn)外，我的努力實(shí)際上產(chǎn)生了影響。我喜歡那種感覺(jué)。

你對(duì)2028屆社區(qū)的第一印象是什么?密涅瓦社區(qū)對(duì)你來(lái)說(shuō)意味著什么?

我對(duì)M28社區(qū)的第一印象是它非?；钴S。每當(dāng)有感興趣的事情時(shí)，每個(gè)人都會(huì)興奮起來(lái)。之前所接觸的人群，大家通常不愿意表達(dá)自己的觀點(diǎn)。但在這里，每個(gè)人都會(huì)愉快地參與討論。在課堂上，我們的問(wèn)題通常不是人們說(shuō)得太少，而是我們沒(méi)有足夠的時(shí)間讓每個(gè)人發(fā)言。

這個(gè)社區(qū)對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)意味著整個(gè)世界。我已經(jīng)擔(dān)心當(dāng)我們畢業(yè)時(shí)我將如何離開(kāi)這個(gè)社區(qū)。每當(dāng)有人因?yàn)槿魏卧螂x開(kāi)這個(gè)群體時(shí)，我都忍不住哭泣。

你覺(jué)得密涅瓦如何幫助你成長(zhǎng)到現(xiàn)在?自從加入密涅瓦以來(lái)，你注意到自己身上有什么變化?

密涅瓦的經(jīng)歷對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)是改變?nèi)松?。我曾?jīng)是一個(gè)有些害羞的人，不太愿意與不熟悉的人交往。但在這里，我找到了與他人相處的樂(lè)趣?？梢哉f(shuō)，密涅瓦把我從一個(gè)內(nèi)斂的人變成了一個(gè)外向型的人。

我的寫作技巧也有顯著提高?，F(xiàn)在我可以寫得更快，更自信，確切地知道我想說(shuō)什么以及如何說(shuō)。我學(xué)會(huì)了清晰地表達(dá)觀點(diǎn)并有效地支持它們。最重要的是，我逐漸對(duì)寫作感到舒適，這在以前不是這樣。因?yàn)閷懽魇且环N思考形式，這種成長(zhǎng)對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)意義非凡。

你會(huì)給未來(lái)的申請(qǐng)者什么建議?

如果你被錄取了，請(qǐng)入學(xué)！有99%的把握，我確信你會(huì)喜歡這里的體驗(yàn)。如果你不確定是否應(yīng)該來(lái)，請(qǐng)與目前在校的密涅瓦學(xué)生之一溝通。我們通常都很友好。我相信我們可以讓你看到真實(shí)的 、讓人向往的密涅瓦。

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Meet the Minerva Freshmen

What made you apply to Minerva?

I had always wondered about the purpose of going to university. By the time college application season ended, I had set three main goals:

1.To explore the world and understand how it works.

2.To develop lifelong soft skills.

3.Most importantly, to build meaningful friendships with people I’d truly enjoy spending time with.

When I discovered Minerva, I realized it was a perfect match for what I wanted in a university. The global rotation and cultural immersion that Minerva offers provide an incredible opportunity to explore the world in a way no other university does.

The curriculum also stood out to me because it focuses on real-life applications instead of just theory. Through Civic Projectseach year and the Capstone Project, I’d be able to apply what I learned in class to real-world situations. This ensures that my education won’t feel abstract or detached—it will be practical and relevant to my life and future career.

Additionally, Minerva’s small cohorts make it much easier to connect with people on a deeper level. Since the student body consists of outstanding individuals from all over the world, I knew I’d find interesting and inspiring peers. Because of this close alignment between my goals and what Minerva offers, I applied right away. Now, after a semester here, I can confidently say that it has lived up to all my expectations.

What have you learned about yourself during the application process?

Throughout the college application season, I often felt insecure because I struggled to present myself in a way that I thought would impress admissions officers. However, the Minerva application process felt different. Instead of feeling inadequate, I actually discovered how remarkable I am. This was largely because the application allowed me to present my accomplishments in a clear, structured way. Each achievement had its own space, with enough room to describe it fully. At other universities, I had to try to subtly squeeze my accomplishments into personal statements, which made me feel like I wasn’t doing them justice. The limit of six accomplishments in the Minerva application also helped me focus on showcasing my best experiences.

What was your favorite accomplishment you mentioned in your Minerva application?

My favorite accomplishment was my internship at a blockchain technology company when I was 16. During this internship, I helped review the code and develop real platforms. I loved the experience because, in that internship, aside from gaining experience, my efforts actually made an impact. I love that feeling.

Is there anything you are particularly excited about regarding your first year at Minerva?

I’m especially excited about interacting with the people at Minerva. These are truly my people. We can joke around, but we also have deep, meaningful conversations about fascinating topics. Sometimes we get so intrigued by a subject that we stay up late discussing it for hours.

What are your first impressions of the Class of 2028 community? What does the Minerva community mean to you?

My first impression of the M28 community is that it is very vibrant. Whenever there is something of interest, everyone gets excited. Back at home in China, people usually shy away from expressing their views. But here, everyone happily contributes to a discussion. In class, our problem is usually not that people talk too little but that we don't have enough time for everyone to talk.

This community means the world to me. I’ve already worried about how I’ll let go of this community when we graduate. Whenever someone leaves the cohort for any reason, I can’t help but cry.

How do you feel like Minerva helped you grow so far? What changes have you noticed in yourself since joining Minerva?

The Minerva experience is life-changing for me. I used to be a shy person, unwilling to interact with people. But here, I found the joy in being with others. It’s fair to say that Minerva turned me from an introvert into an extrovert.

My writing skills also drastically improved. I can now write much faster and more confidently, knowing exactly what I want to say and how to say it. I’ve learned to make clear points and support them effectively. Most importantly, I’ve grown to feel comfortable with writing, which wasn’t the case before. Since writing is a form of thinking, this growth has been incredibly meaningful to me.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

Please enroll if you get in! At the 99% confidence level, I’m sure that you would enjoy the experience here. If you’re not sure if you should come, please talk to one of the current Minervans. We’re usually very friendly. And I’m sure we can convince you to come.