The Man Who Would Overthrow Harvard
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The Man Who Would Overthrow Harvard
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Re: The Man Who Would Overthrow Harvard
#2It is a definitely interesting project, but what would benefit "us" (as in, humanity, I guess) most is a nigh-free online university with respected accreditation and as much high-quality content as possible while keeping costs at a minimum.
Amazon is a good role model when you look for a for-profit giant, but I'd like the top education model to look like Wikipedia. Heck, Wikipedia is a pretty good tool for kickstarting your interest in a given field, and it has plenty of references, too.
Re: The Man Who Would Overthrow Harvard
#3> The school touts itself as the first elite—make that "e-lite"—American university to open in 100 years.
Olin? Too bad they screwed up their endowment and have to charge tuition now. I wonder if that will affect the quality of the student body. But Olin was definitely a try at "instant elite."
Re: The Man Who Would Overthrow Harvard
#4I'm reminded now of something that Bill Gates said: universities like Harvard or MIT shouldn't be lauded for churning out smart people... who were already smart before they entered Harvard, we should instead be lauding institutions that admit everyday folks from tough backgrounds that then turn them into smart and able people. In that spirit it is strange that the article goes to great pains to emphasize how "elite" this new university will be, and how 'admission requirements will be "extraordinarily high."' So, to sound not so negative here: I hope this experiment succeeds, but we should be focusing on where real and big problems lie: education for the masses, at affordable prices.
Re: The Man Who Would Overthrow Harvard
#5I would like to see schooling evolve into a loose association between learners and access to learning resources (virtual and physical). I've learned far more outside formal schooling than within (at all levels up to phd).
That said, this particular article is hyperbole, as creating a institutional brand like Harvard is something you do not say you are going to do. A great example of this in recent history is Y-Combinator.
The perception of quality comes from actual quality.
Re: The Man Who Would Overthrow Harvard
#6The 'sticker price' comparison is really misleading here. I don't think the Wall Street Journal do anything to correct this. Here's what the article says:
> A degree [at Minerva] will cost less than half the average top-end private education, which is now over $50,000 a year
At Harvard today, the minority of students pay full price. Over 70% of the undergraduate student body are on scholarship. Notably, if your family earns less than $65,000 per year you will pay nothing to attend.
Minerva wants to charge students $20,000. There is, as far as I can tell, no financial aid policy or bursaries available. And why would there be - Minerva is, after all, for-profit.
If your family is at or below the median household income in the US then Minerva is an extremely expensive proposition. Whereas at Harvard, and many other colleges, it's free.
Re: The Man Who Would Overthrow Harvard
#7I'm reminded now of something that Bill Gates said: universities like Harvard or MIT shouldn't be lauded for churning out smart people... who were already smart before they entered Harvard, we should instead be lauding institutions that admit everyday folks from tough backgrounds that then turn them into smart and able people. In that spirit it is strange that the article goes to great pains to emphasize how "elite"…
The value of great institutions lies not merely in education, but in bringing great people together. Simply attracting already smart people (or determined and otherwise talented people) is a value in and of itself.
Re: The Man Who Would Overthrow Harvard
#8this guy is all about talking - compare that with Udacity or Khan.
Re: The Man Who Would Overthrow Harvard
#9The 'sticker price' comparison is really misleading here. I don't think the Wall Street Journal do anything to correct this. Here's what the article says: > A degree [at Minerva] will cost less than half the average top-end private education, which is now over $50,000 a year At Harvard today, the minority of students pay full price. Over 70% of the undergraduate student body are on scholarship. Notably, if your famil…
Even if "Minerva" was $1/year, the question is one of value. A degree from Harvard at $50k/year is more valuable than a free one from a UC Berkeley Dean's scholarship student (which is probably about the same difficulty to attain), simply due to the perception it engenders from people that matter.
Re: The Man Who Would Overthrow Harvard
#10I'm reminded now of something that Bill Gates said: universities like Harvard or MIT shouldn't be lauded for churning out smart people... who were already smart before they entered Harvard, we should instead be lauding institutions that admit everyday folks from tough backgrounds that then turn them into smart and able people. In that spirit it is strange that the article goes to great pains to emphasize how "elite"…
> we should be focusing on where real and big problems
> lie: education for the masses, at affordable prices.