Join Your Extended Family

Minerva students come from around the world to join a growing community. At Minerva, there is no single national, ethnic, or cultural group in the majority. Living within this incredible diversity fosters students’ maturity and understanding, providing multicultural insight that will serve you long after graduation.

Though our student body is composed of a highly diverse, international population, Minerva students share a collective identity with unifying values and a sense of purpose. Together, you will develop a common intellectual language, a mutual understanding of how to think about—and approach—the world. This will become the basis for your collaborations at Minerva and your future endeavors.

As you travel to each of the residential locations, your tight-knit cohort will also establish weekly rituals, organize interest-based groups, and build enduring bonds of friendship. Each new city offers incredible opportunities and daunting challenges. Together, you will explore distinct cultures, encounter different viewpoints, and overcome difficult obstacles. From cooking communal meals and meeting in study groups to hosting public performances and embracing the city around you, your cohort will become your extended family.

Community Traditions

Some of the most meaningful and memorable interactions are those you will have with your classmates. While living and learning together, you will share moments of discovery, challenge, adventure, and elation. From discussions and get-togethers in your residence hall to bonfires at the beach, these moments are the fabric from which deep, lasting relationships are formed.

Communal Meals
Breaking bread as a community has become a welcome tradition at Minerva. A way for you and your classmates to socialize, food is also a powerful medium for cultural understanding. Every week, the 10:01 banquet marks the end of class assignments with an assortment of recipes from around the world. On other nights, you will share simple techniques for preparing healthy and delicious meals, or indulge in elaborate feasts. For example, the annual Friendsgiving feast is a time for you, your classmates, and local staff to celebrate together over a delicious meal.

Storytelling
Other regular gatherings in the residence halls involve sharing stories about personal journeys and perspectives. Each week, students, faculty, and staff are invited to tell their unique tales of hardship, failure, resilience, joy, and triumph to broaden your exposure to different backgrounds and the richness of the human experience.

Quinquatria
In honor of the ancient celebration of our Roman goddess namesake, Minerva hosts an annual gathering of students, faculty, and staff each March. This seminal Minerva event is a time to toast individual and collective successes and bond as a broader community.

Student Initiatives

Student Initiatives

At Minerva, you will explore your extracurricular interests, in collaboration with your classmates and the Student Life staff, in the form of Student Initiatives. Similar to clubs, you will create and organize opportunities and events to further explore your passions alongside your peers. Throughout your four years, you will be able to adapt your Student Initiative to each global rotation city's unique culture, incorporating a deeper sense of community and connection with the places you live.

Some of the current Student Initiatives themes include: sustainability, storytelling, wellness, hackathons, football, social justice, and entrepreneurship.

Live Performances
You and your cohort will find inspiration in the resources available in each city. From open-mic nights and poetry slams at local clubs to more formal productions, you will have diverse opportunities to perform your talents and creations.

Publications and Creations
As a Minerva student, you are encouraged to develop your personal creative and analytical voice. Write a blog, record a podcast, illustrate a series, lead a workshop, or contribute to one of the many student-run publications, such as the student newspaper, the Quest. If you desire, by the time you graduate, you will be able to have produced a range of work that expresses your viewpoint and individuality.