Within two days time, the
requests for copies of the RMU entrance exam have skyrocketed to 143 people. This probably isn't close to the number of people who will submit a completed exam, but it's still a bit overwhelming. The challenge now is to come up with a reasonable way of accepting students into the program that doesn't force the vast majority to re-take test after test in hopes of getting in.
A key aspect of Ruby Mendicant University is that I want to make sure that it is accessible to a wide audience. I don't want to turn the entrance exam into a stressful experience in which only the fastest and most skilled get in. I also absolutely don't want to remove the 20 student per session limit, because I feel like the 1-1 time and small group activities are an essential part of my overall vision. With these thoughts in mind, I've come up with a plan I think will work.
The Selection Process
Rather than selecting just the participants for the initial class, I will attempt to fill five sessions (September, October, November, January, February). I will go down the list of those who were accepted into the program and ask which class they would like to attend, until all 5 sessions have 20 people in them. If I receive less than 100 acceptable submissions, I'll reduce the number of sessions accordingly. If I receive more than 100, I will place up to 20 people on a wait list to be on call for unexpected openings.
Deadlines
I will keep the request form open for the entrance exam until June 12th. The exam will be emailed to applicants on June 13th. The submission deadline will be 00:00 UTC June 20th, but may be closed early if I can fill all 120 slots. There is an advantage to getting your submission early, as you will be invited earlier, increasing your chance of getting the session you want.
Hardship Considerations
In my original plans for RMU, I had mentioned that I'd like to make some sort of special consideration for those that would uniquely benefit from this opportunity. I have had a lot of trouble coming up with a fair way to do this, and have decided that there is no way that I can give preferential treatment as to whether or not someone gets accepted into the program because of a hardship.
I think I have a compromise though: I can review the submissions blind, and then request those accepted participants who have a hardship to step forward AFTER I have made my selections. I will review each case (working primarily on the honor system and gut reactions, because verification is next to impossible), and those that seem to be genuine will be given first picks on which session they want to attend. All I ask is that people use this opportunity responsibly, so that others don't feel like they are being unfairly treated.
I am hoping this seems reasonable to the community at large. If people get out the pitchforks, I'll need to abandon the idea.
Acceptance Criteria
To be considered for RMU, your performance on the exam does not need to show complete mastery of advanced Ruby concepts. Instead, I am mainly looking to see that your ability to work on and think about problems is sufficient for the sort of material I'm planning. To a great extent, I will be using the exam to judge what sort of content I should be teaching. This means it will be important to make sure your submission is your own work. The problem will be open ended and somewhat accessible across different skill levels.
When it is released, spend a bit of time on it (a couple hours at the most), give it your best shot, and then just relax. The worst thing that can happen is that I may recommend that you study a bit more and try again next time. Results will be kept completely confidential, so there is no harm in trying your luck and seeing how things go.
Caveats
Assuming that we reach our funding goal for building the initial content, I am committing to teaching the September session regardless of whether donations end up covering my expenses. However, the same does not necessarily hold true for later sessions.
ASIDE:
As a complete guess, I think that I could take the necessary time away from my consulting to run the class for about $1500 per session. I will have a much better sense of this by mid-September, and will post an updated estimate along with an explanation for it at that time. I will then open up a new pledgie for the total cost of the 5 sessions. At $1500 a session, that'd be about $7500. It's likely that if this funding drive went well, I would leave it open as an open fund to support the ongoing operations of the school.
I want to make it possible for students to donate after they complete the course, rather than ahead of time. I also want to make it possible for students to not contribute any money if they are financially limited or didn't find value in the session. However, I just want to make it clear early on that I can't let this project become a financial burden to me, and if it doesn't go as well as expected, I may cancel it before we make our way through all five sessions.
But here's hoping for the best. I'd love to make the school an ongoing thing and even see it grow over time. But for the more cautious, if you want to be sure you get your chance to attend RMU, select the September session if you get a shot :)
Things you can do right now:
