Hi, new here, too, but I've moved past the Cura software problem with my own Monoprice Select, and figured out a couple things messing around with the USB connection -

The USB port and drivers for the board that is powering the printer don't work together well. You'll have a constant loss of connection mid print, or Cura won't recognize the printer connection at all, and this is often. I think it has to do with the board or the USB port itself. You can try updating the firmware for the printer (which is a unsupported update, search for it at your own risk!) but i recommend just slicing your prints through Repetier, Cura, Simplify3d or whatever your preference is, loading them onto the SD card, and using that.