Each year, St. John’s attends a number of college fairs all around the world for the Colleges That Change Lives organizations. This organization is a non-profit which collaborates with 65 liberal arts schools from all over the country to help change the way students and families think about the college search process. Each school in the organization has a unique approach to education, and they vary between public and private institutions.
For this week, we made stops in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose and Rafael, Portland, and Seattle, for a tour of pretty much the entirety of the west coast. Throughout the tour, we spoke to well over 100 families about the unique St. John’s Program. Some of the good questions I got over the course of the tour were:
What do students do after St. John’s?
How are math and science approached on the curriculum?
Is there any opportunity to focus on something specific?
What are the differences between the two campuses?
These were just a few. What I love about these fairs is the fact that students come to our table usually knowing a little bit about St. John’s already. They typically have a copy of the Colleges That Change Lives book, and make a stop by the table because the write-up has made them curious. (In case you were wondering, here is a copy of the blurb written about us in the book: https://ctcl.org/st-johns-college/).
To this East Coaster, it was my first time ever visiting all of the West Coast. Starting in San Diego, I took a train ride through many little beach towns along the coast on the Pacific Surfliner, per the recommendation of a colleague. In Los Angeles for two days, I got to see all of the landscape, architecture, and traffic that has made the city so famous. In Silicon Valley, I was able to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time, and talk with students who are interested in tech about how they might benefit from a St. John’s education. In Portland, I visited the world-famous Powell’s City of Books, and in Seattle, I was able to try some of the famous fish chowder that I’d heard so much about. Certainly, six cities in a week takes a toll, but the invigorating conversations I was able to have with prospective students and colleagues from all of the wonderful schools represented were able to keep me sane.
Did you miss us out on the road this summer? No worries! We will be coming your way soon. Check out this link to see where St. John’s admissions officers will be in your area: https://admissions.sjc.edu/portal/sjc-on-the-road?_ga=2.236005449.932641075.1565269179-2146524188.1504720846
The Chalkboard 