This time of year I get lots of questions about how St. John’s ranks compared to other colleges. Who doesn’t want to go to the “best” college? But here’s the problem: most rankings don’t tell you which college is best for you. Problem #1: rankings often arbitrarily divide colleges onto different lists that have nothing…
Author: Benjamin Baum
Challenging Times Reveal the Best in Johnnies
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, St. John’s has moved our spring semester classes online and asked our students to study remotely from their homes. This is an extraordinary challenge. St. John’s is founded upon the notion that face-to-face conversation is the best way to understand the world. In our 21-person-or-fewer classes, students…
Should I apply early decision?
For the first time, St. John’s is offering three ways to apply for fall 2020: Early Decision by November 1 Early Action by November 15 Regular Decision by January 15 What on earth is the difference? Both Early Action and Regular Decision are the “normal” ways to apply. You submit the application by the deadline,…
Whoa! Did St. John’s just lower tuition?
Yes, we did. This is no ordinary fall at St. John’s. Earlier in September, the college made a big announcement: we lowered tuition from $52,734 to just $35,000. $35,000. Why did we do it? Principally because $52,734 is too much for most families. In the past, St. John’s gave generous merit and need-based scholarships to…
Student Protests and Admission
At St. John’s, we read revolutionary books. From Socrates to Hamilton, the great thinkers in our curriculum challenged their societies to address the serious social problems of the day. Students who peacefully protest follow in this tradition. St. John’s Admissions does not penalize any applicant who peacefully protests, even if the student is disciplined by…
Regular Decision!
On Friday, over 300 students got great news: they are admitted to St. John’s! When combined with the other admitted students who applied early action, these potential future Johnnies are pretty stellar. They come from 49 countries including Afghanistan, China, Ghana, Greece, Mauritius, Mongolia, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. They attend over 500 different…
We’re rolling!
Unlike many other colleges, St. John’s doesn’t have a “regular” time to apply. Most Johnnies submit applications in one of our two non-binding early action rounds on November 15th or January 15th, and those students already have admission decisions. Congrats to our recently admitted students! Starting February 15th, we began our “rolling” process. Submit your…
The first Johnnies of the Class of 2021 are here!
On December 15th the Admissions Office released decisions for those who applied Early Action I. We set a record with 235 potential Johnnies getting the magic letter, and they have until May 1st to make their decision. Who did we admit? Here are the (impressive) stats: 17% international (with students from Australia, Canada, China, Dominican…
Introducing the Class of 2020
Who makes a good Johnnie? I’ll let the Class of 2020 speak for itself. Check them out: http://www.sjc.edu/admissions-and-aid/undergraduate/apply/freshman-class-profile The 250 new Johnnies in the freshman class come from 28 countries (from Australia to Zambia, China, Mexico, Finland, and beyond) and 34 states (from California to Maine and nearly everywhere in between). They were at the top of their…
The most unusual college in America?
St. John’s was just voted among the most unusual colleges in the country. What makes St. John’s so different? Here’s my short (incomplete) list: You get to major in everything. There are no lectures. Every class is a discussion with 20 students or fewer. While you get grades, most Johnnies don’t know or care. No one competes…
The Chalkboard 