Interviews are a chance to get to know the human side of your application. We read hundreds of essays, transcripts, and letters of recommendation throughout the year. These materials can tell us in a lot in terms of each student’s academic achievement thus far, but we know that’s not the whole picture. Sometimes the individual…
Category: Applying to St. John’s College
It’s a Tim Tam Slam Kind of Afternoon!
It is 3:15pm on January 8th in the admissions office of St. John’s College, Santa Fe, NM. Things are rolling with our graduate and undergraduate spring cohorts! Emails, phone calls and meetings, oh, my! We gather for a quick break in our director’s office for what she has described as a Tim Tam Slam. What…
The Art of the Wax Seal
Admissions Counselors develop many skills: active listening, interpersonal communication, counseling, problem solving, navigating travel reward programs, and so on. At St. John’s, there is one additional skill that all staff must perfect—the art of wax sealing. Wait, what is that?! You read correctly, every admissions counselor in our office must learn how to use a…
An Accelerated Option – Become a January Freshman
Are you enrolled somewhere and you find yourself wondering if anyone else cares about what’s being studied? Do you find textbooks boring? Can you imagine yourself surrounded by other people who actually want to learn? Does your mind drift toward the WHY of things? Perhaps you feel like you finally figured out what you want…
Reading Season in Admissions
Yesterday, the early action deadline came and went. Now, your admissions counselors have officially entered into reading season! The emailing, calling, traveling, and visiting we do throughout the year all leads up to this moment, when we see your applications in our admissions bin. For us, there is a wave of excitement. It is finally…
Why attend St. John’s? Top 9 Reasons
On behalf of Eric Poppele St. John’s tutor, Santa Fe The faculty of St. John’s College are not called professors. The job of a professor is to profess, that is, to tell what they know. We don’t lecture here. As tutors our job is to elicit thoughtfulness and inquiry. We ask questions not because we…
What it is like to “go back”
This past week I went back to high school. OK, I didn’t really go back to high school…I went back to visit the college counseling center at the same high school I attended: Fairfield High School in Fairfield, CT. The name has since changed to Fairfield Warde High School, but the spirit and essence of…
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…
The Importance of the Letter of Recommendation
I can’t believe it’s already nearing the end of October! At St. John’s, we’re winding down our travel season and setting our sights on beginning our application review for the year. Hopefully you have all been busy thinking and writing about some good books for your supplemental essays (which we’re all excited to read), have started…
The Importance of an Interview
At St. John’s, an interview is optional—but if you’re able to take the time for it, it’s an option well worth taking. If you visit campus, you can always add an interview to your visit, and if you’re not able to visit, you can always interview by Skype or even by phone. An interview only…
The Chalkboard 