In middle or high school, many, perhaps most, students are taught a formula for essay writing. I, for example, was taught that an essay should always have, in this order, an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and then a conclusion. You must, I was told, outline your argument in the introduction, give three supporting points,…
Category: St. John’s College
The Balance and the Book: Laboratory and Natural Sciences at St. John’s
The lab program at St. John’s is one of a kind. All students study the sciences (including physics, astronomy, biology, chemistry, and more) as part of our one, interdisciplinary major. There is no separate science building which marks sciences apart from the humanities — although we do have separate lab classrooms, equipped with fixings like…
Why so contrarian?
St. John’s College takes great pride in having been described by the New York Times as “the most contrarian college in America.” But it’s a tricky, sticky word, “contrarian.” It carries all sorts of different connotations, depending on the reader, so it may be hard to discern what exactly it is that St. John’s is…
St. John’s: Not Just for Introverts
It takes all kinds to make the world go around! St. John’s thrives on this balance in our close community and small classes. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, the college can be a paradise. An important part of the college experience is defining your own identity. No longer are you defined solely by…
Beating Homesickness at College
Freshman year is a time of substantial changes for everyone, no matter where they come from. You can’t help but be changed by it. You’ve been plucked from the life you know and thrust firmly into the newly adult college world, poised in front of a lot of lessons to learn. As an alum of…
Why Choose a Small College?
Choosing a college is a complicated decision, made up of a lot of factors, and one of the things that every college-bound student should consider is the size of college they want. Going to a small college is a unique experience. It might not be what media and popular ideas would make you think of…
The Shorthand of Emotion: Music at St. John’s College
In the beginning, there were drums. Then, there were the chants sung in medieval abbeys, and then, harmony, and the great composers of the 18th and 19th centuries. As St. John’s students, we discover all of that in our music program. The first song we learn, in our freshman chorus, is often medieval. The first…
Party Like It’s 1696: St. John’s Waltzes
Waltz parties are a beloved tradition at St. John’s College. These parties may seem like a relic of another time, but the music, laughter, and (admittedly) eccentric creativity they inspire brings them squarely to the present. Formal, fancy, or themed dress is most always the order of the day. Suits and full-skirted dresses along with…
When Is A Chair Not (Just) A Chair?
Think of a chair. Any chair will do, perhaps the one you’re sitting in now. Think about its shape, what it’s used for, where it’s placed. Does this bring up any memories, any emotions?For many, a Johnnie Chair certainly would. More than a campus-classic piece of furniture, this classic chair has become, in the eyes…
Tau Day: Could Pi Be Wrong?
Consider the circle. It is charming, deceptive, in its appearance of simplicity. The idea of the heavens as defined by circles, the so-called “heavenly spheres”, goes back to such cornerstones of the St. John’s curriculum as Plato, Ptolemy, and Copernicus.But what is a circle, really? Mathematicians have, since Euclid, sought to define this shape in…
The Chalkboard 