Every college has its upsides and downsides—but it all depends on what you are seeking from your college experience. St. John’s, being so unique, however, is sometimes hard to assess for all the (many) upsides, so I wanted to dispel some rumors that aren’t even true! Are we a religious college? Despite the name, no!…
Tag: books
One major? No majors? No, a universal major
Most prospective college students, as well as their parents and friends – most of my readers, I’d venture to say – start their investigation of different colleges on websites like Niche or College Board. On these websites, searchers filter colleges by major to help them find the right college for them. This, of course, presents…
Jacob Klein’s Statement on Liberal Arts
By Travis Skabo, Admissions Student Worker Every Friday during lunch, several St. John’s students gather in a small room just off the main dining hall for a lunchtime conversation with Dean Davis. These conversations are always based off a section of a text that is being read in class that week, or a short text…
Black History Month at St. John’s
Happy Black History Month! St. John’s College is inextricably intertwined with the history of the United States, being involved in such events as the Revolutionary War, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the writing of the national anthem, and the history of Black American community and culture. St. John’s has a notable history with…
The Mighty Pen: Writing Papers at St. John’s
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,…
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…
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…
Mr Venkatesh’s Top Ten Tips on Preceptorial Papers
Recently, Santa Fe tutor Krishnan Venkatesh sent out some advice to his students on writing St. John’s essays, specifically preceptorial papers, but the advice he gave was relevant to just about any essay written during the course of a St. John’s education. The text of what he sent out was as follows: Some Thoughts on…
Our Favorite College Ghost Stories
I’m Petra Schaaf-Grisham, the newest admissions counselor at St. John’s and a member of the Class of 2021. Through extensive research, my friend Ives Williams and I created a ghost tour of the Annapolis campus of St. John’s College. For my first blog post, on Halloween itself, I want to introduce you to some of the scariest parts…
The Chalkboard 