<p>well...before i ask my questions...i should explain my situation...i'm 20yrs old and i did rather miserably in high school so i took a year off and i am now in my first year of community college. i came across St. johns and absolutely fell in love w/the idea of the program...now..on to my questions
1. i can't apply for fall '06 (family/financial reasons) so i would have to do another year at my CC...which means by the time i entered st johns i would be 22yrs old...i was wondering if this was entirely uncommon and if being so much older will negatively impact my experience?
2. what is the financial aid like? i'm going to be able to save a decent amount of money on my own, but i will have very little in the way of contributions from my family.
3. if i do 2yrs at CC i would be a junior if i transfered anywhere other than St. johns, but at sjc i will be a freshman...how is this going to effect my eligibility for pell grants/stafford loans etc? meaning, i already have a stafford loan for my freshman year (this year) so am i going to be able to get another one when i'm a freshman again at sjc?
4.do people take the program seriously? meaning...do people actually WANT to be there reading the books? are they passionate about the ideas?</p>
<p>sorry if it's a bit...long winded...but it's late and i'm a bit tired :) thanks in advance for any responses.</p>
<p>I don't know too much about the aid packages, or how your previous school will affect St. John's and your aid opportunities.</p>
<p>I am 22 and I am applying to St. Johns. I enlisted in the military, and now plan on attending college. With the Iraq and Afghanistan messes, I'm sure there are a lot of older students. Further, the webpage (sjcsf.edu) can give you statistics on the percentage of students that have prior college experience.</p>
<p>I love the curriculum too. The schools prohibitive cost and lack of different degrees shows that everyone is attending for the same reasons. The admittance rate is high due to the fact that a peculiar type of person would do well at St. Johns.</p>
<p>hey, thanks for the reply. are you planning on applying for fall '06? i checked out the admit statistics, and they do seem to have quite a range of ages, which is reassuring. my biggest worry is definetly the cost though...it's the only private, non-state university that i plan on applying to...or would pay nearly 40,000 a year to attend. if you're applying for fall '06, have you started the essays?</p>
<p>Yup. I am done with my application and essays. My two recommendations have also been submitted (one teacher, one military leader). I have no idea how I'm going to pay for it, but I'll figure that out when it comes. I suggest getting your ass in gear on the application, so you can focus more on the financial problems. FAFSA and the collegeboard.com profile are where I'm at.</p>
<p>haha, i'm not applying for next fall. i'm going to do one more year at community college. yea, i've decided if i get in when i apply i will find a way to pay for it lol. what book did you talk about? i was thinking about doing the republic or a book i read at school about dialogue...it's still a year off for me, but i'm already thinking about it lol.</p>
<p>I visited the college in August, and everyone that I talked to had already been in school. One at Northwestern, one at Harvard, one at Skidmore. These students were January freshman, so that's why most had been to college. They transferred at semester.</p>
<p>I am sure that the school will welcome you; you sound very determined and ready for the Program. There are many older people on campus. Most of those I talked to were about 20-24 years old, and they were freshmen. Don't let it hold you back. I hope everything works out for you!</p>
<p>hey, thanks much for the response. it helps out alot. are you planning on applying for fall '06? or at this point have you already been accepted? what were your impressions of the campus after your visit? i live closer to annapolis, but i'm kind of interested in getting away from the east coast for awhile.</p>
<p>I will be attending fall of 06. I was too excited to wait, so I applied in November.</p>