Am I idealizing this school?

Colleges and Universities A-Z St. John's College - Maryland
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<p>So i found out about st johns in the beginning of my junior year and fell in love. I visted last april and was accepted to the class of '12 :)</p>

<p>But now I'm scared that i've idealized it in my mind... i'm nervous about befirending people and fitting in. </p>

<p>Is there an "in" to fit in?
Are there people who don't drink or dug?<br>
I remember someone telling me while i prospied that every conversation was about sex--- true? </p>

<p>I've also seen conflicting information about the arts there- there is photography, there isn't ? whats the deal with photography, art, vocal music , choirs, etc?</p>

<p>Am i stupid for being nervous?</p>

<p>How were you able to decide? I only got the option to choose classes this year. Before i was a senior i chose ONE class in my life... I love the program though... is giving up on learning Arabic at college and stuff as worth it as i imagine- or will i regret it later?</p>

<p>Do most people own laptops?
If I want a double or a triple can i have one? </p>

<p>What are weekends like?</p>

<p>Thanks so much,... I just really want to hear from someone because I;'m scared that I've creating this amazing amazing school in my head and that it isn't the way that i picture it...</p>

<p>THANKS!</p>

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<p>Hey, I am in the Class of 2010 in Annapolis, but I prospied twice in Fe (plus have friends there), and so I have some experience there too. I'll try to answer your questions as best as I can. </p>

<p>Is there an "in" to fit in?
Honestly, there are people of all sorts on campus. I know there are people who I would normally classify as jockish/cheerleader material, nerds, hipsters, artsy-types, etc. Really, we attract a wide cross-section of students, but what makes it different from high school or somewhere else is that we were all brought here by a common love of learning, books, and the program. In that regard, I have found very few people who are not personable (those who I did generally didn't make it very far into their 4 years) or willing to help others on homework, etc. I am a fairly reserved person and spend an inordinate amount of time in my room or in the library, but I have never had a hard time feeling like I fit in with those around me or at least found some commonality with people. I hope that helps you or makes you feel better. </p>

<p>Are there people who don't drink or dug? Yes, there are quite a few, and not all of those people are incredibly conservative. I consider myself a pretty liberal person, but I do not drink, partake in drugs, or smoke. I have never felt pressured by the people around me to do those things, they respect my boundaries and me as a person. Yes, alcohol plays a significant role in some traditions (Reality) but that doesn't mean you have to drink. I've gone to Reality parties and I'd say the bulk of people were either casually drinking or not drinking at all. So, I don't think you'd have a hard time in that regard.</p>

<p>I remember someone telling me while i prospied that every conversation was about sex--- true?
Hell no. I've had less than a dozen conversations with my fellow students about sex since I came here two years ago. Yes, there are some nymphomaniacs, but you are going to find those everywhere. Don't worry about it. </p>

<p>I've also seen conflicting information about the arts there- there is photography, there isn't ? whats the deal with photography, art, vocal music , choirs, etc?
There is a darkroom in both Fe and Annapolis. There are continuing education classes offered in Annapolis (don't know about Fe) where you can take an arts class once a week, free, and you can pick from a bunch of different topics. We have art studios, a pottery room, etc. So, if you want to do art, we have the facilities.
In terms of music, there is mandatory freshman chorus for both campuses (in addition to the music tutorial in sophmore year) and it is actually pretty awesome. We also have a couple of smaller ensembles including the St. John's Chorus (last year they did selections from Bach's St. Matthew Passion, this year is Mozart's Requiem), Primum Mobile (small select chamber group), Madrigal Choir, and I am sure there are a couple more that I am forgetting. In addition, we have a small chamber orchestra and several smaller chamber groups that combine faculty and students. Basically, if you want to do something, chances are you'll find someone else who wants to do it too, and funding for clubs or study groups is pretty easy to get.</p>

<p>Am i stupid for being nervous? NO. I was nervous as hell. St. John's was not my first choice school. I hated Fe, and I took a risk and went to Annapolis. I didn't know if I was going to stay with it, I was scared I was going to want a traditional education and get to pick a major and things like that....but in the end, it didn't matter. It took me a while to settle in, but I've really come to love the place. You won't be as nervous once you get here, I promise. </p>

<p>How were you able to decide? I only got the option to choose classes this year. Before i was a senior i chose ONE class in my life... I love the program though... is giving up on learning Arabic at college and stuff as worth it as i imagine- or will i regret it later?
It is definitely a trade-off to some degree. I made the decision to apply in the first place because I know my learning style, I know I need small classes where my voice matters, and I like to come up with things on my own, I don't like people telling me what and how to think. I couldn't imagine sitting in a big lecture hall as an anonymous spectator. I had to give up studying some things I really wanted to pursue, but I still find time to read things on my own, and I've participated in a couple of study groups that help with that.
If you want to still take Arabic, I am sure someone else will do it with you. That isn't supposed to sound trite, because I really do mean it. I know I made the best choice for me because I fear that I would have drowned anywhere else, and so yeah, I've given some things up, but in the end, its worth it. I've been able to intellectually grow and mature here in a way I don't think I could have anywhere else. I don't know if other students feel the same way, but I have never heard someone say, "oh, if only I could have taken anthropology" or something akin to that.
In terms of choice, its one of those things you learn to accept, and I think it takes some of the pressure off. I look at my boyfriend (who goes to a different school) and he stresses out about class selection or picking a major all the time....but I don't, and that's nice. You do get some selection, as you get to pick your preceptorials in your junior and senior year, but really, it isn't nearly as bad as you would expect, in some ways, it feels much more liberating. </p>

<p>Do most people own laptops? Most do, yes. But its not a requirement, especially since you cannot bring them to class. Some people have desktops, others just use the computer labs. What type computer you have isn't really an issue, as long as you have something you can type up papers on. </p>

<p>If I want a double or a triple can i have one? Yes. Although in Annapolis, we are in a housing shortage at the moment, so while all freshman are guaranteed housing, you are most definitely not going to get a single. A double or triple is much more likely, but as things settle in the fall, there is some mobility in terms of rooms. </p>

<p>What are weekends like? Weekends are pretty laid back. On Fridays all classes are out at 3:30 and then we have lecture at 8:15. It is highly suggested you go to lecture, but not everyone does....I go when it sounds interesting/appealing. After that, people hang out on the quad or in the coffeeshop, sometimes go watch movies, etc. Saturdays and Sundays are pretty relaxing, not much goes on during the days, people work on homework, relax, go downtown or to the mall. Sometimes there will be special school shuttles to DC or a trip that you can sign up for, but mostly its just decompressing and homework. Saturday nights almost always have something going on, whether its a film society event, waltz party, or reality party. If you don't choose to do those things, there are always groups of friends hanging out with one another and doing their own thing. It is very unstructured, which is nice in a lot of ways.</p>

<p>I hope this helps you a little bit. Feel free to ask more questions if you want or send me a PM, and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.</p>

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<p>Thanks a million for your help.</p>

<p>I did it.</p>

<p>I'm enrolled :)</p>

<p>YAYYYYYYYY</p>

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<p>Class of 2012? Congratulations! See you in the fall!</p>

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<p>yup. :)</p>

<p>i'm excited...</p>

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<p>I just got into the Santa Fe Campus, '12. </p>

<p>Got some questions for you, Eamon...</p>

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<p>harrison... i'd love it if you'd ask them out here just in case they're ones i haven't thought of...</p>

<p>gosh i'm soo excited</p>

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<p>What is the athletic community like at Saint John's? I'm an avid baseball player, and I'd like to continue playing in any league possible. I also rock-climb, run, and lift in my spare time, and I would prefer not to give up any of these endeavors. I'm not sure how active the average Johnnie is when it comes to athletics, but any input on your part would be very helpful. I like to stay well-rounded, if I can, and becoming round isn't a part of that.</p>

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<p>Harrison--I just responded to your PM. I'll summarize it here for those interested. In Annapolis, sports seem to augment people's lives, but they aren't the be-all-and-end-all. So, a lot of people play sports, but its mostly for fun and its never very competitive. I think the same applies to Santa Fe, but Fe is known more for their outdoors tendencies. I know they have skiing trips, rock climbing, search and rescue, etc. they also have much nicer facilities (in my opinion). If you're more into outdoors activities, Fe is the better option. I don't know if you'll find something like baseball though, you'd have to look for organizations in town.</p>

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<p>would you guys mind answering some of my questions on st. johns, i really don't think its necessary to start a new thread?</p>

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<p>raiderfan-- I'm an accepted student class of 2013...I can try to answer your questions.</p>

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<p>cool thanks... </p>

<p>What do you feel the Great Books program/St. John's College has offered you that a "normal" college or university education wouldn't have?
Many of my Peers, have tried to discourage my plans of applying to St. Johns by calling it a "fake college" and a "book club", what would your response to that be?
I enjoy talking about Books and School to anyone who wants to, but is that as far as conversation goes at St. johns?
As a minority, would i feel left out on the campus of St. John's? is there any racial tension?
How's the food on the campus?
What is there to do in Annapolis, other than activities on campus?
Is it hard to adjust to the Great Books program?
How does the scheduling of classes work?
Is there any Crime on campus?
I'm not sure if you may know this, but what Grad schools have students from St. Johns been admitted to?
Were you nervous or hesitant about the decision to goto St. Johns?
Are the people there generally good-looking?
girls?</p>

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<p>I'll field some questions. I am currently a junior in Annapolis.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>For me, I love that I don't read secondary sources. One of the things I hated most about high school and lectures I had attended is teachers or speakers would explain things to me instead of letting me figure things out on my own. Case in point: I recently decided to listen to a book I did a close reading of in my preceptorial. The book was one of the hardest things I have ever had to read. I couldn't figure out what was going on sometimes, and so I would have to go back and take the time to make it make sense. It ended up being one of the most rewarding reading experiences I've had. I then listened to the lecture thinking that it might bring some new insight (it was delivered by a professor at a big-name university) and it was essentially a summary of the book. He told the students it was a hard book and didn't expect them to get all of it, and so he summarized it for them. That, to me, is unacceptable. I like to engage the texts on my own and work through hard things and come up with my own ideas. Not listen to someone else summarize or tell me what to think. This hasn't just happened in my own reading of books, but it happens every day in class....be it working through Newton's Principia or Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. I have found my ability to read and think has been enriched in a way I never thought possible, and in a way I don't think is possible anywhere else. That said, it isn't easy. </p></li>
<li><p>They need to shut up because they don't know what they are talking about. Yes, the acceptance rate is high, but the attrition rate is low. You learn to work here. And you work all the time. If it was just a "book club" or a "fake college" then we wouldn't have one of the highest percentage of students going on to graduate school or have government organizations actively recruit our students. Yes people love books and yes we don't have the typical majors, but you still get an education. And its a really good one at that. </p></li>
<li><p>Not always. My social circle spends an inordinate amount of time talking about school-related things, but I hang out with a group of people ranging from freshmen to seniors and so we do end up helping people or giving advice or talking out paper ideas. That said, a lot of people have very active extra-curricular and social lives, and so those things always provide conversation material. People are always hanging out on the quad or in the coffeeshop talking about everything and anything. There's never a shortage of conversation material.</p></li>
<li><p>There aren't a lot of minorities. I'll be the first to say that. But there has been a significant increase in minorities since my freshman year. There are several on-campus study groups to help increase awareness of minority writers throughout history (African-American Political Thought, Women Writers, Eastern Classics, etc.). So, it is something that is changing. I've never heard or seen any racial tension in my 2 1/2 years. </p></li>
<li><p>Food? It is pretty bad. I won't lie. It is (mostly) edible. You get used to it. And its on par with things I've had at other dorms at different colleges. I don't think the bad food is unique to St. John's. </p></li>
<li><p>Annapolis is not the world's most exciting town. There is a lot of typical stuff: mall, movie theater, etc. I don't go off campus that frequently, but when I do, I'll go downtown for dinner with friends or take a shuttle into DC and spend the day. I am from a big metropolitan area, so I do find Annapolis lacking, but not in a way that makes it unbearable. </p></li>
<li><p>No. There were some minor adjustments (for instance, how the hell do you write a math paper?) but other than for that, by a couple of weeks in, you'll be fine. </p></li>
<li><p>All classes are set for you. As a freshman, you'd have Freshman Language(3/week), Math (3/week), Laboratory (2/week), Chorus (1/week), and Seminar (2/week). Language and Math are in 70 minute blocks, Lab in 140, Chorus varies, and Seminar 2 hours. Classes run between 9-11:30, 1-3:30, and 8-10 (seminar only). You receive your class schedule when you come to orientation. You don't pick your classes or times. </p></li>
<li><p>Crime. There have been a couple of muggings in the blocks around campus, but nothing on campus that I can remember. Here's the link to last year's crime report: St</a>. John’s College | Administration | Annapolis | Office of Public Safety </p></li>
<li><p>grad school. On the Career Services webpage they link to a brochure called "What Do They Do?" (St</a>. John’s College | Administration | Annapolis | Career Services) its excellent and shows a lot. </p></li>
<li><p>Yes. I wanted to choose my own major. I was worried I would be too introspective and that I wouldn't feel comfortable talking in classes. The major thing is just something you live with. The being too quiet thing was something that's taken me a long time to get over. That's mostly a personal thing, but its common. Now that I am here, I am happy and wouldn't have it any other way.</p></li>
<li><p>If you're looking for cheerleader-types then it isn't the place for you aesthetically-speaking. I wouldn't say that the campus is terribly one way or another. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Hopefully that helps. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.</p>

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<p>Sorry I never check this thing haha but yeah I think eamon answered your questions a lot better than I could. Good luck with your application, if you decide to apply!</p>

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<p>Like eamon, I'm a current Johnnie (freshman, in my case), and he answered your questions really well, but I thought that I'd chime in and offer my own thoughts. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>I also love that we don't read secondary sources. I feel like I'm learning so much from my peers about how to approach a text and enriching my ability to think critically. Because the Program moves (basically) chronologically, there's also this feeling of snowballing, of gathering more and more information about the world and the way people have thought as you move on. And I'm only a freshman!</p></li>
<li><p>Our acceptance rate is really high, because plenty of people hear about the school and have zero interest in coming here. And that's fine. St John's isn't for everyone.
It's a lot of work. It's a lot of time. I think it's wonderful, but I recognize that plenty of bright thinkers that I know from home simply wouldn't thrive in this environment for whatever reason. You have to know yourself a little first.
But if you think you'd do well, then you just might.</p></li>
<li><p>My social circle tends to slip into the Program when we least expect it. 11 PM. Dinner. Sunday afternoons. It comes up all the time, but at the same time, it's hardly the ONLY thing we talk about. You'll find friends who want to talk about it roughly the same amount that you do.... And there's all kinds of people. </p></li>
<li><p>Actually, Annapolis can be pretty darn boring, and I come from a suburb... but I don't mind. Sure, there are rare days I wish for something really exciting, but mostly- my friends and I manage really happily with what we've got. I did two hours of seminar reading a few days ago just sitting by the dock downtown, watching the boats and the ducks intermixed with Aristotle...... and I loved every minute (at least until I realized that I couldn't feel my fingers :) )</p></li>
<li><p>Something that the school does when they assign you your classes is they also create core groups, clusters of two-five students who share every class. That way, there's always someone to run to when you forget an assignment, or a deadline.... Although every class is working off the same Program, there are slight differences in, say, what Euclid proposition or chapter in Greek they might be up to. </p></li>
<li><p>I was really nervous about committing to SJC. Heck, I started this thread.
But for me: I know that I made the right choice.
It came down to trusting myself... and I opted to go for it.
Yeah, I'm not taking a random assortment of classes, but I'm learning so much.<br>
There's always reading on your own, or taking classes some other time....
I think everyone here has just this life-long passion to learn whatever they can, and everyone's here because right now, they want to learn this. </p></li>
<li><p>I'm female, so maybe my opinion doesn't count, but I know that I look around at my friends and I see beautiful women....</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Hopefully this helps as well. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.</p>

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<p>^ sounds good, I am pretty sure I will be at the Santa Fe campus next year, got my financial aid package and all that nifty stuff.</p>