<p>Above is the link to Salvatore Scibona's piece on St. John's U, in the New Yorker last week. I had to post it-- so many here have bright students whose grades don't show it. I don't know St. John's personally but there are two-- one in NM and one in...Maryland? I've known students who loved it. Even if you're not interested this is a pretty wonderful piece about the life of a teenage boy who isn't exactly with the program-- and who seems to have turned out pretty well!</p>
<p>My nephew will be a senior at St. Johns next year. I am curious about what he’s going to do with his education. He was a bright slacker in high school.</p>
<p>When we come across a St. John’s grad here in Maryland, a common reaction is intrigue. Something along the lines of, “oh, cool. Let’s give this resume a closer look.” </p>
<p>To locals, the college has a fine reputation as a place for deep learning. The description, “easy to get into, but hard to graduate from” has value here.</p>
<p>I am a lawyer at a large law firm and have a role in hiring. I absolutely would take notice of a resume from a St. John’s grad and pull it out of the pile. The ability to read, write, speak and think clearly, as opposed to the volume of information that has been stuffed into one’s head, is what sets people part over the long term. A St. John’s education may seem impractical, and I suppose it is in the short term in terms of being able to get a job requiring a specific skill set, but over the long term I think it is invaluable both in terms of work and life. I know a number of St. John’s grads who are very successful in careers that they learned nothing about at St. John’s, e.g., investment banking, medicine, and it’s because they are just better thinkers than most people.</p>