<p>Hi, I'm currently a high school junior, and recently I discovered St. John's College when browsing for schools. It seems like the perfect choice for me; I consider myself a disciple of the classical philosopher and my favorite subjects are, unsurprisingly, physics and philosophy. However, I do have some concerns.</p>
<p>First, I have a long-term illness that has been plaguing me for the last seven months. Basically, it's constant migraine headaches and debilitating dizziness. It is very unusual, not even the doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital could diagnose me. It has limited my abilities, for example, I am unable to watch videos of any kind (TV, movies, etc), cannot play computer games, cannot drive, but most importantly, I have trouble reading. My teachers assist me by giving me time extensions for assignments and let me listen to audio books instead of reading. But I know that reading is an essential part of the St. John's education, so I am wondering if such accomodations are available at St. Johns?</p>
<p>Also, I think that the seminars and tutorials are a great idea (I despise lectures), but I am a bit worried about math and science at St. John's. I may want to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics or physics in the future, and I am not sure if the St. John's curriculum can fulfill undergraduate requirements for such a degree. I know that it covers topics such as advanced geometry, calculus, and mathematical theory, but what about differential equations, linear algebra, etc?</p>
<p>Please answer my questions, and thanks in advance!</p>
<p>This is actually quite amusing for me, because well....I am a Johnnie in my second year and I've also had vision/reading problems that couldn't be diagnosed at Johns Hopkins. While our problems seem a bit different, feel free to send me a PM and I'll explain a little bit more about my individual circumstance and how the administration handled/is handling it. </p>
<p>To be frank, a lot of the books we read don't have audiobook equivalents, and for math in particular, the books heavily depend on being able to look at diagrams (i.e. Euclid, Apollonius, Ptolemy). So, in that regard it will be difficult for you. In addition, the amount of reading varies widely. For instance, in the beginning of the semester, I had to cover the Divine Comedy in 3 weeks....that amounted to a couple hundred pages of reading every 3-4 days, but then after that was done, I only had to read 30-40 pages for seminar. Another problem that might arise for you is that you have to be prepared for every single class, so if you are having an "off" day and are hurting, you won't be able to make it up, you'll just have to go with the flow, because the class won't stop for you. </p>
<p>In terms of the mathematics and physics PhDs, I know several people who are exploring advance degrees in math, and they are facing zero problems. I'd have to ask them specifically if there have to take additional classes elsewhere to fulfill requirements, but my impression is that they don't. We do not cover algebra, but I believe that differential equations are covered in junior year mathematics.</p>