I’m currently a high school junior beginning to look into colleges.
I went to both an alternative middle and high school, both deemed alternative because of their small sizes, close relationships with teachers, structure around critical thinking, having choice and voice in learning, and emphasis on experiential education.
I came upon St. John’s when reading an artical about alternative colleges. I have loved and thrived at my alternative schools and wanted to find something similar after I graduated.
St. John’s is appealing to me in that they take a different approach to education. I have loved everything I have read about it so far, but I do have a couple of concerns.
As of right now, I want to become a high school English teacher. I believe St John’s would be phenomenal about teaching me how to discuss text, lead seminars, analyze books, etc. I WANT to base my teaching around the philosophies of St John’s, every amazing english teacher I’ve ever had does that in some sort of way. However, I’m concerned with the practicality of the degree I will earn, and what extra steps I will have to take to become a teacher that I could have avoided had I gone to a regular college. Four years is already very expensive, but having to do another two just to become a teacher worries me. Will I be able to use my 4 year degree to get a job as an English teacher, or will I have to persue even more schooling after this?
Secondly, I could find very little information on GPA, SAT scores etc. I imagine schools like this place less emphasis on test scores and numbers, but I would still like to have an idea of how difficult it is to get into and where I stand on the possibility of being accepted.
Lastly, I play the violin and would like to continue playing in an orchestra. Does SJC have an orchestra and how is it?
I would also love to hear the experiences of anyone else who has attended! Feel free to add anything you would like, thank you!
Go visit. It is an unusual and lovely place. They told us in the info session that the essays are very important for admission. You sound like a good fit so a visit would really help you address concerns and answer questions.
I would bet that large numbers of St John’s grads do become teachers, and that they tend to be good ones.
You could probably teach at a private school with just a St. John’s degree. Public schools will typically require both a bachelor’s degree and a state license or certification. St. John’s can provide the degree, but will not have a specialized pre-professional education program designed to meet licensing and certification requirements. Licensing requirements vary by state, but you would most likely need a post-graduate certification or master’s degree that is specifically designed to meet the requirements of the state where you want to teach.
Note that St. John’s is not unusual in this regard. Many top colleges and universities have no pre-professional education programs at the undergraduate level. So it’s true that St. John’s does not offer the most direct route to a professional career as a teacher – but the same could be said of many other elite schools.
Some liberal arts colleges (particularly women’s colleges or former women’s colleges) do have an “educational studies” major that leads to both a degree and state certification. But many others do not. Similarly, some universities have undergraduate education majors, but others only handle teacher certification at the post-graduate level, through a graduate school of education.
Hey there! I was recently accepted Early Action for class of 2022. I also have visited two times, one for a tour and one for a week-long summer academy. You already sound like you might be a good fit for St. Johns if you love learning so much. SJC gave me a hefty scholarship and quite a bit of financial aid, so at this point it would actually be cheaper than me attending a more local UC with in-state tuition.
As for test scores, and admissions information: The Early Action acceptance rate was 82% (for class of 2022), and the average admitted student’s ACT was 30.
The regular decision acceptance rate for last year (class of 2021) was 25%. I highly recommend visiting the summer academy if at all possible. It gave me the best glimpse into student life possible
I believe that as Corbett said, almost no matter where you go, SJC or otherwise, you will probably have to receive a secondary license to teach.
On the orchestra note- the school has a deep music tradition. Music classes are required courses for everyone. Here is a link to the website on the Music dept. (note that classes are sometimes referred to as tutorials)
https://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate/music-tutorial
It is also worth noting that any opportunities, especially for the arts, that SJC doesn’t offer can likely easily be found in the Annapolis area. Annapolis is a charming and artsy town.
the admissions and current students are more than happy to talk to you and will answer any questions you may have. You just have to fill out the requesting more information! Here is the link
https://admissions.sjc.edu/register/undergraduate-inquiry
Best of luck and let me know if I can answer any more questions!