<p>First things first, thank you for reading all of this! It means a lot!</p>
<pre><code> I am currently a senior at a top performing mens only Catholic high school in Kentucky. I took a college visit trip to New York and attended open house today at St. John's University and will be attending Fordham University's open house tomorrow. I have a 3.55 GPA and a 28 on the ACT. I am in the highest level classes offered at my high school and am in some AP courses. I am also ranked 94 out of 314 students (unweighted).
After visiting St. John's today and learning about the numerous 5 year academic programs in sciences and touring the campus I really am happy with the university. I am not an extremely religious person, but I do like being in an environment where it is supported. Therefore, attending a Catholic college is important to me. I just don't understand why so many people seem to trash the school. The average ACT is a 25, (what most school's averages are in Kentucky: University of Louisville, University of Kentucky). Only 31% of students live on campus. However I don't mind it because all of the dorms are located in one village, so students are gathered together in one area. Also, the dorms are fairly new and are extremely nice. Plus, dorms are in suite format with 4-8 people so you have a small group of students to first get accompanied with.
Now onto the stuff that really matters, academics. 92% of faculty have a doctoral degree. I will be majoring in Biology/Pre med. The science and pharmacy building recently underwent a 20 million dollar renovation. They also built a new building, D'Angelo Center, in 2009 where students can gather to socialize, study, etc. It is 127,000 square ft and has a full service cafeteria, 14 state of the art classrooms, student gathering areas, and 6 seminar rooms. The Honors program offered is also extremely competitive, only 10% of admitted students are offered the option to enroll in the program. The average ACT of the program is a 30. Their Pharmacy program is one of the best in the nation. They have no large lecture hall style classes; the average class size is 24 students, and 40% of classes have fewer than 20 students. I really need the smaller class sizes and closer relationship with teachers. Also, 89% of students have a salary job or are accepted into a graduate program within 6 months of graduation.
I know that St. John's University isn't Cornell or Columbia, but for me it seems like a solid school that offers an excellent education focused in the Catholic faith and community service. I just don't understand why so many people bashed the school when I originally asked about it on here a few months ago. Does St. John's really have that bad of a reputation throughout New York?
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