I'm an entering senior at a private christian school in San Diego. I have a 3.7-3.8ish GPA and have taken, for the most part, the most challenging classes that my school offers. I'm on the national honors society and the academic league. I've organized a recycling program at my school. I've been interning for congressman Bob Filner for the last year. I have gone with my church on several occasions to visit orphanages and build houses in Mexico and Jamaica. I'm heavily involved in the local san diego music scene. I'm a singer-songwriter (I play guitar, steel guitar, accordian, drums, etc.) I've released 3 albums and have been nominated for 3 san diego music awards. I've won awards for my songwriting and have worked together with Taylor guitars to fund music programs in elementary schools, and have performed at political rallies and fund-raisers. I got a 640 on my literature SAT ll and a 730 on my US history. I'm still waiting for my SAT l score (I'm really happy that St. John's disregards SAT scores!). Not to play the sympathy card, but both of my parents passed away my freshman year, so I have a compelling story. I'm planning on doing an interview/overnight in a couple of weeks. Any pertainant information would be greatly appreciated! Fondest Regards, Derek
its all in the interview/essays. i dont know about annapolis, but santa fe doesnt care what ur gpa or sats are, they consider numbers to be improper representatives of ur academic persona.
Having just graduated from St. John's in Annapolis, it sounds like you stand a good chance to get in to St. John's. St. John's however, is a bit different from other schools in that the emphasis for admissions is less focused on one's individual acheivements (however impressive they may be) and more on how good a fit St. John's will be for what one desires in his or her education. The application essays are therefore important as are people's impressions of you if you visit. That said, being a decent student and having done interesting extra-curriculars certainly never hurts.
Doing the overnight prospective visit in my opinion is the best way to see if St. John's is right for you and I would recommend it to anyone seriously considering going there.
Thanks alot for the information! Did you have a good experience at the school? Although money isn't a huge concern, did you receive financial aid?
Any tips/suggestions for approaching the interview and essays? Thanks again. -Derek
I loved my experience at St. John's. I have never regretted going there instead of other, more traditional colleges. I received some financial aid from my father's employer (he is a professor at another university), but I did not receive any financial aid through St. John's. The majority of people I went to school with received various levels of financial aid from St. John's, however, so everyone I knew made out okay. Indeed as far as financial aid goes, it seems that St. John's does a pretty good job considering the substantial tuition cost.
As far as the interviews go, it is really a chance to ask the interviewer (normally a member of the faculty) questions you have about the program and the school. So if you have some honest, fairly intelligent questions about the way things work at St. John's that demonstrate you are both interested and fairly knowledgeable about the school, you should do fine. As far as the essays go they should be thoughtful and if you are suited for St. John's they will probably reflect that. Sorry I can't give any more pertinent advice but I'm sure you will do fine.
PLEASE someone answer the following questions. I posted this in other SJC threads, but nobody responds! Since this seems to be the most recently active thread, I hope someone could answer my question within this lifetime. THANKS!
I really want to transfer into St. John's, except there is one thing that I have to find out. I am currently a Math and Physics double-major. I know that for these majors, most other colleges (including the one I am attending now) require a butt-load of different physics and math classes. I hope to one day get into graduate school for both degrees. Does SJC prepare me for both? Do they teach you there things like linear algebra, partial differential equations, quantum mechanics, etc.? My fear is not being prepared enough for graduate school. Sure, many alumni of SJC become engineer, architects, and stuff, but how was their graduate school experience like? I guess I'm just nervous. Can someone please tell me the basic curricula for SJC's math and science?
marshall, it is funny that you took the time to bring this thread alive. SJC is a great school but a very unconventional school and def needs to be a good fit for someone. We live in Annapolis and can at least vouch for how great of a little city it is and the waterfront is just a few cobblestone blocks away from the campus.
Lets see how long before the powers that be close this thread for having resurrected an old one. Dont do it!!
Thank you for resurrecting this thread! I've been scouring the internet for information on St. John's (and I've ran out of YouTube videos to watch!).
Being a prospective Johnnie, I have a question for both marshallmeyer12 and dowzerw: What other schools were you considering when you applied to St. John's, and what did St. John's offer that those schools didn't?
Noisnotananswer the differences between St.John's and other colleges are endless and a big part of it is how much reading they do and the fact tha everyone there actually cares about learning. When I visited I was expecting a bunch of smart people that wouldn't bother taking time to say hi to people because of how much work they do. It couldn't be farther from that, everyone there is really nice and are always willing to help others, whether in the classroom or around campus. I only visited because my dad wanted me to but I ended up actually really liking the school and applied and I hope to go there next year. At St.Johns you might do more reading then anywhere else but don't let that scare you off. When I visited after the 2 or so hour long seminar I went to the gym to look around and I was intuited to play basketball and did until around midnight. St. John's isn't just a place to learn its also a place where you will meet great people. It's the perfect combination of a really smart school and also a school that knows to have fun.
Marshall, thanks for the post. St. John's is my top choice, and I'm trying to make that come through in my essays. I'm a bit worried because the high acceptance rate seems to be deceiving. Is there any advice you can give on writing winning essays, aside from conveying a love of reading and an obvious passion for the school? How would you describe your essays? Thanks alot!
I got accepted to St John's my senior year. It's 100% your interest and your essays. The idea is that if you're seeking that type of education you already belong there. Your GPA/SAT scores: irrelevant.
Make sure you portray damn well why you're a fit for the school in those long essays. If I recall correctly mine came out to 13 pages in total. But be creative and make sure they're well written. Also I suppose letters of recommendation help a lot. Having someone of merit vouch for your intellectual drive.
I mean I don't really know when it comes down to it. For me it was something I really wanted. When I learned about St John's my junior year it was godsend. It was, for a lack of better wording, so absolutely me, everything about the school. I couldnt imagine honestly them not accepting me.
Alas I could not go and I took that hard. ... But that's not what you asked.
Work on your essays. Get good letters of recommendation.
