Student Needs Advice from College Parents

Derek_Duplessie
Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:59:47 +0000

Alright, as a sophomore at St. John’s, I have a few things to add. First of all, our liberal acceptance policy and high admissions rate is just deceiving. Students don’t bother applying unless they’re absolutely committed to the st. john’s program and are willing to prove their commitment by writing 10-15 pages worth of essays. Our applicant pool is small and, for the most part, qualified. SAT scores aren’t required but most students submit them and our 25-75% range is right on par with the top 15 LACs (I think it’s something like 1260-1430).

Also, you should show your mom our phd productivity rankings [url=Doctoral Degree Productivity - Institutional Research - Reed College]REED COLLEGE PHD PRODUCTIVITY/url. I think something like 75% of our grads go on to earn a graduate degree (many are also admitted into medical schools each year). All this to say that graduate school placement shouldn’t be a concern.

Transferring to St. John’s is more complicated than most schools, but I have many friends who transferred from schools like berkeley, vassar, bryn mawr, etc. who have made it through the JF program and are really happy here. All I can say is that this school is worth it and you could never replicate the educational experience either at another more traditional school or on your own, working through a reading list. For example, I don’t think I’d have as rich an understanding of Plato’s Timaeus if I hadn’t some experience with Euclid and the freshman math tutorial. It’s all connected. Another thing that makes this school so unique is that it really is a genuine community of learning. Tutors are learning beside you, not merely professing and proffering.

Last thing, nothing will compare to free tuition, but our financial aid is pretty good for a school our size. Alright, sorry for the book.