St. John’s College

Pretentious. I can recall instances of poor treatment from professors, lack of discipline for students who got away with things they shouldn’t have and a culture of violence and WASPy decadence.
I only wish that I had more courage at the age of 18 to get police or other authority figures involved instead of relying on the administration. I just wish that I had not placed as much trust in the administration or faculty to protect and nurture me as an impressionable youth as I did at that time… I felt that it was a waste of money and the experience set me back scholastic maturity by at least 3-​years

As a current student I felt the need to respond to HighStandards’ review. St. John’s College is a community that never stops talking, a community that encourages its members to grow and think and challenge everything, to take nothing at surface value. It is impossible for an atmosphere like that to be labeled in any sort of political way.
Though there are no elective courses, we do have clubs, some very active ones. We also have study groups, both casual ones or those funded by the school. For example, we have a group currently discussing The Second Sex and have a yearly group called «Women in the Winter» where students study female authors. As for queer studies, the Pink Triangle Society is definitely a presence on campus, encouraging both activism and discussion about sex and sexuality. The kind of student who succeeds at St. John’s is a go-​getter, if you will, a self-​educator. The kind of person who, if interested, will go after something themselves. That could mean starting a new club, joining an existing one, or going out and finding something in the city of Annapolis.
Addressing each other as Mr. and Ms. in class is actually something the students love. It adds a certain formality, not in a stuffy way, but more respectful. Addressing someone in the formal manner in class shows a respect and reverence for them as a fellow student and demonstrates that we are all taking each other seriously.
This manner of addressing each other also puts us on a level playing field with our tutor. We call them tutors, not professors, because it is their job to guide us, to do some of the steering, to point us in the right direction, but to ultimately prepare us to get there ourselves. It does not eradicate classroom joking or lightheartedness, rather, it assists with the feeling of a learning community.
Yes, we have waltz (mostly swing dancing) parties about twice a month, but we also have more modern school funded parties twice a month as well. And of course, the impromptu dorm, quad, back campus or off campus parties that always happen in college.
There is no affixed political or social agenda at St. John’s College. We are not all just hippies, we are not all just conservative. The one thing we all are is St. John’s. We question, we think deeply and critically, we write with purpose, we thrive in community and we share. We share with each other and we share with the world outside of our little campus. We are generous, curious, and hungry learners, and St. John’s provides us with the means to stay that way forever.

Gem of a campus and fine little bookstore featuring the classics of Western Civ., however, I must take exception to Miss Merrill’s review in which she states that this is a hippy institution. One look at the curriculum would be enough to convince anyone that this is perhaps the most conservative college in the country. There are no electives. All students take the same classes for 4 years. The books are primarily by dead white males. Nothing about feminism, postmodernism, queer studies, environmentalism and other typical ways of thinking that undergraduates are usually exposed to is studied here.
Also, if you take a look a the faculty, you will find that most are dinosaurs and some of the more prominent ones are unabashedly right wing.
This is a place where students dress up — not required, but many do so voluntarily —to go to class and address one another formally as Mr. and Miss during class discussions. Waltz parties are popular. The place, at times, has a very retro vibe that is more 40’s and 50’s than 60’s and 70’s. Many of the students here have «old souls» and do not relate to, nor approve of, their «hippy» peers.

Beautiful historic campus and I used to sneak in and use the computer lab. Shh, don’t tell anyone!

Oh… where to begin.
I think the grading system really sets the tone for the school. There are no grades. Your teachers simply get in a room and discuss your performance. You sit there and dont’ say anything. Then, they decide whether you advance.
Basically, this is a hippie school. Deeply liberal, with a heavy focus on writing, reading, and thinking.
The campus is beautiful, though small, right in downtown Annapolis and right up the road from the Naval Acadamy. The annual Navy/​St. John’s croquet match is something to behold. The only sport in which St. John’s can kick Navy’s ass (and possibly the only sport in which they excell (or even have) at all). Seriously, it’s awesome.