Academics

Every student in St. John's is engulfed in the curriculum. learning does not end in the class, but is carried through times in the dining hall, on the field and even in our dreams. that is how much we enjoy what we do while acknowledging it's importance and practicality.

As I have said before, this education is challenging. The Program requires long readings, and you will read, on average, approximately 200 pages per week. There are several papers to be written for tutorials over the course of the semesters, and and end of the year paper for your first three years. In other words, a lot of writing, reading, and patience to get through it all is required. Long day hours, sometimes shortened sleep hours. I believe that the work is a worthwhile investment, especially for the amount of money we have to pay to be here.

The academic rigour embraced at St. Johns should be given more than 5 stars. It was ranked more rigorous than Harvard or Yale in one review of academic rigour. Discussion based, there aren't right answers so much as there are important, bigger questions to be asked and explored. St. Johns follows the mandatory Great Books curriculum. Ancient Greek, French, maths beginning with Euclid, the Great Books through seminar and tutorials, the sciences, etc. It isn't easy but it's very rewarding. Since everyone is reading or has read the same things, you can always find help from other students and tutors in areas you're struggling with.