Admissions

I must warn you, the dorms on campus is not the best for those who need space. If you are a freshman, you will be on campus, but expect to share a room with up to two- three other people.
Also, feel free to volunteer around your community. The admissions love that.

Definately join clubs! Get active! Greek life is very big here, and I took full advantage of it. I love being in a sorority and it really helps to make friends! Volunteering is a greazt way to become active too. There are many different ways to volunteer here whether you join a club, such as Habitat for Humanity or Save Darfur, or whether you sign up with Campus Ministry to go on one of their excursions, whether it is to the Ronald McDonald House only 10 minutes away from campus or a Mid-Night run to deliver food/hot cocoa to unfortunate, homeless people in the area, where you will meet tons of other students!

Sometimes I hear people saying that you have to do something substantial and not “coast through life” at their college. To be honest, St. John’s does not really have that kind of attitude. Instead of trying to push the students, they try to help you push yourself. St. John’s wants to have well educated and well rounded people (I bet you heard that before). However, the atmosphere here is not really like being squeezed through a bottle neck to do everything you see in your path. If you show interest in your education and try to be a bit creative, you can go really far, especially with the help you can receive here. At my high school, St. Johns was not really high on people’s lists. A lot of us thought that the more expensive meant the more prestigious while at the same time trying to not pay a lot for college. I did not realize how silly and counter-productive I was until my senior year in high school when my college advisor talked to me about St. John’s. He said that St. John’s was a very important school, especially in the New York area and in turn the nation. I was told how this private university was very well known and how the St. John’s name on a resume can raises eyebrows. With the many networks and resources available to you on campus or online, St. John’s University can be in some respects a big bundle of opportunities. With all of this you become a better person dynamically, which is one of the most important reasons of college right? Don’t be pressured to do anything, college life is different for everyone. St. John’s wants you to make a difference in yourself before so you can make a difference in the areas around you. As long as you’re willing to put in the effort to work hard and meet new people, you can have a great time here.

If you are not used to cold weather, come prepared. Bring a nice pair of boots. Also, the Staten Island campus is on top of a hill so it gets really windy during the winter; this means bring a heavy duty jacket. Remember the Staten Island campus is on Staten Island, not Manhattan. The city is accessible, but one needs to take the free school shuttle (which is shared with Wagner College) and take the Staten Island Ferry to the city.

St. John's is an excellent school to attend because of the high quality education and supportive Vincentian community. It is also a very diverse community which gives each student the opportunity to learn about other cultures.

Don't be fooled by first impressions. When I first visited the campus, I put St. John's on the bottom of the list of schools I applied to. But after I found out they were going to cover all of the tuition costs plus around half of my room and board, my parents urged me to re-consider. I'm glad I did because I grew to love St. John's through my subsequent visits.

-there is a convenient store on campus called the Hungry Johnnies C-store, i would advise you to only go there when you HAVE to go there because there products are somewhat expensive.

It's usually cheaper to get your food and stuff from 7/11 nearby, stores on hillside, and, if you really feel ok with a little travel, the Queens Mall(Their Target is AWSOME).

-IF YOU WANT TO SAVE MONEY IT WILL BE BEST TO GET AN APARTMENT SOPHMORE YEAR

if you are dorming then i feel social-wise for freshman year it's awesome to be on campus, but the fact is getting an apartment is actually cheaper than dorming, plus it's more freedom. I personally am not getting an apartment because I'm moving to the most social sophomore dorm next year, but i have a lot of friends planning to get apartments nearby the university.

Tips for students that are planning on dorming at St. John's get to know your neighbor, get out a few times, if you don't then like in any other place it can become boring, I like the dorms on the Staten Island Campus because they are apartment size, with a living room, one or two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, and small dinning area. For any student planning on attending St. John's don't be afraid to talk to the professors they are all nice.

Have a plan for balancing academics and clubs. Look up your professors on ratemyprofessor and choose them ahead of time and schedule your classes on time with your preferred professors. Learn how to study for multiple subjects at once and be prepared to put in way more work than you did in high school. Don't be disappointed if your first semester grades aren't all A's.

As long as you take advantage of the courses, majors, programs that you take, and events that you go to you will do very well.