My experience at St. John’s overall was pretty good. Of course, as a student who had a year and a half of regular college before being sent home for COVID-19, I can attest that there have been many changes following the pandemic that have not been for the positive. Largely, tuition increased and full-tuition scholarships are no longer issued to prospective students. Greek Life at St. John’s also used to be amazing when I joined in 2019. With everything having to be online for so long, Greek Life, as well as other extracurriculars have declined in quality – creating a lack in social life at St. John’s that was present in the past.
As for professors and classes, I have few complaints. Every college has a few bad professors, but the majority that I’ve encountered in the Liberal Arts school are fantastic, caring, and accommodating professionals that are well-learned in their topics. Many classes I’ve taken have been fun, even if they were just electives or gen eds. St. John’s courses are just fantastic and enriching.
I do wish that the school was a little more inclusive of the LGBTQ community. It’s improved massively from the time I started college to the time I’m ending it, but there is still a ways to go. For example, not every professor will respect a trans person’s name and pronouns. It’s not the norm, but it has happened. The school also JUST made gender-neutral housing available. For a Catholic School it’s pretty progressive, but if you are LGBTQ, just be aware that not everyone is woke and educated. The same goes for students of color. Despite STJ being an extremely international school with many students of color from around the world, there are very few professors of color in comparison to white professors.
Overall, the school could do better with representation. However I don’t regret my time here at the school, and if you can afford it, I’d recommend applying.