Insteadof:
What classes should I take?
Ask:
Where might
an open mind
take me?
If you suspend your biases and
preconceptions as you explore
timeless works at St. John’s, you’ll
find yourself encountering fundamental
ideas on their own terms. Opening
your mind is a prerequisite to true
understanding. Whether you agree or
disagree with an author, you’ll be
thinking for yourself.
Insteadof:
Will I be able to make
the team?
Ask:
What else
brings
me joy?
All St. John’s students are encouraged
to play intramural sports and participate
in extracurriculars of every kind—to
revel in the intrinsic joy of working
with a team and embarking on untried
pursuits. They approach life at the
college with the same spirit of fearless
inquiry they bring to the books.
Insteadof:
Will it be on the test?
Ask:
What does
this book
have to say
to
me
?
St. John’s is not interested in seeing
how much you can memorize for a
final exam. And St. John’s students
care more about genuine understand-
ing than they do about reciting
facts and figures. They would rather
encounter the works of brilliant
authors directly and form their own
opinions than read a textbook
interpretation. That’s why St. John’s
avoids secondary sources and
gives oral examinations rather than
written finals—and why students
write papers to articulate carefully
their responses to classic texts.
Q
uestions
you’ll ask
at St. John’s
6