College of Saint Benedict Top Questions

The best thing about CSB is the community - everywhere you go, people smile and say hello. The professors are extremely dedicated to the students, and the campuses are gorgeous! Sometimes, the school seems too small, but starting a new semester makes you realize how big it is when you see new faces around campus. Most of the time, it is just the right size. I spend a lot of time in the library, dining area, work-out center, and hanging out in the dorms. St. Joseph (the small town St. Ben's is located in) is definitely a college town. It is close to St. Cloud, so it is super easy to go to Target, mall, etc (there is even a bus that runs there on weekends). There is a lot of school pride, especially at football games. The Johnnie football team always does really well, and it's so fun to wear red, go to the stadium, and cheer them on!

Girls live with girls and guys live with guys. It's not that big of a deal, but you do have to make a bit more of an effort to make friends with the opposite sex. Plus, the girls' dorms are way nicer than the guys'! I think that the attention to gender is very interesting at our school Both the Women's and Men's Centers host very interesting speakers and I've enjoyed learning about this. In my time at CSB|SJU, I have traveled to Kansas City, Chicago, Dallas and just returned from a semester abroad in South America. There are so many opportunities to travel and see more of the US and the world, it is hard to not take advantage of at least one of these experiences!

Best thing: the people One thing I'd change: we don't have a cheerleading squad of any kind or a figure skating club Size: about 4,000 total including Bennies and Johnnies Reaction to me telling people I go to CSB: Where is that? Oh, is that Catholic? Didn't your dad/sister/uncle/cousin go there? Where I spend most of my time on campus: the libraries College town: St. Joeseph, Minnesota. It is TOTALLY a college town. St. Joe has a population of about 5,000 and thrives on our college community. The town comes alive on weekends. Largest recent controversy: the 4-year residency plan. The administrations recently decided that, starting with the class of 2014, students will be required to live on campus all four years. Is there school pride?: YES! we live and breathe red. Come to one of the Johnnie football games and you will be blown away by our spirit and instantly hooked. Anything unusual: well, only the girls live at CSB and only the guys live at SJU. We also don't run on a Monday-Friday schedule. We have a 6 day schedule; this results in every week being a little bit different Experience I'll always remember: orientation, first year formal, the fruit-at-the-finish triathlon, everything

Csb is truly a community. Everyone is friendly and courteous and very helpful! St.Joe really supports the college.. the businesses really love all the kids. When i tell people in the midwest that i am from st. ben's, they are very excited, i have even met some alumni who are extremely proud of their school and genuinely interested in other people that attend.

When people ask me where I go to school and I say St. Ben's, usually after the blank stare I receive I explain that it's the sister school to St. John's. "Oh, the school with the great football team?" Yeah, that one. But while the connection to SJU is awesome and I love Saint John's just as much as St. Ben's, CSB is more than just that connection. The two best things about St. Ben's are the excellent professor/student relationships and the amazing sense of community the school provides. I love St. Ben's and have never regretted my decision to go here even though I'm funding my own education.

The best thing about CSB is the sense of community we have with each other. Everyone at St. Ben's gets along and are nice to each other. The class sizes are small and the professors are very personable.

CSB is an incredible school! From the people to the location to the education to the relationship with St. John's University, this was definitely the school for me! While CSB is rich in traditions especially those traditions from the nuns who founded us, we also have the greater traditions in CSB and SJU. It is always fun to see nuns around campus, at mass, and in classrooms. The campus has such a welcoming feel! Everyone seems to say hello to one another and no one is afraid to chat. The College of Saint Benedict is truly a unique school and I am glad to call it my school!

The best thing about CSB/SJU is the community aspect of the school. It is like one big family, where everyone cares about each other. People say hi to strangers when walking on campus and open doors for a fellow classmate. CSB/SJU wants more than an education for their students, they want their students to learn community living and being a good person. The school pride at the school is amazing. Football games are always packed, however it is more than just current students. The alumni have a huge presence in the school still. There is the saying... "once a Bennie, always a Bennie."

CSB is a liberal arts institution in coordination with SJU. CSB offers small class sizes and a personalized education which is hard to come by. Professors flexibility and willingness to help any student is amazingly helpful. Furthermore, the community atmosphere on campus is unique. Everyone, including professors, students, and of course the monastics on campus are incredibly friendly.

I love CSB. It is a college for women, but we are partnered with St. John's, so classes are on both campuses and are co-ed, just like all events and clubs are. From the first day of Orientation I felt like a member of the community at CSB. The size is perfect for me; having around 2,000 students means that my professors will get to know me as a person, not just a number, yet we have the resources of the big schools. I felt at home at CSB the first time I visited and that hasn't changed. The members of the monastic community on campus are so friendly and welcoming. They smile and say "Hello" to anyone they pass and they are always available to talk. My fellow classmates are so diverse in their backgrounds and interests so I have no problem fitting in and finding people to have fun with. If I could change anything, I would move the school a bit closer to my home. CSB is about ten minutes from St. Cloud and buses take you there on the weekend so I can shop at the mall, grocery store, Target, or catch a movie, which is great. CSB is located in St. Joseph, which is a very cute town. It is a small town but I like it because I don't get too distracted by things other than my studies.

While CSB has probably more than its fair share of dolts, mostly Comm majors, there are some brilliant students and professors here. When you have your international relations professor telling you, "This article about Basque separtism gets it all wrong, I know the guy quoted in this article, and I was just in the Basque region. Here is what is really happening.." you know you're in a cool place. The civilized way people get off the bus is truly amazing to behold. The school is small, and everyone pretty much knows everyone, but it's not a high school vibe. The alumni network is great. If you run into a Bennie or Johnnie and tell them you go to CSB they will do almost anything for you. A lot of Bennies identify more with St. Johns, because it's the older and more highly regarded school (actually it's becoming a lot easier to get into St. Johns and a lot harder to get into St. Bens). Bennie pride is low, but everyone goes to the St. Johns football games. The split campus thing is annoying sometimes, but I think it works. It's awesome to have at least two of everything. Two libraries, four places to eat, two workout centers, two theaters, two bookstores, etc.