St John’s University-New York Top Questions

Alot of black ghetto people

Because I attend a Catholic university, many students believe that unless they are Catholic they will not fit it! WRONG! My school is so diverse and has students from many religious backgrounds. I am constantly learning about different cultures, hearing about different experiences, and even parts of the world!

As a student entering my second year at St. John's University (Staten Island Campus,) I have anaylzed that the main stereotype of the University is mainly students who are local residents of Staten Island that do not want to go away for college. The stereotype is not one hundred percent accurate. There is a large majority of students who commute from other parts of New York and several states. Also a widely diverse number of students from other states and countries. The campus holds students from 38 different states and 148 foreign countries. By meeting students from other countries I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to learn new cultures and customs.

There are two main stereotypes about St. John's University; first, that it is a "stupid" school, and second, that it is a very diverse school. The first of these is unequivocally untrue; many students at St. John's University are exceptionally bright. The second is very true, people of all different backgrounds, cultures, and races come together at St. John's. With that being said,the degree to which any individual interacts with all the different cultures is entirely up to them.

One of the stereotypes I can speak on is fraternity life. As a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., I deal with a lot of different students who believe that fraternities are preppie, stuck-up or negative. At St. John's University fraternities are very active with campus and student life. We host programs that engage students and raise social awareness while uplifting our community through service and fellowship. There are strict violations against any form of maltreatment when an aspirant is initiated into a fraternity at St. John's so students who are interested need not worry about any harmful activities upon seeking membership. The fraternities, from my experience, are extremely sociable and we do our best to positively influence young college students as they explore college life and come of age.

I don't know that there is one "stereotype" for students from St. John's; what I mean to say is that it's location in Jamaica, Queens - one of the most diverse counties in the country! - makes for a demographic like rainbow sprinkles. You literally have one of everything! Sure we have jocks, we have frat kids, the stoners and geeks, but I think what is so apparent to me about students at St. John's is that they are hardly one-dimensional like these titles would make them out to be. Culture is a huge part of the identity of St. John's and the wide range of cultural backgrounds in its students, be it educational, religious or regional, wholly presents this concept. The attempt to define a generic "stereotype" for St. John's would take weeks of sociological research, and even then, the stereotypes would become long and convoluted dictionary entries. In short and in truth, there is hardly a notion of "stereotypical" at this university.

The two stereotypes that I associate with St. John’s students are that the campus is full of commuters, and that the student body is incredibly diverse. I believe these beliefs are true. The professors, like the students themselves, travel between varying campuses. The ability of the class body to take classes at differing locations (Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island) is opportunistic (commute wise) and enriching- environment wise (city versus semi urban). The student body, at St. John’s, is also multifarious. Despite its Catholic affiliation, the campus has many cultural and religious clubs. Overall, St. John’s is incredibly heterogeneous and favored among locals.

St. John's is a school famous for its diversity and variety of cultures. Of course with that there comes stereotypes, but I feel like St. John's is a perfect representation of the real world because of this. Besides that, here at St. John's we of course have the super smarties, a lot of them pharmacy students. There are the typical frat boys who can be total tools but are super lovable anyways. I myself am an athlete here, and we come with our own stereotypes such as the idea that we get to coast through school scotch-free, etc but of course I'm byist with this stereotype as it isn't true. It is true that the athletes stick together though.

The stereotype of students at St. John's University is that the majority of students are commuters and there is not much offered to students if you are not involved in Greek Life. However, this is not the case at all. Though a good amount of students do commute since it is in the heart of the city, there are approximately 6000-7000 students that live on or off campus around the area. St. John's has a very active student life with over 180 organizations that can be joined and a variety of study abroad programs the university has to offer. It is all a matter of putting yourself out there to find out what best fits you and your interests.

It is assumed that because we are a metropolitan university with a massive commuter population we have no school spirit but that is not the case at all! St. John's University is on its way to becoming a symbol of New York City. With our Men's Basketball team rising in popularity there are games that sell out quite frequently, and who wouldn't want to see a game at Madison Square Garden? It just happens to be one of our greatest privileges. Every Fall we host "I <3 STJ", which is a week-long series of events that students flock to in order to display our pride and start the year off right. In the Spring we rally our teams and celebrate a successful year with a huge carnival of attractions. There is nothing not prideful in a St. John's student and we are the perfect example that you do not have to be a resident student in order to have a memorable college experience.