St John’s University-New York Top Questions

Before I came to Saint John's, I didn't know what to expect. But since I've been here, I have loved every second of it. The campus is beautiful, and the students are very friendly. I wouldn't change one thing about this school, there are many opportunities here and an ensured life changing experience.

Before I came to Saint John's, I didn't know what to expect. But since I've been here, I have loved every second of it. The campus is beautiful, and the students are very friendly. I wouldn't change one thing about this school, there are many opportunities here and an ensured life changing experience.

There are two things that make saint Johns stand out. That is our athletic competitiveness and location. It is located in New York City, one of the most well known cities in the world. On a consistent basis our men and women's athletic team are nationally ranked. The school is a good size. Big enough to roam around and small enough to get to class within five to ten minutes. When I tell people I attend this school they recognize the school and acknowledge it is good. The school's administration is committed to the students needs, as well as establishing a well circuit of communication. Saint Johns has plenty of school pride. Our mascot is Johnny Thunderbird which is the most animated mascot I have ever seen. One experience that I will remember is the winter carnival. There is a variety of things all from a horse carriage to fireworks. A complaint that I hear often is the distribution of financial aid. It is not the quickest and often times you find yourself at the financial aid office trying to fix things.

St. John's is a funny place. For the most part, its a commuter school, and it seems like event the kids who dorm are from long island, or new jersey. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I'm from California, and it seems like everyone here knows each other from high school. If you're not from around here you feel a bit alienated. Campus life is pretty boring, and the surrounding area of Jamaica, Queens is even less exciting. Most students take the F train or the campus shuttle into Manhattan when they have free time. The cool thing about the school is that it is pretty big. No matter who you are it's not very difficult to meet people, and make friends who share similar interests.

The best thing about my school is how diverse it is. In just one class, I had students from over six different countries. This amazed me coming from a high school where the majority of students came from only two different cultures and were predominantly African American. I would not change anything about my school. In fact, the school makes changes very frequently and i always think, "Why didn't I think of that?". My school is always two steps ahead of its students so by the time I think of something that needs improvement, St. John's is already on its way to improvement. I spend most of my time on campus in the D'Angelo center which is our new student center. It has everything that I need; breakfast, study area, computer area, lunch, and just a great place to socialize. The school's administration couldn't be more helpful. It was a change from high school where my counselor's and teachers told me which classes I had to take and did not give me any choice whatsoever in my interests. At St. John's the administration works with you every step of the way and I feel like they genuinely want students to get a good grade. They are always available and I haven't had to hunt any professor or advisor down. When I tell people that I go to St. John's, they immediately are familiar with my school. Sometimes when I ask people which school they go to and I have to think, "That school exists?!" Everyone always asks me about the basketball games and campus activities because St. John's is known for school spirit. At orientation, I received a free red St. John's hoodie and umbrella, then when I started school that is all I saw when I walked to class. Day after day, my mornings were greeted with a sea of people wearing red hoodies walking to class. It's still my favorite hoodie to this day! One experience that I will always remember is my orientation. How many schools incorporate community service into their orientations? This teaches students about giving back to their community from the start of their college careers. Also, the cruise on the same day was a welcomed surprise to end our day of community service. They're not afraid to throw us a party after working so hard for eight hrs. My overall opinion of St. John's is it is one of the best schools that can be found. I have no complaints about this school because it made my transition from high school to college flawless and easy.

Saint John's is what you make it. Personally, I love it here. I've met a lot of great people from so many different backgrounds and situations, my classes match my academic level exactly, my professors genuinely care about how I do in the class and take the time to remember my name, and if you put yourself out there, people are generally very friendly. The size of the school is perfect; it's a mix of small and large. When classes are in session, you won't see anyone you know on campus because of the huge commuter population. But when it's only the residents on campus, you get the smaller-campus vibe; I always see people I know in the dining hall and around the dorms. I'll never forget the first weekend I moved in; there was a huge storm and everyone was staying inside on a Friday night (unheard of!). All of the residents had their doors open, were meeting people, laughing and talking and having random dance parties, and it was a blast. Some of the friends I made that night are the people I spend most of my time with. If you take the time and effort to meet people, you will be rewarded with some great friendships. However, you have to put yourself out there; if you have trouble meeting and talking to new people, it may be hard for you to make a lot of new friends here. The best part about going to this school is having the city so close by. There's usually a lot going on at campus (whether it's a sports game, school-hosted event, club activity, movie, lecture, or the zillion other things that happen weekly) but if there's a lull, there's always something to do in New York City. Watch out though, it can get expensive. I highly recommend keeping track of the amount of money you spend if you plan on spending a lot of time in the city. It's worth it though; shopping, a movie, Broadway show, concert, clubs, partying, museums...the list goes on forever. Here, basketball is a huge thing. Players are treated like stars on campus and the entire student body has a great amount of school spirit. The games are one of my favorite things to attend. As a Tier One university, St. John's has a good name. Many people recognize it and the name will help in the job search. Something to watch out for is that St. John's is a Vincentian university; thus, it has strict policies in almost every aspect. The biggest complaint about St. John's is the signing in policy, overnight guest registration, and the fact that if you're caught with alcohol/being drunk on campus, there's a price to pay. If you're a commuter this doesn't concern you as much, but for residents, it's something to consider. Despite its strictness, it's easy to have a great experience at St. John's.

I have honestly never been happier with my college experience than by attending St. John's in Staten Island. There isn't really anything that I would have to change except, I wish that it wasn't so far from home. St. John's University's main campus is rather large and overwhelming and students lack the chance to truly communicate with their professors. While the campus in Staten Island allows students the smaller class sizes in which they are able to fully communicate and get to know their professors. In allowing a smaller campus but having a name like St. John's it gives the students the opportunity to work closely with their professors and expand their knowledge in a way that would have be impeded due to a larger campus.

I adore St. John's! I've found myself faced with so many opportunities pertaining to my major, including on-campus jobs and internships. All the professors I've had over the past two years care about helping their students learn. The social life might not be flourishing to the extent where there are constant parties, but since St. John's is only a few trains away from the city, it's easy to have a fun night out. I've made tons of friends, all who are just as interested in learning as I am. There's also a ton of school pride. There are carnivals, barbecues, and on occasion, dance parties out on the strip. Although I'm not a huge sports fan, St, John's is perfect for students who are. Students usually flock to sports games, crowd the stands, and cheer until their throats hurt.

Overall I really enjoy being at St. John's University. One of the best things about being at St. John's is that the University is really diverse. Because the university is diverse it allows students to learn about culture and different aspects of foreign countries through the people that are from there as opposed to having just one view from across the water. One thing that works with the diversity aspect of St. John's is that there is a club to accommodate anybody's interest. When I tell people that I am a student at St. John's University their reaction is very positive because they know that St. John's is a very well known school and that the student's that attend this university are very intelligent. St. John's administration is very helpful with any questions that you may have about career paths and fields of study. If a class is closed and you're really passionate and have your heart set on being in a particular class the administration will personally register you for that class themselves. Another good thing about the administrations is that someone in the administration always knows another person that can give you a better insight on any potential careers you may want to pursue. The Career Center is very good about helping students experience different careers through the shadow program where you get to follow someone, in the career field you prefer, for a whole day. They are also very good at setting students up with possible jobs and internships when they host the job fair once each semester. There are many places on campus for students to get work done or relax during a busy class day such as the D'Angelo Center which has a larger sitting area on the second floor with a huge fireplace that sometimes is lit on cold winter nights. Some other interesting features of the D'Angelo Center is the Starbucks on the third floor and the pool and air hockey tables on the first floor. During the evenings throughout the week, many of the students sit in the Cafe and play music through the speakers of the D'Angelo Center on the first floor. Sometimes the fraternities and sororities will come in and put on a showcase of their dances and strolls for the people that are siting down there. I spend much of my time in the Institute of Writing Studies, also known as the Writing Center, because I'm an English major but aside from that I enjoy the relaxing vibe of the Writing Center. The Writing Center helps students of any major form ideas for papers they have to write no matter what the topic is. The writing consultants are students themselves and usually have different ways they write. They also come from different majors to better accommodate the students that come for guidance. One unusual thing about the campus is the amount of hills to walk up to reach the classrooms but at the same time everyone is getting a workout even if they are complaining about it. One thing that is beautiful about any college campus is the amount of school pride that it has and I have to say St. John's has a huge amount of it. Most of what you see around campus is students either wearing St. John's apparel from head to toe or limiting it to sweatpants and the very popular St. John's sweatshirt with the hand stitched letters on the front. And that it just outside of our sports games. During our sports games, such as basketball and soccer, all one person can see is red. We scream and shout to support our teams; we chant "Lavinwood" to support our basketball coach and tell opposing soccer teams that the storm is coming. St. John's school pride is over the top. One amazing experience I've had at St. John's was at a basketball game held at Madison Square Garden. Just when I thought I've seen the most red at Carnesecca Arena, I saw 10 times as much in Manhattan on a Tuesday night. Some of the students complain about the amount of lights that are placed around campus during the Christmas season but I think its beautiful because right now everyone's going through the stress of finals and the lights create a relaxing atmosphere when you need to take a study break in the middle of pulling an all nighter.

I adore St. John's! I've found myself faced with so many opportunities pertaining to my major, including on-campus jobs and internships. All the professors I've had over the past two years care about helping their students learn. The social life might not be flourishing to the extent where there are constant parties, but since St. John's is only a few trains away from the city, it's easy to have a fun night out. I've made tons of friends, all who are just as interested in learning as I am.