Hi Julia,
Greetings from St. John’s College!
St. John’s is the third oldest college in the United States (founded in 1696) and famous for our Great Books curriculum. Students read over 200 of the greatest books ever written and discuss them in interdisciplinary classes of 20 students or fewer. We study philosophy by reading Plato and Nietzsche, literature by reading Shakespeare and Austen, physics by reading Newton and Einstein, politics by reading Machiavelli and Lincoln, and much more.
The unique curriculum is why you can read about St. John’s in places like The New York Times and Colleges That Change Lives. We are regularly ranked among the top 10 colleges in the country for “best undergraduate teaching” and best classroom experience” by US News and the Princeton Review.
We tend to draw intellectual students who want to immerse themselves in a community where everyone loves to read and discuss big ideas. In high school, our students are the ones who can’t stop asking questions, who are reading for fun outside of class, and who love subjects from the humanities to the sciences. We find that students considering St. John’s are also considering colleges like the University of Chicago, Reed College, Swarthmore College, Sarah Lawrence College, Colorado College, and other places known for their countercultural intellectualism. They might be thinking about majors in philosophy, classics, literature, history, politics, religion, and astronomy.
We enrolled one student from Northwest in 2024 (Matteo Hamacher) and we have a few inquiries this year (Wren Alger, Sophie Baker). I'd love to see them and talk with any other students interested in St. John's.
Thanks,
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Ben Baum (benjamin.baum@sjc.edu) from St. John's College (MD)
Northwest Academy landing page, - easily access and register for the events!
SAT Practice Exam: Saturday, January 31, 2026
SAT Practice Exam: Saturday, March 7, 2026
Northwest Academy landing page, - easily access and register for the events!
SAT Practice Exam: Saturday, January 31st
SAT Practice Exam: Saturday, March 8, 2025