St. John's Preparatory School review by Northwestern University student.
St. John's Preparatory School is everything a Prep school should be. Courses are challenging and course loads are steep, but this in keeping with the Prep School mentality. Students leave high school with a high level of skill in areas important to the college experience: time budgeting and competitiveness. Average class size is 20 students, but the 11:1 student to teacher ratio implies a good amount of variance, with higher level, more demanding classes tending to have much smaller sizes. Additionally, the 19 AP course offerings are a testament to the advanced level of academic rigor offered to those who choose it. Each department at St. John's has its own strengths. The math department offers courses for students of every talent level and even has two levels of AP classes. The english department is very reading and writing intensive, including essays almost every week and a reading list that rivals most colleges. The arts are also very strong at St. John's: their theater program has won numerous awards and the both it and the music program graduate students to some of the best theater and music schools in the country. While the language department is somewhat lacking in terms of course offerings, the quality of the education in the languages actually offered (Latin, German, Spanish, French) is incredible, as are the coinciding travel opportunities. In short, academics are very strong at St. John's Prep, and a student who has the benefit of receiving training at St. John's will come out very well prepared for a college education, even at the highest level.
The counseling process at St. John's was very good. I began the college search.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at St. John's Preparatory School as experienced by former pupil and Northwestern University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on college counseling
They have contacts at most of the major universities and feel perfectly comfortable picking up the phone and advocating for a student to get accepted somewhere they feel is a good fit for that student. However, these counselors are certainly not magic bullets. They cannot guarantee that a student will get into an Ivy League university...
For those wishing to move on to Oxford or Cambridge, the provision is second-to-none. In the months running up to application and interview, every subject faculty offers classes (often run by former Oxbridge tutors) exploring further areas of their subject as well as offering advice on personal statements, interview technique and more...
The admissions process is very similar, I presume, to that at other schools. My.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to St. John's Preparatory School by former pupil and Northwestern University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on admissions
For the interview, dress conservatively. Try to be very clean and put together. Also, I was a tour guide for two years and at the end of every tour, we were asked to evaluate the candidate so if you think the tour is not apart of the process, you are very wrong. Ask questions and be interested. Also, tip for the parents: the kids speak on the tour. Do not ask their questions for them...
Most younger siblings have an easy time in the admissions process. I can only think of one case of a younger sibling not being admitted. About half of the students who entered with me had come from public schools. The remainder came from private K-6 schools, or had transferred from other New York private schools The Elizabeth Morrow School and St. Bernard were two of the larger feeder schools...
The quality of life at St. John's is very high. The campus is a 175-acre, beautifully manicured plot of land 15 miles north of Boston. Of the 11 buildings on campus, 2 of them have had major renovations in the past 4 years, the library is less than 4 years old, and a new gymnasium is to be built in short order. Sports fields and the rest of campus alike are very well maintained. The campus feels very secure and is very collegiate in appearance, functionality, and technological advancement. The socio-economic background of the student body is.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at St. John's Preparatory School as experienced by former pupil and Northwestern University student — Login or Sign Up to access full review