Hello There! I am currenltly a freshmen at St. John's College. Its a very unique and interesting program, however I'm realizing its just not my cup of tea and I really am looking for something more out of my college experiece. I am working on my common app essay and this is what I have so far. It's answering the generic "why transfer?" question with a 500 word limit. If you all could look it over and tell me what you think that would be fabulous!! Thank you!!
On the Importance of Education, College and Linear Thingamabobs
Sometimes, stuff just doesn't work out. Stuff like The Edsel, Snooki's autobiography, New Coke and various plots to invade Russia all stared out with good intentions, (depending on your definition of "good") but when the ball got rolling, stuff just didn't work. Now, I can join the noble ranks of rolling balls gone astray. I chose St. John's College thinking it would be perfect. However, it's become apparent that if you were to plot Alexandra and SJC on some kind of linear thingamabob we would be as far apart as that linear thingamabob would allow.
The SJC Great Books program is an interesting place. The program is all required, all classes are discussion based, teachers merely facilitate discussion, grades aren't emphasized, and we use only primary source texts. This all sounded great, but now that I'm here SJC simply isn't right for me.
I've always been the bright, quirky, curious student that collects information like butterflies. For me, information, both historical and current, is necessary for a thorough understanding of any subject. However, at SJC we discuss books without historical context and are discouraged from discussing how the books affect us today. These restrictions greatly hinder my understanding and appreciation of the material. I would thrive in a college where I am allowed to seek as much information as I can to understand a topic, question everything, and think about how what I'm learning can affect the world.
I also have a different way of looking at subjects and am very good at articulating my understanding. I have been able to help people learn by explaining things in a different way. Although my way of learning and understanding is generally well liked and valued, at SJC it's not. Here, all the discussions are done under the premise that there is one right answer. However, I see value in understanding a lot of different perspective. I am seeking a diverse classroom environment where I can contribute my perspective as well as benefit from understanding others.
I've realized SJC is at odds with my expectations for college and what I want to do in the future. My participation in Speech and Debate has shown me I have a talent and passion for public speaking, speechwriting, history and government, and I am very interested in perusing a career as a political speechwriter one day. For that, I need strong research skills. But research doesn't exist here. We're prohibited from bring outside research into class or the papers we write. Furthermore, the all required curriculum doesn't allow me to push myself further and expose myself to a variety of classes or go deeper into one and specialize. I can only grow if I am given more diversity and the opportunity to specialize. In addition, SJC has very few extracurriculars, something that further limits my ability to learn here.
Even though my ball got rolling in the wrong direction, I still had amazing experiences here and I can't wait to take everything I've gained and contribute it to my new college.
missalex212
"We're prohibited from bringing outside research into class or the papers we write."
Small error in this sentence.
I really liked this, especially your ending. Going back to the idea of getting the ball rolling was really nice.
