Admissions

Annapolis - Information for Admitted Students

  • "If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants."
    Isaac Newton

About the Dormitories
All freshman students are required to live on campus. This helps to create a sense of community among those attending the college and helps new students to adjust better to college life. About 82% of undergraduate students at the college live in one of the dormitories.

St. John's has not been immune to the nation-wide housing shortage that has plagued other learning institutions. Because rents have risen in downtown Annapolis, and because new construction is highly restricted in the historic district, the few apartments that are available are out of the price range of most St. John's students. Fewer sophomores, juniors, and seniors are choosing to live off-campus. This unanticipated situation puts additional pressure on the dormitories at the college. St. John's has completed two new dormitories, Gilliam Hall and Spector Hall, but can only guarantee on-campus housing for freshmen. The college cannot always offer a dorm room to all of the upperclassmen that request one. The Treasurer, Assistant Dean, and Director of Student Services, are working to find appropriate, affordable, off-campus housing for students who need it. A brochure of tips and suggestions is available for those seeking off-campus housing in the Annapolis area.

All the dorms are air-conditioned. Dorms are co-ed, usually by floor. There are no co-ed bathrooms. All dorms are non-smoking, as Maryland state law prohibits smoking in most workplaces.

There are eight dormitories: Humphreys Hall (1837), Chase-Stone House (1857), Paca Carroll House (1857), Pinkney Hall (1858), Randall Hall (1903), Campbell Hall (1954), Gilliam Hall (2004), and Spector Hall (2006). Historic buildings have lots of charm, but they require lots of maintenance. The college is constantly upgrading the dormitories and you will find a mix of old and new facilities in each. Because there are a limited number of single rooms, freshmen always have at least one roommate. Your room assignment will be given to you when you register. The dorm rooms are open for occupancy after registration.

Heavy luggage or packages can be delivered up to two weeks before registration day. Ship such packages to the following address: Your Name, St. John's College, 60 College Ave., Annapolis, MD 21401-1887. Mark the packages "Hold for Registration."

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What's in the dormitory rooms?
Furniture for each student includes:

  • Twin-size mattress and box spring
  • Mattress and cover
  • Desk and chair
  • Study lamp
  • Wastebasket
  • Bookshelves
  • Single dresser or half a double dresser
  • Mirror
  • Closet space (average 3 feet wide

The windows have Venetian blinds. (If you'd like curtains, it's best to wait until you see your room, since windows are not standard sizes.)

What to bring?
Dorm rooms have basic furniture. You may wish to bring:

  • Sheets (we recommend twin extra long sized sheets)
  • Towels
  • Pillow
  • Blanket
  • Comforter or spread
  • Small rug, other comfortable items like floor pillows or backrests
  • Clothing, including winter jacket and formal wear for waltz parties and special occasions 
  • Hangers
  • Shoes (including special shoes for sports and/or the gym)
  • Raincoat and umbrella
  • Computer and printer (not required for work at St. John's, but most students bring their own )
  • Books, CDs, posters
  • Stereo
  • Hobby or special interest equipment (camera, musical instruments)
  • Sports equipment and apparel
  • Toiletries (and a tote to get them to the shower)
  • Mug, fork, spoon, knife, plate, bowl, and food storage containers to use in your room 
  • Laundry detergent
  • Plasti-tak or other removable adhesives for mounting posters, etc. (tape is not allowed because it damages the walls)
  • Key chain for the key card required to enter your dormitory and the key for your room (for sale in the college bookstore)

Many students like to have a small microwave or refrigerator in their room. Small appliances are allowed, but not encouraged because the buildings are not wired to support the power demand of many appliances. Open heating elements such as hot plates, water boilers, and hot-pots are not allowed. Other items not allowed are: candles, incense, weapons and self-defense devices such as stun guns. Smoking is prohibited by state law inside all campus buildings, including the dormitories.

There are washers and dryers in the basement of Campbell Hall in Chase-Stone, and in the Gym; ironing boards are available on many floors.

In general, less is more. Wait and see what you need. You will have the opportunity to get it once you are here. The college runs shuttles to all the major shopping areas in and around Annapolis.

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College Mailing Addresses
Mailing address for students:
Your Name, St. John's College P.O. Box 2800
Annapolis, MD 21404

Street address (for shipping via UPS or other carrier):
Your Name, St. John's College, 60 College Ave.
Annapolis, MD 21401

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Telephones
Students are encouraged to have cell phones. The dorm rooms do not come with telephones or telephone service. Students can arrange for phone installation on an individual basis with the local provider. They will be billed by Verizon, the local phone company. The college does not handle individual telephone accounts for students. There is a college phone on every dorm floor; these phones receive calls from off-campus but may be used to make calls only to other extensions on campus. Pay phones are located in several locations on campus, and students may use these for off-campus calls. Some students find that cell phones are a way around having to pay for phone installation and a monthly fee for an outside line.

To call a student: The main college number is 410.263.2371. Callers to that number can be connected to any dorm floor. Someone from the floor usually answers a ringing phone; if the person being called is not available, floormates will leave a message. In an emergency, the Assistant Dean's office or the Security office will locate a student.

To call off-campus: Students can call off-campus from a pay phone.

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Computer Information for Incoming Freshmen
The following information is provided to help facilitate your use of computers while at college.

Dorm Connections
All dormitories are wired for access to the St. John's network, and to the Internet. In addition to dorm rooms, network ports are available in the Hodson Student Computing Lab, the Coffee Shop in McDowell Hall, and most common rooms. Wireless access is available at locations throughout the campus, but individual wireless access points/base stations are not allowed. Network cables must be acquired by the students, and will be available for sale through the bookstore. In order to participate in the network, your computer must meet the following standards:

PC
Pentium II or higher processor
Windows 98, Me, 2000, or XP Professional (not XP Home)
Appropriate minimum memory configuration (128 Megabytes recommended)
Standard 10/100 Ethernet (Network) card/port

Macintosh
G3 or higher processor
OS 10.1 or higher
128 MB RAM
Available Ethernet (Network) port

If your computer meets these standards, we can assist you in connecting to the network. You are welcome to bring otherwise configured computers, but the IT Office will not be available to support you in their use. Please note that IT Office staff members are not available to visit dormitory rooms; all support must be performed in our workspace. For this reason, as well as, wireless access and other needs for portability, we recommend laptop/notebook computers when possible.

Visit the Office of Information Technology for more information.

Student Accounts
Each student is provided with an email account and personal folder on the student servers. Account information will be provided during Freshman registration. You will be able to use Outlook Web Access to access your mail, from any Internet-accessible computer anywhere in the world. Instructions, rules and guidelines will be provided to you during the registration process.

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Parking & Transportation
Although students may have cars, freshmen and sophomores may not park on campus, in any campus lot. The city of Annapolis does not grant parking permits to St. John's students who live on campus. Parking is limited; the college strongly urges students not to bring cars. The city will ticket and tow cars parked illegally, including cars without permits parked in permit-only zones near campus.

Bicycles are a good method of transportation around Annapolis. You should be sure to have a secure lock. There are several storage racks for bikes on campus.

Downtown Annapolis is within walking distance of campus, and there are many shopping areas close by. The College sometimes provides shuttles to local malls and shopping centers on a regular basis. Both Baltimore and Washington, D.C. are accessible by bus.

Note that BWI airport is the most convenient to campus. Transportation to and from Reagan and Dulles airports is difficult to arrange, expensive and time consuming.

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Food
For those on the food service, meals are served in the Dining Hall (Randall) seven days a week. A variety of foods is offered at every meal, including vegetarian and vegan options. Sometimes the lines are long, but the Dining Hall is open long enough at every meal to accommodate all students on the food plan.

The Coffee Shop is located in the basement of McDowell Hall. Snacks and meals can be purchased there all day and during some evening hours during the week. They have pizza, sandwiches, coffee, and burgers and fries. There are also a variety of snack and drink machines on campus.

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Health Services
The services of the Health Center are free of charge to all students regardless of whether they carry their own health insurance or use the one available through the college. (Students must be covered by health insurance; for information on the policy available through the college, contact the Health Center at 410.626.2553.

Two counselors are also on staff. Appointments can be made directly by students. The counselor makes appointments with the psychiatrist as necessary.

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Buying Books and Supplies
The Campus Bookstore stocks all  books required for St. John's classes. Several translations and/or editions are available of most books on the reading list, and the Bookstore keeps a compilation of book advice/opinions/comparisons by St. John's tutors. In addition, several of the staff are either St. John's graduates or current students and will happily offer you their personal views.

Should you buy all your texts at the start of the year? No! Buying your books involves making choices you aren't yet equipped to make. Your tutors may have preferences, and you're going to hear lots of opinions from upperclass students. You will also develop your own tastes. The basic things you need to start are: the Greek manual, Euclid's Elements, the freshman Lab Manual, the freshman chorus anthology, and a copy of Homer's Iliad. Sorry, we don't yet have the capability to offer online purchases-come visit us when you arrive on campus.

The Bookstore can establish a charge account for students  using their parents' credit card. They will need to come in and complete an authorization form. The Bookstore also accepts personal checks and VISA, MasterCard, or American Express credit cards. Naturally, cash is also welcome.

What the Bookstore stocks: program books, lots of fiction, poetry, reference, history, sciences, philosophy, books to help you learn Greek or math, biographies of philosophers, books on writing, drama, art books, and music (scores and libretti).

Special orders are taken at no extra charge. There is also a small supply of sweatshirts, T-shirts, baseball caps, and other SJC paraphernalia. The Bookstore carries school supplies like pads, pens, binders, and pencils, and even laundry detergent and some basic toiletries. The store also offers a fax service.

The Bookstore phone number is 410.626.2540 and the e-mail is bookstore@sjca.edu.

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Banking
There are no banks on campus, but students can cash small checks at the Bookstore and the Business Office. Half a dozen banks are located within three or four blocks of the campus and several banks offer free checking accounts to St. John's students. Money management is often an issue for college freshmen, so be sure to think about how deposits will be made, whether a debit card might work for you, whether you should have your own credit card, and how much spending money you might need per week. Students who work at the college in the federal work-study program will have checks issued to them every two weeks-the money is not automatically credited to their tuition or other college accounts.

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Contact Numbers and E-mail Addresses

Main Switchboard - 410.263.2371