FREEING MINDS A Campaign for St. John's College
Freshman Registration is August 21, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. It is important to have completed and returned all of your forms prior to arriving on campus. During registration, you will receive your dorm and room assignment. Dormitories are open for students to move into upon registration.
Convocation, a long-standing tradition at the college, is held at 4:15 p.m. in the Francis Scott Key Auditorium. Family members are encouraged to stay for this annual ceremony when the freshman class is officially welcomed to the community.
Freshman Orientation begins on August 22, followed by seminar. View a complete calendar of the academic year.
International students may arrive on campus starting August 18 for International Student Orientation, which begins on August 19.
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. Exceptions are granted, but married or older students seeking a waiver to this rule should send a letter of request to the Director of Student Services, Taylor Waters. About 82% of undergraduate students at the college live on campus.
All dorms are air-conditioned and non-smoking. Dorms are coed, usually by floor. 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). Typically, students will be placed in a standard double sized room with a roommate. Typical freshman houses are Humphreys, Randall, Campbell (coed by floor) and Paca (coed by room). Students with special needs and accommodations may be able to request a single room through Student Services.
Freshmen have at least one roommate. Assignments are made through responses to a questionnaire completed over the summer. The housing questionnaire will ask about the student’s living habits, personal preferences, and personality and match them with students who might be a good fit. Once roommate assignments have been made—usually in early August—the Director of Student Services will provide the names and contact information of roommates (who give permission for this information to be released). You will be given your dormitory and room assignment on registration day. Dorm rooms are open for students to move in after registration.
If you are able to contact your roommate(s) before you arrive, it is wise to consult about large items such as furniture and rugs to avoid duplication and overcrowding. In general, less is more. Wait and see what you need. You will have the opportunity to purchase needed items once you are here. The college runs shuttles to all the major shopping areas in and around Annapolis.
Furniture for each student includes:
Dorm rooms have basic furniture. You may wish to bring:
Some students like to have a small microwave or refrigerator in their room. 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.
Kitchens are located in the basement of Campbell Hall and on the first floors of Humphreys, Gilliam and Spector halls. Laundry facilities are available in the basements of Campbell Hall and Chase-Stone Hall, Iglehart Gymnasium, and on the first floors of Gilliam and Spector halls.
Heavy luggage or packages may be sent to the college two weeks before registration day.
Ship such packages to the following address:
Your Name St. John’s College 60 College Avenue Annapolis, MD 21401-1687
Label the packages “Hold for Registration.” This is also your mailing address while living on campus.
There is no limit on the number of boxes that may be shipped. Large boxes will be held and distributed from a storage room on campus. Signs will be posted at the registration table designating pickup places, dates and times. Small boxes will be held and stored in the college mailroom and a package slip will be put in student mailboxes with pickup information.
Although the majority of students bring their own cell phones, students can arrange for phone installation with the local provider (Verizon) if they wish. Each dorm has a college phone on each floor.
To call a student: The main college number is 410-263-2371. Callers to that number can be connected to any dorm floor. In an emergency, the Assistant Dean’s Office or the Public Safety Office will locate a student.
All freshman students living on campus are required to be on the 21-meal plan. 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.
The Coffee Shop is located in the basement of McDowell Hall. Snacks and meals can be purchased there all day and some evening hours during the week. There are also a variety of snack and drink machines all over campus.
The services of the Harrison Health Center are available 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.)
Three counselors are also on staff. Appointments can be made directly by students. The counselor makes appointments with the psychiatrist.
Nurses working in the Health Center can write prescriptions for local pharmacies. Some of these include:
The nearest hospital to campus is the Anne Arundel Medical Center. Health Center nurses can assist in making appointments with specialists. It is recommended that students go through the Health Center while making doctors’ appointments as they work in close contact with medical providers around town.
For more information, please see Health Services FAQs.
Iglehart Hall has a cardio room equipped with treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical machines, and rowing machines. It also holds a weight room with free weights and various weight machines, a yoga studio and an elevated running track around the basketball court. There are separate locker rooms and bathrooms for men and women.
During the academic year, the gym is open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Thursday, and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Hours differ during the summer.
St. John’s College participates in four intercollegiate sports including fencing, croquet, crew, and sailing. We also have intramural sports where students play various sports like soccer, flag football, netball, basketball, and volleyball. Learn more about the athletics program in Annapolis.
The St. John’s College 1Card is the official identification card of the college. The 1Card is required for students to access essential campus services and facilities including meal plan, library privileges, printing services and building access. Freshmen will receive their 1Card upon registration and should carry the card at all times while on campus.
The St. John’s College 1Card also features a prepaid spending account—Campus Cash—that provides a convenient, secure way to make cashless purchases on campus while enrolled at the college. The St. John’s College 1Card allows students to make purchases at our campus bookstore, dining locations, print shop, and laundry facilities.
In July, all freshmen will receive a letter from the college with additional information about the 1Card. The secure link to add Campus Cash to the card is stjohnscollege1card.com.
Each student is provided with an SJC email account and a personal folder on the student servers. Your college email account is the official form of communication to students and should be checked frequently. Account information and guidelines will be provided during registration.
Freshmen and sophomores may not park on campus, in any campus lot. If you wish to bring a car, please note that parking is limited in the city of Annapolis. Some students park in the Naval Academy stadium, which is within walking distance of the campus. See Pinnacle Parking for more details.
Bicycles are a good method of transportation around Annapolis. You should be sure to have a secure lock and register your bicycle in the Public Safety Office once you arrive. There are several indoor and outdoor storage racks for bikes on campus.
Getting to Annapolis is easy. Baltimore-Washington International Airport is only 25 miles away, and also houses an Amtrak station. On Saturdays the college provides a shuttle to New Carrollton, the nearest Washington DC Metro Station.
Students can utilize Uber services to get from Annapolis to various locations around the area. Some sample prices are as follows:
St. John’s College is located in downtown Annapolis within minutes of great restaurants, coffee shops, and stores. The college provides weekly shuttles to local malls and shopping centers. Visit Annapolis is a great resource for information on restaurants, local events, hotel accommodations, etc. See below for a list of shopping centers and malls nearby:
Annapolis Towne Centre at Parole (Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Whole Foods, Pier 1) 1906 Towne Centre Boulevard Annapolis, MD 21401
Trader Joe’s 160 F Jennifer Road Annapolis, MD 21401
Westfield Annapolis Mall & Bow Tie Cinemas 2002 Annapolis Mall Road Annapolis, MD 21401
Annapolis Harbour Center (Old Navy, Nordstrom Rack, DSW, Ulta, Bow Tie Cinemas, LOFT) 2512 Solomons Island Road Annapolis, MD 21401
The Campus Bookstore stocks all program books required for St. John’s classes. Several translations and/or editions are available of most texts on the reading list, and the Bookstore keeps a complete list of all recommended editions, and 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.
The Bookstore also offers fiction, poetry, reference, history, sciences, philosophy, books to help you learn Greek or math, biographies of philosophers, books on writing, drama, art books, music, sweatshirts, t-shirts, baseball caps, and other SJC paraphernalia. School supplies like pads, pens, binders, and pencils, and even laundry detergent and some basic toiletries are also available!
Find your first assignments in a letter from the Dean.
Helpful tips when buying books
What you will need to start
Several banks are located within walking distance of campus and many of them offer free checking accounts to St. John’s students. Students who work at the college in the federal work-study program will have checks issued to them every other week, which can be cashed at the bookstore.
Some local banks include:
