SJC not work for a kid

[Anonymous]

Have seen lots of love for SJC on DCUM and in person. Wondering if there are kids that it hasn't been a good fit for and what those reasons might be.

[Anonymous]

I know some kids who did not like all the rules and discipline; they transferred back to public. Actually it seems they have eased up on discipline for some things like tardiness since Covid and they are definitely big on wellness, mental health and community.

[Anonymous]

I have a kid at SJC. If your kid is not athletic, SJC is not for them. I would never choose it again and regret sending him there.

[Anonymous]

I wish they went back to stricter discipline.

There are all types of kids there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at SJC. If your kid is not athletic, SJC is not for them. I would never choose it again and regret sending him there.

Could you please say more about this? I had heard about the importance of athletics at Gonzaga but had thought that SJC's larger size meant that while good for athletics, there was also plenty of other things for kids to do and find their people.

[Anonymous]

SJC has a wonderful theater program as well. My kid is not an athlete and is extremely happy there.

[Anonymous]

My kid is a freshman there and I'm not sure we made the right choice. He plays a sport which has been good, but its a big school and it has just been too much of a change I think. Having some partying concerns which I wasn't expecting so soon and he tells me a lot about how kids cheat on tests etc which really surprised me. Probably normal for a school that size but its new for him. Not what I was hoping he would be exposed to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at SJC. If your kid is not athletic, SJC is not for them. I would never choose it again and regret sending him there.

Could you please say more about this? I had heard about the importance of athletics at Gonzaga but had thought that SJC's larger size meant that while good for athletics, there was also plenty of other things for kids to do and find their people.

The athletics situation at SJC is much worse than Gonzaga because their sports teams dominate. They are striving to be like IMG. Athletes are recruited. If your kid wants to play a sport in high school, unless they are D1 material and recruited, they will not play.

Athletes rule the school, host very exclusive drunken parties and only hang out with other athletes. Big party culture off campus. LAX hangs with lax. Baseball with baseball, etc. It is a huge school and there are few in school opportunities to get to know your classmates. Your kid will need to be resilient. It is like a large public school that you pay for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is a freshman there and I'm not sure we made the right choice. He plays a sport which has been good, but its a big school and it has just been too much of a change I think. Having some partying concerns which I wasn't expecting so soon and he tells me a lot about how kids cheat on tests etc which really surprised me. Probably normal for a school that size but its new for him. Not what I was hoping he would be exposed to.

Please contact Mr. Themistos. The school needs to know about these issues. I’ve sent two sons through SJC and never heard anything about cheating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at SJC. If your kid is not athletic, SJC is not for them. I would never choose it again and regret sending him there.

Could you please say more about this? I had heard about the importance of athletics at Gonzaga but had thought that SJC's larger size meant that while good for athletics, there was also plenty of other things for kids to do and find their people.

The athletics situation at SJC is much worse than Gonzaga because their sports teams dominate. They are striving to be like IMG. Athletes are recruited. If your kid wants to play a sport in high school, unless they are D1 material and recruited, they will not play.

Athletes rule the school, host very exclusive drunken parties and only hang out with other athletes. Big party culture off campus. LAX hangs with lax. Baseball with baseball, etc. It is a huge school and there are few in school opportunities to get to know your classmates. Your kid will need to be resilient. It is like a large public school that you pay for.

Not our experience. My kids hang out with very nice groups of kids, most of whom were scholar athletes (Scholars Program) and some were in the Cadet Corps. Their friends are in a variety of sports: track, cross country, soccer, rugby, swimming, crew, tennis and golf.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at SJC. If your kid is not athletic, SJC is not for them. I would never choose it again and regret sending him there.

Could you please say more about this? I had heard about the importance of athletics at Gonzaga but had thought that SJC's larger size meant that while good for athletics, there was also plenty of other things for kids to do and find their people.

The athletics situation at SJC is much worse than Gonzaga because their sports teams dominate. They are striving to be like IMG. Athletes are recruited. If your kid wants to play a sport in high school, unless they are D1 material and recruited, they will not play.

Athletes rule the school, host very exclusive drunken parties and only hang out with other athletes. Big party culture off campus. LAX hangs with lax. Baseball with baseball, etc. It is a huge school and there are few in school opportunities to get to know your classmates. Your kid will need to be resilient. It is like a large public school that you pay for.

Your post is self defeating. You can’t be an athlete at SJC and also be a big partier. At least, not for very long. The training demands are so rigorous that if you don’t have strong time management skills you will not maintain the GPA to participate in your sport. There’s always someone behind you on the depth chart eager to take your spot if your commitment wanes. There are many non sport clubs to find your tribe.

[Anonymous]

My DC attends another school but I am going to agree that serious athletes are not partying. They are doing things like focusing on sleep, counting macros, watching film.serious athletes today are not like in the 90s. These future D1 kids have big dreams and seem way older than I was at the same age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at SJC. If your kid is not athletic, SJC is not for them. I would never choose it again and regret sending him there.

Could you please say more about this? I had heard about the importance of athletics at Gonzaga but had thought that SJC's larger size meant that while good for athletics, there was also plenty of other things for kids to do and find their people.

The athletics situation at SJC is much worse than Gonzaga because their sports teams dominate. They are striving to be like IMG. Athletes are recruited. If your kid wants to play a sport in high school, unless they are D1 material and recruited, they will not play.

Athletes rule the school, host very exclusive drunken parties and only hang out with other athletes. Big party culture off campus. LAX hangs with lax. Baseball with baseball, etc. It is a huge school and there are few in school opportunities to get to know your classmates. Your kid will need to be resilient. It is like a large public school that you pay for.

Your post is self defeating. You can’t be an athlete at SJC and also be a big partier. At least, not for very long. The training demands are so rigorous that if you don’t have strong time management skills you will not maintain the GPA to participate in your sport. There’s always someone behind you on the depth chart eager to take your spot if your commitment wanes. There are many non sport clubs to find your tribe.

Your post is exactly the attitude I’m talking about. One of absolute denial or possibly the parent of an athlete or SJC administrator. This person is asking for honesty for their kids sake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC attends another school but I am going to agree that serious athletes are not partying. They are doing things like focusing on sleep, counting macros, watching film.serious athletes today are not like in the 90s. These future D1 kids have big dreams and seem way older than I was at the same age.

+1. This has been our experience with an SJC athlete. Their level of dedication on a year round level is pretty impressive. I was definitely not this way at the same age. We were worried that it would be a “jock culture” and our then freshman would get some hazing. It was quite the opposite and the varsity players were incredibly supportive of the newbies. They definitely have fun along the way, but it’s two or three hour supervised practices six days a week then home, dinner, shower, homework, protein shake, bed. Repeat this for four years. It’s not how I would do HS but these kids seem to love it.

[Anonymous]

The school is strict with detentions. The sports situation has been disappointing especially if you have a son. My kid has always been a good athlete and the sports are just sooo competitive. You have to be willing to give up your whole life to play. They say there are lots of clubs, but my very social kid never does more than text friends. Never hangs out and the non-academeic clubs don't seem to happen.
Haven't heard anything about cheating. School is very strict so I doubt it.