How hard is it to get into St. John's?

[Anonymous]

My son has his heart set on going there, and I don't know how realistic an option it will be for a B student coming from MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son has his heart set on going there, and I don't know how realistic an option it will be for a B student coming from MCPS.

There are some recent threads on here, do a quick search.

Make sure he has good grades and does well on the HSPT test. Start prepping from now...

This year was a tough year for most catholic schools as they had record number of applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son has his heart set on going there, and I don't know how realistic an option it will be for a B student coming from MCPS.

I'd be optimistic, if I were you. But you really need to go talk to the Admissions people at the school and get their sense of his chances.

The clever answer to you question might be "Harder than it used to be".

More people are applying probably becuase they are concerned about the public schools.

The school has undergone a lot of positive changes in the last several years powered by a large alumni group that contains a significant number of very successful Washington people who really do care about the school.

Genuine interest in a school counts for a lot. Of course, they'll be interested in what else he brings to the party. Is he an athlete? Is he interested in the corps of cadets?

[Anonymous]

How do you communicate your interest? It seems like they have an open house rather than a tour, and that there's no interview. Is that right? How do I help them hear my son's voice explaining why he thinks it's a good fit for him?

[Anonymous]

Totally depends but having his heart set on it is not a good idea. Our Catholic elementary has a very good reputation with SJC and there were still qualified kids that didn't get in this year. (qualified in the sense that they probably would have gotten in during other years. Shows that demand is getting greater)

The other thing is SJC's legacy pool has gotten bigger since going co-ed years ago. They have a strong alumni base and those guys are happy to be sending their boys and girls now.

It would probably help if he expresses interest in their military program. They want to keep that strong.

[Anonymous]

OP here

Anonymous wrote:Totally depends but having his heart set on it is not a good idea.

II know! How do you convince a middle schooler of that?


It would probably help if he expresses interest in their military program. They want to keep that strong.

The military program is a huge part of why he interested, so it is good tp know that might help!

[Anonymous]

They recruit heavily for athletics, so if he is already a gifted athlete or he looks to have potential in terms of size/strength/speed for football for instance, then he/you should contact the specific coach to express interest and inquire about the specific sports program.

[Anonymous]

It's cake. One of the easiest private schools to get into. Don't sweat it - it's everyone's safety school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's cake. One of the easiest private schools to get into. Don't sweat it - it's everyone's safety school.

It used to be but that has definitely changed - especially in the past 5 or so years. Once they started sinking millions into their sports facilities and upping the academics offered in the De La Salle Scholars Program, their reputation took off. Of course it helps that they kept their tuition a bit lower than some of the other comparable Catholic schools.

[Anonymous]

say what you will, cheap and easy to get into. that's the story with St. John's

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:say what you will, cheap and easy to get into. that's the story with St. John's

One person's opinion aside (quote is not a prevailing thought), that does not make St. John's a "bad" school, does it?
The school's website is not as comprehensive as other privates in terms of data/information, but I have not heard many negative
opinions about the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:say what you will, cheap and easy to get into. that's the story with St. John's

. Maybe that's true maybe it's not. But let's remember that not every kid around here needs to go to an Ivy League college. It's nice to hear of a school that has a spot for kids who are not-so-entitled/wealthy/brilliant!

[Anonymous]

They said 1000 apply. 500 are accepted and 250 enroll (approximately) last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:say what you will, cheap and easy to get into. that's the story with St. John's

I always thought that was Gonzaga.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:say what you will, cheap and easy to get into. that's the story with St. John's

I always thought that was Gonzaga.

Gonzaga? You have got to be kidding???? Very competative.