St. Joseph's University | Student Reviews | Best College

Student Profile

Brenna

Class: Junior
Major: English
Gender: F

High School: Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville NJ
Transfer Student: N

Big Picture

My two favorite aspects of life at St. Joe's are the spirit of the student body, and being located in the city of Philadelphia. Every student here has a lot of pride in where they go to school, and Hawk Hill is always a lot of fun. Students here work hard but know how to party, which is a good balance. Being in Philadelphia offers a lot of cultural and social oppurtunities for Hawks to meet students from other Universities and expose themselves to the art, theater, music, shopping, and bar scene of a big city. One complaint is that the neighborhood is pretty unsafe and sometimes it seems as though not enough precautions are being taken to protect students.

Academic Life

I love being an English major. My classes are never more than 30 students, and every English professor I have had has been extremely helpful in developing my talents as a reader and a writer. I am minoring in marketing, and taking courses in the business school is completely different, but most professors try to have a personal relationship with their students and advise them in their future career paths. The general requirements are pretty intense, with a heavy emphasis on philosophy and theology, as this is a Jesuit school. This can be difficult for students to understand, however taking courses in these subject areas goes along with the University's message to be people for others. Elementary Education, Business, and Political Science are some pretty popular majors, but their is quite a variety of programs to choose from, and a lot of people study abroad. The most unique class I had here was a course called Actor into Director, which was composed of 3 students. The purpose of it was to take students with a background in performing arts, and give them the tools to get behind the scenes of theater and direct a piece at the end of the semester.

Student Body

It is very rare to walk into the cafeteria at SJU and see a student eating alone, or to go into the library and see a student working alone. There is truly a sense of community here, and students from every walk of life are able to find someplace where they belong, and other people who they can relate to. Most students are from the tri-state area, but really students come from all over.