For my fellow Americans, who are likely as confused as I was when I first applied: I'm still going to Oxford; St John's is just a part of Oxford. Think of it like Hogwarts. The University of Oxford is comprised of colleges; Hogwarts is comprised of houses. St John's College is my Ravenclaw. Oxford has 38 colleges and six halls. The main difference between a college and a hall, from what I understand, is that halls are tied to specific Christian denominations so the governance of a hall belongs in part to the college and in part to its corresponding denomination, whereas a college is run strictly by the university. Each college, like Hogwarts houses, has its own dorms, crest, scarf colors, common room(s), and sports teams. The college sports teams compete against one another and the academic side of the colleges compete for the House Cup top spot on the Norrington Table.
Here are some facts about St John's College:
- Founded in 1555. How awesome is that?
- The college crest looks like this:
Ours is the Nerdy
Just kidding, there is no motto.
The university crest looks like this:
Dominus Illuminatio Mea
The Lord is My Light
- The college is the only college to have its own pub. Hooray! It actually owns two pubs: the Eagle and Child and the Lamb and Flag. The Eagle and Child, referred to as the Bird and Baby, was a favorite of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, who were part of a writing group called the Inklings. They'd meet at the pub, have a few drinks, and talk about their book ideas. The Lamb and Flag is not only owned but operated by the college. Because of this, pints are really cheap and profits go toward funding D.Phil. scholarships. Hooray again! My pubbing habit will fund my studying habit.
- Tony Blair is amongst several notable SJC alumni
- Two of the biggest societies (clubs) at SJC are its drama group and its orchestra. I think I'll fit in just fine.
