Santa Fe is a dream college town that offers an adventure like no other.
Listed as one of the top US cities to visit in 2018 by TripAdvisor, Santa Fe is a creative hub full of cultural celebration, art markets, outdoor adventures, tech-savvy start-ups and global festivals. It’s no surprise that hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to this city every year.
But what does the future hold for an international student wishing to study in Santa Fe?
At the heart of this thriving, artistic city is internationally-recognised St. John’s College.
Dedicated to developing intellect and igniting imagination, St. John’s combines the college’s famous great books curriculum with all Santa Fe has to offer. Students delve into liberal arts subjects like politics, law and economics, literature, mathematics and the natural sciences through an interdisciplinary curriculum in-depth analysis of classic texts. As Quartz states, St. John’s is “The most forward-thinking and future-proof college in America.”
Recently featured in The New York Times, St. John’s College has also been praised for lowering its tuition fees from over $52,000 to $35,000 and is one of the Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL)—an elite group of American colleges known for their distinct academic experience. Therefore, it is an affordable academic pathway for all aspiring students.
Students come to St. John’s for the powerhouse intellectual experience, but they also get a Santa Fe adventure. The college sits in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains – the southernmost subrange of the Rockies. Here, students marvel at the wonder of the stunning aspen forests, enjoying heart-warming sunsets and laughing with friends on the placita.
Santa Fe is known as the south west’s cultural capital. Fondly referred to as The City Different, this place always has something new to offer students and adventurers. Downtown Santa Fe and the historic city plaza sit a mere bike ride away from main campus, close to Museum Hill and Canyon Road – a wonderful two-mile stretch of galleries and restaurants that can satisfy any hungry soul.
The city hosts an unusually high number of artists per capita, adding a cultural vibrancy and creative air to local student life. Meow Wolf, for example, is a popular, nationally-acclaimed arts production company that permanently resides in Santa Fe. Devising a range of highly-immersive multimedia experiences that encompass an enthralling world of imagination and storytelling, Meow Wolf presents an exciting source of inspiration for every willing St. John’s College student.
Empowered by a dynamic music, visual art and literary scene, dedicated students can apply what they learn within the creative classroom to fun and engaging real-world contexts, helping St John’s produce global graduates already instilled with valuable social, cultural and political perspectives.
For those looking to kickstart their career in a community of changemakers and innovators, this city in New Mexico is exactly what you need. According to Rutger Ansley Rosenborg, Editor of Exponential Creativity Ventures, “The ostensibly easy-going lifestyle of New Mexico, along with the state’s rich network of deep science and academia, has helped to generate a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem ensuring its promise as a hotbed of opportunity for startups and investors for years to come.”
If you love the outdoors, then you and your peers can take hike-and-bike trails around northern New Mexico, including the Atalaya trailhead that begins on campus. Alternatively, you can take a short walk to the Botanical Garden or venture to Nambé Falls and soak up the rays.
The college supports nature enthusiasts with its outstanding outdoor program and various off-campus backpacking trips to exciting destinations dotted around New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. But you don’t have to travel too far to witness some of Santa Fe’s amazing scenery, as this campus virtual tour perfectly demonstrates.
St. John’s also offers a 26,000 square foot Student Activities Center (SAC), accommodating a full-size gymnasium, two racquetball/squash courts, a bike loan shop with an on-staff mechanic and an extensive exercise and free-weight training room. This institution takes the health and wellbeing of students seriously, so there are free therapy services and counselling sessions available across campus.
St. John’s College in Santa Fe may be the perfect combination of liberal arts and college town. If you’re searching for an unforgettable study experience, look no further. With the ‘City Different’ on your doorstep and a diverse student body by your side, here, you’re bound to succeed.
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