Below is a list of what you’ll need to do before you arrive on campus for Orientation & Registration. See the Santa Fe Academic Calendar for more information about events and happenings throughout the year.

The majority of the steps below will be done on your mySJC student portal. Access to this portal will be available within two months of your first semester and after you pay your enrollment deposit.

Your Fee Statement (bill) will be posted on your mySJC account in late November (Spring semester) or late June (Fall semester). At that time, you can make fall semester payments or set up your payment plan on mySJC. Payments or a payment plan must be completed by January 1 (Spring semester) or August 1 (Fall semester).

If you are applying for financial aid, you must finish steps to accept/decline your aid before it will be applied to your fee statement.

Review tuition and room/board expenses for the year.

Shortly before the start of classes, new students will have a scheduled move-in date and time and will start an orientation program to welcome them to campus. Please note that ALL registration paperwork, financial aid steps, and payment plans must be completed BEFORE you arrive on campus. If all of these essential steps are not completed, you will not be able to move-in on your scheduled time.

Convocation, a long-standing tradition at the college to formally welcome our new class, will be held at the end of orientation and shortly before your first seminar.

Please visit the Registration and Orientation page for more information

All undergraduate students are required to live on campus. This helps to create a sense of community among those attending the college and helps new students to adjust better to college life. Exceptions are granted for students local to Santa Fe, non-traditional students, and married students, but students seeking a waiver to this rule should send a letter of request to the Residential Life office. About 82 percent of undergraduate students at the college live on campus.

All residence halls are non-smoking, most halls are co-ed by floor, and there are a number of halls designated as quiet, substance free, single-gender, or gender-neutral. There are four residential neighborhoods: Uppers (Meem, Driscoll, Murchison, Kirby, Huffman, Anderson, McCune, Wagner, and Jones) which is mostly comprised of double rooms; Lowers (Calliope, Clio, Euterpe, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania) which is mostly comprised of single rooms; Winiarski (Ferdinand, Ariel, and Miranda) which are the newest buildings on campus, mostly comprised of single rooms arranged around central common areas; and Suites & Apartments which are generally occupied by upperclass students.

Students may have a roommate. Once roommate assignments have been made the Housing Coordinator will provide the names and contact information of roommates who give permission for us to release this. You will be given your room assignment at the same time. Residence halls are open for move-in after a student completes the registration process.

If you are able to contact your roommate before you arrive, it is wise to consult about large items such as furniture and rugs to avoid duplication and overcrowding. In general, less is more. Wait and see what you need. You will have the opportunity to purchase needed items once you are here. The college runs shuttles to all the major shopping areas in and around Santa Fe.

Furniture for each student includes:

• Extra-long twin-size bed frame and mattress
• Desk and chair
• Study lamp
• Wastebasket
• Bookshelf
• Dresser
• Mirror
• Closet space (average 4 feet wide, smaller in the Winiarski rooms)
• Windows with Venetian blinds
• Hard-wired phone and Ethernet
• Smoke detector

Residential rooms have basic furniture. You may wish to bring:

• Sheets (we recommend extra–long twin sized sheets)
• Towels
• Pillow
• Blanket
• Comforter or spread
• Small rug, other comfortable items like floor pillows or backrests
• Clothing, including winter jacket and formal wear for waltz parties and special occasions
• Hangers and laundry hamper
• Shoes (including shoes for sports and the gym, hiking boots, and shoes suitable for snow)
• Raincoat and umbrella
• Laptop (not required for work at St. John’s, but most students bring their own)
• Hobby or special interest equipment (camera, musical instruments)
• Sports equipment and apparel
• Toiletries (and a tote to get them to the shower)
• Dishes and glass or metal food storage containers to use in your room
• Laundry detergent
• Plasti-tak or other removable adhesives for mounting posters, etc. (tape is not allowed)
• Key chain for your key card required to enter your hall and the key for your room (for sale in the Bookstore)

Some students like to have electric water kettles, microwaves, or a small refrigerator in their room (maximum of four cubic feet in capacity).Hot plates, electric skillets, camping stoves, pressure cookers, and other appliances are not allowed. Other items not allowed are: candles, incense, pets, weapons, and self-defense devices such as stun guns. Smoking is prohibited by state law inside all campus buildings, including the residence halls.

Kitchens are located in common buildings. Laundry facilities are available in the Uppers, Lowers, and Suites & Apartments neighborhoods, and can be paid for using an app that connects to a student’s bank account.

Heavy luggage or packages may be sent to the college no more than two weeks before registration day.

Ship such packages to the following address:

Your Name
St. John’s College
1160 Camino de Cruz Blanca
Santa Fe, NM 87505

Label the packages “Hold for Registration.” This address is also your mailing address while living on campus.

There is no limit on the number of boxes that may be shipped. These packages will be held in the mailroom in the basement of Weigle Hall and can be picked up during office hours. Any items needed right away, such as bedding, should not be sent ahead.

Although majority of students bring their own cell phones, residential rooms are also equipped with phones that can receive incoming calls and make local calls.

To call a student: The main college number is 505-984-6000. Callers to that number can be connected to any residence. In an emergency, the Assistant Dean’s Office or the Public Safety Office will locate a student.

All new students living on campus are required to be on the 19-meal plan. Meals are served in the Dining Hall seven days a week. A variety of foods is offered at every meal, including gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan options.

The Coffee Shop is located in Pritzker Student Center. Snacks and meals can be purchased there all day and during some evening hours during the week. There are also a variety of snack and drink machines on campus.

Coffee Shop Hours (subject to change):

• Monday–Friday — 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
• Saturday — Closed
• Sunday — 12 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

The services of the Student Health Office are available to all students regardless of their health insurance provider. (Students must be covered by health insurance; for questions, contact the Health Center at 505-984-6418.)

Three therapists are also on staff. Appointments can be made directly by students. The therapist makes appointments with the psychiatrist as necessary.

The student ID is required for students to access essential campus services and facilities, including meal plan, package pickup, and building access. New students will receive their ID card upon registration and should carry the card at all times while on campus. Broken or worn cards may be replaced at no cost, and lost cards for $5.

Each student is provided with an email account. Your college email account is the official form of communication to students and should be checked at least twice weekly. Account information and guidelines will be provide to you from the Admissions office close to the start of the semester, after you have paid your deposit.

Students may park in student parking lots on campus. Parking passes are required for campus parking, and may be purchased at registration for $75, and provide parking for a whole academic year.

Bicycles are a good method of transportation around Santa Fe. There are bikes available for daily or semester-long loans from the Student Activities Center. There are several outdoor storage racks for bikes on campus, and you should be sure to have a secure lock. The city bus system has bike racks, which makes it easier to get back up the hill.

The Albuquerque airport can be reached via the Groome Transportation, which runs directly to the college, and the Rail Runner train runs between downtown Santa Fe and Albuquerque, where a free shuttle takes passengers to the airport. The Santa Fe airport can be reached by Uber or Lyft.

St. John’s College is located outside the main areas of Santa Fe. The college provides shuttles several days a week to locations within city limits, including grocery stores, shopping centers, restaurants, and events. Visit Santa Fe is a great resource for information on restaurants, local events, hotel accommodations, etc.

The Campus Bookstore stocks all program books required for St. John’s classes. Several translations and/or editions are available of most texts on the reading list, and the Bookstore keeps a complete list of all recommended editions, and a compilation of book advice/opinions/comparisons by St. John’s tutors. In addition, several of the staff are either St. John’s graduates or current students and will happily offer you their personal views.

The Bookstore also offers fiction, poetry, reference, history, sciences, and philosophy books to help you learn Greek or math, biographies of philosophers, books on writing, drama, art books, music, sweatshirts, t-shirts, baseball caps, and other SJC paraphernalia. School supplies like pads, pens, binders, and pencils, and some basic toiletries are also available!

You will receive your first assignments from the Dean before you arrive. They will be posted on your student account and emailed to you from the Admissions office.

Helpful tips when buying books

• Your Book Fee serves as a bookstore credit on your account. You may need additional funds if you are buying extra supplies or particularly expensive editions.
• You are welcome to use books you already have, although marginal or line numbers are useful and it is best to avoid abridged versions.
• Meem Library has multiple copies of all program books.
• Should you buy all your texts at the start of the year? No! Your tutors may have preferences, and upperclassmen will be able to give recommendations as well.

What you will need to start

• The Greek manual
• Euclid’s Elements (This will be given to you as a gift from the school at the start of the semester.)
• The freshman Lab Manual
• The freshman Writing Manual
• A copy of Homer’s Iliad (Students living within the US will receive this book in the mail in the spring or summer before they arrive. Students living internationally will receive an electronic version of the text and we will have the book waiting for you when you arrive on campus.)