St John’s, one of the oldest and minted-est colleges in Oxford, is 800 metres from Carfax. Its awesome 15th-, 17th- and 18th-century buildings are arranged around six quads for the public gaze and the largest garden in Oxford. Meanwhile – like poor relations or pornographic tattoos – the modern additions are kept wisely out of sight. The only sounds during the day are the pen-jotting, page-flicking or pencil-chewing of diligent students. At night, though, students remove their thinking caps, let their hair down and get down to the bar, already full of the women rowers (the Sirens). Its reputation as an academically snooty workhouse isn’t entirely justified – Tony Blair’s rock career began (and ended) here, after all.
| Sex ratio (M:F): 62:38 |
Founded: 1555 |
| Full-time u’grads: 406 |
Part-time: n/a |
| Postgrads: 185 |
Mature: n/a |
State:private school: 64:36
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International: n/a |
| Academic ranking: 2 |
Disabled: n/a |
Largest bar is the Sirens’ bop venue; other activity hotspots in the Larkin Room, the Prestwich Room and the post-modern Basement band venue; auditorium used by St John’s Mummers drama group; fortnightly bops; ball every three years; two libraries (one for law) with 75,000 books, massive manuscripts selection; 40 computers, 24hrs; internet in most rooms. Fortnightly College mag ‘Talking Head’; brand-spanking new TV station, SJC TV; Anglican chapel with Sunday choir service; Laud Soc has termly religious discussions and dinners; active JCR with strong anti-fees sentiments; reading room; TV and games room; juke box; vending machine and photocopier. Motivated Rag. 10 acres of sports fields a mile away; two tennis courts and netball court. Women’s rowing doing well – as usual; tiddlywinks also popular, but there you go. All live in catered halls (£75-89/24wks); 10% en suite; 5-8 share kitchens with oven; very respectable quality rooms ranging from 16th-century to 90s style; daily formal halls. LGBT, Ethnic Minorities, Women’s / Men’s and Disabilities Officers. Doctor, nurse, counsellor. Free condoms, free attack alarms for women; better disabled access than most; £30,000 access fund; fat wads of grants, scholarships, bursaries and hardship funds available.
FAMOUS ALUMNI
Sir Kingsley Amis, Robert Graves, A E Houseman, Philip Larkin, John Wain (all writers/poets); Tony Blair MP (former PM).