St. Jerome's University (Canada)

Date: Oct 30 2013
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
St. Jerome's is excellent in terms of small class sizes, approachable faculty, and a welcoming atmosphere. Both Arts and Math faculties have genuinely good teachers, who take an interest in their students as people, not just numbers. Introductory English courses seemed very basic to me, but I would imagine this to be almost universally true. Upper-year courses were significantly better than those on main campus in purely academic terms, as well as just student-to-teacher ratio and friendliness. There's the odd prof who's crazy smart, and thus a little more challenging; just speak with them as much as possible and their courses will be quite manageable.

The fact that SJ is a Catholic university may seem inconsistent with the approach of many Arts courses—until one recalls that it was founded by the notoriously liberal Resurrectionist order, and was a hotbed of social justice Catholicism and folk Catholicism during the '80s and '60s-'70s respectively. Both of these trends are by no means extinct! You will run into the odd classical-learning Great Books professor, though.

If your political alignment is to the left, you should sincerely enjoy all Arts courses at SJ. But regardless of politics, you'll get a better chance to engage with your professors and other students, pursue your interests in your field, and benefit from exposure to a few mad geniuses who will still have your best interests at heart.

Out of all the Waterloo residences, SJ's is the friendliest and has the most community spirit. At a school-wide concert, I've been proud to hear the traditional cry of "SJ!" elicit responses of "[Yo]u know!" from our good people scattered throughout the crowd. There are lots of events and activities if you're into that kind of thing, and opportunities for volunteers abound. Partying happens, but isn't insane; some dons are chill, some less so, most will let you off if you're not too obvious. But remember, it's Catholic not Protestant; alcohol is part of the culture! Residence isn't cheap, but includes an unlimited meal plan, with quite decent cafeteria food. Almost everybody knows everybody; there are vague cliques, but they're not mean or overly exclusive. As a plus, the top brass are often involved in student life, and you can easily get to know them on a first-name basis. Basically a very fun atmosphere!

If you're looking at this because it's a Catholic university, know that there is an active spiritual dimension on campus, with Masses in the chapel, bible studies and more; quite a few students typically go to the conveniently timed 7 PM Sunday Mass. But remember, you'll find this a very liberal spiritual environment.