Sydney Life

Sydney Uni is full of hidden treasures - just imagine my surprise, though, at discovering that St. John’s College plays host to the skull of St. Bede the Lesser (which, of course, led me to ponder: was there a St. Bede the Greater? And why was he so great?) Apparently, Reverend Roger Vaughan received the skull as a gift (ok, so it wouldn’t be on my registry, but who am I to judge a man born in an iPod-less age?) and when he became rector at St. John’s, he presented the relic to the College. Over a century later, it remains there.

St. John’s was established in 1858. It’s a co-educational college, with a strong Catholic tradition (for example, it was founded by the first Archbishop of Sydney, John Bede Polding). That Catholic heritage remains for the 181 students currently at John’s - while it’s not compulsory, students are encouraged to attend Sunday chapel services, and daily prayers can be heard at mealtimes.

John’s also has a buzzing social life: the Students’ Club directs social, cultural, and sporting activities. For this year’s O-Week, John’s hosted a Rubik’s Cube party, for example. All party-goers had to wear six different coloured pieces of clothing. The aim, by the nights’ end, was to be dressed in one colour from head to toe - which obviously involved a great deal of garment-swapping amongst the crowd. Apparently, asking to borrow someone’s leggings is quite the ice-breaker.

One of the big drawcards for St. John’ is its mentoring program. Basically, John’s alumnus are encouraged to give something back to their old college by acting as a mentor to current students. It’s kind of like a Big Brother/Big Sister program, where students and mentors discuss academic, personal, and career issues in a very informal atmosphere.

Like most colleges, John’s has resident academics and tutors if you’re in need of some extra help. One of the great things about being in college is that everybody is studying, so when it comes to exams, you’ll have a really supportive (albeit frenetic) study atmosphere.

9394 5200
www.stjohns.usyd.edu.au
admin@stjohns.usyd.edu.au