Jonathon Christiansen
Class Year: 2015
Hometown: Delphi, Ind.
Major:Biology-Chemistry
SJC activities: Lil 500 and Intramural sports
Why did you decide to transfer?
A friend from back home attends SJC, and she recommended a good Biochemistry program.
What were you looking for in a college?
Friendship and professors who are easy to get along with.
Why did you choose SJC?
Good Biochemistry program.
How easy was it to transfer? Tell us about the experience.
When I called SJC, I was told that I needed to talk to Casey Hitchcock to get everything figured out to transfer here. She is amazing and helped me out a ton with transferring and getting all of my paperwork situated. I talked to her many times. She made me feel really welcome to come here. I looked forward to it so much. Everybody here is really enthusiastic and willing to help me get everything set up with no problem.
Are you receiving financial aid/scholarships? Is SJC helping you make your college education affordable?
I do receive financial aid and scholarships which make SJC affordable for me. If it wasn't for the school helping, I wouldn’t be here.
Talk about family and community at SJC.
Last year was my first year here. I got paired up with a soccer player as a roommate. As it turned out, he and the rest of the freshmen at the time turned into my best friends. They're like my family, and I wouldn't know what to do without them. The community around campus makes me feel at home and helps me get over being homesick. They really care for you and are concerned.
What do you think of your classes (class size, professors, etc.)?
Classes are most of the time no bigger than 20 people. It reminds me a lot of back home classes. I grew up in a small community. Having small classes makes a huge improvement on learning and understanding the material.
What do you think of Core? How does Core compare to the general education classes of your prior school?
At first, I wasn't a big fan of it. This year I'm a lot more used to it and glad it is this way. If I was at another college, I would have to take general education classes.
How are you maintaining your faith and service at SJC?
I am not Catholic; however, I am a Christian. Even though I am not Catholic, I am still involved with Kairos. SJC helps me keep in touch with my faith even though I am not of Catholic affiliation.
Have you found it easy to make friends and become involved here at SJC?
This year, I am part of the freshmen seminar class and I am a freshmen leader for a class. They really offer many ways for incoming students to get involved and meet new people. I never took the freshmen seminar class so this is new to me, but I have realized they really push students to get involved.
What are your plans after graduation?
I plan to either attend medical school or become involved with agriculture.
