In order to be prepared for college life, doesn’t it make sense to engage in the practice of college? At Thomas Jefferson (TJ), you will hear bells (only at the end of classes and only in the morning), but you will have free periods in between your five (or, for juniors and seniors, four) morning classes. These periods are indeed free. You can prepare for the next class’s quiz, hang out or study with classmates in the Common Room, walk around the campus, or relax in your dorm. You get to decide – provided that you keep up with your work.
We want to make you responsible for your own learning, following our founding headmaster’s saying that “A person will work harder for himself than he will for anyone else.” You don’t have to sit in a cramped space in an ill-fitting desk with every minute planned for you. Thus, when you face the unscheduled blocks of time in college, you will know what to do with them: prepare, reboot, reorganize, and reflect.
7:45 to 8:05 |
Buffet-style breakfast. Day students arrive about 8:15 each weekday. |
8:30 to 1:10 |
Four or five classes plus free periods and family-style lunch. |
Afternoons |
Different for each student. Normally there are two hours free for studying (including study hall for those who need it), weekly language and science labs, an hour of athletics or fine arts, and optional extra-curricular activities. |
5:00 |
Day students return home. Of course, a student can request permission to stay later if a study group or club meeting makes it necessary. |
5:45 to 6:05 |
Dinner for boarding students. Like lunch, dinner is served family-style. There is no assigned seating at meals. Five-day boarders arrive by dinner each Sunday evening and leave for home before dinner on Friday. |
After 6:00 |
For the first part of the evening, students may work wherever they wish: their own rooms, friends’ rooms, or the Main Building. Again, structured study is there for those who need it. |
Late evening |
Students return to their own dorm rooms, where they continue their studies and hang out with friends. |