St. John's College has one purpose, one curriculum, and one distinctive identity. The college is centered on reading and discussing the great books of Western civilization across the spectrum of human thought. Alongside names such as Plato, Shakespeare, Euclid, Nietzsche, Einstein, and Austen, students wrestle with ideas in interdisciplinary classes of 20 students or fewer. Every class is a discussion led by one or two faculty members. Students call themselves Johnnies, and they are original and unconventional, love big questions and discussion, and are excited to join an intellectual community of thinkers. The shared curriculum unites Johnnies in a common endeavor, and it includes books focused on philosophy, literature, psychology, political science, religion, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, music, history, ancient Greek, French, and more, spread across four years of study. During junior and senior year, students also take elective classes where they focus on a book or an idea, and these culminate in a major piece of writing called the senior essay. Instead of choosing a major, all students graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in the Liberal Arts.Over 70% of Johnnies attend graduate school, and the college is among the top for the percentage of students receiving PhDs in the humanities and sciences. Well-known alumni include Francis Scott Key, author of the Star Spangled Banner, Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records, Lydia Polgreen, editor of the Huffington Post, and Ben Sasse, United States Senator from Nebraska. St. John's is one college on two campuses--one in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the other in Annapolis, Maryland, both of which are ranked among the best college towns in America. Students are free to transfer between the two campuses. In Santa Fe, Johnnies immerse themselves in southwestern culture, the outdoors, and the country's most vibrant art scene. During their junior year, students can study abroad in Aix-en-Provence in southern France. St. John's is the third oldest college in the United States, founded in 1696.