Being at school, you kind of have to have a rival. At South it was North (although they were always better than us at most sports, so it was mostly depressing). At Amherst it was Williams (kind of ditto, a lot of the time). Churchill College doesn't really have a rival, but at Cambridge, many find that rivalry with St. John's College. I don't know about their other teams, but their boat club (Lady Margaret Boat Club, more on this later) is pretty good, plus, the College has a little bit of a reputation for elitism (and the college is pretty wealthy): prime rival territory. And as with any rivalry, there is a lot of trash talking. There's even a song: "I'd rather be at Oxford than St. John's." To reference another famous rivalry, John's is often cast as the Slytherin of Cambridge.
At the same time, I have a lot of friends in John's, so I was torn when I decided to go on a formal swap there. Would I be offended by the stuffiness and wish I was dining at another institution some 60 miles away? Or would all the stories turn out to be apocrypha and John's just be another charming Cambridge college underneath it all?
I think a little bit of both were true, but first a few facts about St. John's:
The founder of the College was Lady Margaret Beaufort (mother of Henry VII), who is also responsible for the founding of another Cambridge college (Christ's) and a college at Oxford. Although she died before work on the college could commence, she left a provision in her will to make sure that her intent to found it was fulfilled. Her symbol (the portcullis) adorns the gatehouse (as it does many other buildings in Cambridge), as does the Tudor rose. The Gatehouse is also decorated with daisies (for "Margaret") and forget-me-nots in honor of her motto: souvent me souvient (remember me often).
The college is designed as a sequence of multiple courts that lead to the "backs" and the river Cam. A gorgeous bridge links the courts on either side of the river. The "Bridge of Sighs," as it's called, is covered like it's Venetian namesake (though there is where the similarities end).
Like all colleges, John's has some strange traditions. Apparently fellows of John's are the only people outside of the Royal Family who are allowed to eat unmarked swans. Traditionally, the Queen owns all of the unmarked swans in the UK, so this is a pretty big privilege.
Also, as I mentioned earlier, LMBC (Lady Margaret Boat Club) is what John's calls their boat club. The story goes that both Trinity (which is currently called "First and Third") and John's used to use the college name in the boat club. However, after an accident where a St. John's crew killed the cox of Trinity's second boat, both clubs were renamed. According to Wikipedia, this story is "entirely fabricated."
Contemporarily, St. John's is well known for it's May Ball. Last year it was named seventh best party in the world by Time Magazine. Since this is the 500th Anniversary, this year's ball is likely to be a blow-out.
As is likely obvious, John's is pretty traditional. This extended to dinner as well. Every plate, cup, and piece of silverware is crested, and each person is given an individually printed menu. If you don't fancy the dessert, you can request the cheese course, and both port and sherry are available before and after dinner. But to be honest, that isn't too much more intense than a lot of the older colleges. On the whole, I had a great time at John's. When we went to the bar afterwards (which, unlike the measly Churchill MCR bar, is staffed by professionals, not students), I made a brief note of the sign announcing that "Each Johnian is allowed up to two guests, who must be accompanied at all times." But even though it is a little stuffy, you've just got to smile, because that's just how John's is.
And when it comes down to it, if it's a choice between Cambridge and Oxford, I'd choose St. John's.
Some pictures:
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