Knox College Top Questions

College is college, my gym teacher told me when I told him I was going to his almer mata because it didn't have the academics I was looking for. I beg to differ. College at some schools is a means to get a better paying job but at Knox it is an experience and growing process. And at the end of that you will be prepared to get a good job.

FLUNK DAY!!!! Each spring term there's a surprise day that the Dean plans where class is canceled and instead there's a carnival type event all day. There are 10 people called "the friars" who the Dean calls at 5:30AM and it's their job to go around campus and wake everyone up! People always try to figure out when it's going to be and people also do flunk day scares where they run around and bang on people's doors and windows and convince them that it's flunk day. It's mostly a day of institutionalized drinking and creating a huge mud pit near the dorms, but again, it's one of those things that you can choose to drink or not to drink. There's plenty of other stuff to do so it's not a big deal. Also, some things that are great about Knox! --close to the train station --trimester schedule (aka six week winter break from Thanksgiving to New Years!) --TONS of scholarships --great study abroad options

Ignore the crazies. Eventually they'll either go away and leave you alone, or they'll give up altogether.

Knox is a pretty crazy place, and it definately takes a certain kind of student to flourish here. Our cheesy tagline on the folders we give to prospective students is "Are You Knox?" But, in reterospect, it is a pretty important question. You must be self-motivated to succeed here and creative in order to fully experience everything the school has to offer. Definately visit before you make your decision and talk to students; we are generally friendly, if a little akward, and it will give you a better idea if "You Are Knox."

I really think there is no better place for me than at Knox, and that it isn't because of one defining factor; the culmination of all of the good things about Knox makes it, in my opinion, one of the best places in this world to get an education. I know now why all the Knox alumni I met before coming here were so enthusiastic about their experience here. Knox is not just a place to go to school; it changes your life and shapes who you are in a way that I think is truly unique. We always say that at Knox, if you want to do something, you can do it, and that's really true. It's so easy to get a club started if there isn't yet a club for one of your interests, and it's easy to talk to your professors. It's also easy to design your own major or do your own research with school funding, if you just talk to people. At Knox, it's all about making things happen and getting the most out of everything you do here. I'm sad I'll only get to be here for two more years.

When you're a freshman, don't fall into the stereotype of the freshman (especially if you're a girl). When I was a freshman I was in a dorm with girls who seemed determined to live out the "typical," freshman life and they went overboard. Be smart about what you do in your off hours and don't let your social life bother other people. Sometimes you draw the short straw and get roommates who are just so disrespectful and immature that they can easily make your lives miserable if you let them. Don't let them. TELL SOMEONE. Roommates like this are in the minority here, but you never know.

The theatre department is one of the best in the nation. It gives so many opportunities to aspiring actors as well as playwrights, directors, and designers. Studio Theatre is devoted to student work, and there are ample opportunities to be involved. I'm just a first-year and I've already acted in two plays, directed one, and been involved in a Playwright's Workshop as well as learning techniques from workshops offered on campus like stage combat and psychological gesture. Plus, there's Rep Term. A term devoted entirely to theatre courses where you and a group of other students essentially act like a theatre troupe, acting, producing, directing, and designing two plays that are performed at the end of the session. I'm so excited for it!

Flunk Day is better than Christmas. Take a look at it on the Wikifire.

Knox is a good school, and I am glad I chose to come here. However, I do not think we are particularly exemplary in any way. The social scene is okay but not great. Academics are good, but the typical student seems to be one who is really smart but not that motivated and not likely to bring academic concepts and ideals into their daily conversation and life. Many students are frustratingly midwestern, which can be hard for someone who came from one of the coasts. There is nowhere to go in town. There's not that much to do on weekends if you don't party. The campus is not that politically motivated or active. There are tons of clubs and organizations you can become involved in and it's easy to start your own if you don't see something you like. If you're the very high academic achiever type who wants to spend all their time studying and doesn't party, this might not be the place for you. If you are a staunch conservative, don't like homosexuals, hippies, atheists, and liberals, this might not be the place for you. BUT...Bottom line: you WILL probably fit in here, and you will probably quickly come to love it. I don't know anyone who really hasn't found a place at Knox.