Knox College Top Questions

I really like the atmosphere at Knox College. The smaller campus, classes, and student body make it a close-knit community. Professors only teach two classes a term so they have lots of time to talk to students and answer their questions. The professors are also really open and I am happy to say that I love having my Choir Director's guacamole at her house as we listen to our performances as a group (the whole choir). She also happens to be my adviser and has really inspired me to pursue music. The one thing I'd change is how departments communicate. I feel like there could be more inter-department projects. For example, we have great theater and music departments but we don't have musicals, I think that would be a great addition to the resume of any actor or singer going into worlds of opera or musical theater. I spend most of my time in the Center for Fine arts as I'm a music major and a studio art minor. I'm either practicing, drawing or composing for piano.

I absolutely love Knox. It is a really welcoming, warm environment that places a high value on diversity, creativity, initiative, and community. I have always been encouraged to pursue my interests and have been given many tools and opportunities to do so!

I love Knox College. It is a very friendly environment, which I was not used to back home. People say hi, wave to each other and sit down and have lunch with you even if they are not your best friend. I think it is pretty cool to have that at a school. Knox has about 1400 students which is smaller than my high school, but I love that. It makes for a really open campus and a lot of friends. There is always someone you know walking around. I spend a lot of time either at the Gizmo or in the Student Lounge. The Gizmo is sort of like a little fast food restaurant. It has good food and is a place where you can hang out and study in. Our student Lounge has some of the comfiest chairs ever and it is really nice to do homework.

Knox college has really down a fantastic job of providing me some tremendous opportunities, many of which have been facilitated by faculty taking an active interest in my education and and future. Many advisers and professors have helped me receive quite generous sums of money to fund my own research projects, and as a biochemistry major I cannot underscore how fantastic of an opportunity that is, and as a student I feel deeply supported by the entire community.

I love this school. I have from day one. The people I met my first night on campus are the people I am still best friends with today, three years later. And I've picked up some new ones on the way. The thing I really love about the social dynamic is that your major doesn't define you. I am a science major but my closest friends are in the creative writing department, political science, photography, and elementary education. The school is small enough that you recognize most people by the end of the year but there are still new people to meet in every class or every night out. When I tell people I go to Knox they are either impressed or completely oblivious. To those that know Knox, primarily in Illinios, the name carries a lot of weight, but because it is so small many people have never heard of it. I spend most of my time hanging out with friends in one of the cultural centers on campus or in the student lounge. The Gizmo is also a favorite place to study or socialize between the warm atmosphere and the food. It’s not unusual to find a faculty member hanging out in the Gizmo either. In general I like the school's administration. There has been a lot of turnover in the last two or three years as administrators that have been here for years retire or move on. I am really optimistic about the goals and drive of our new president, Teresa Amott. She's been very active on campus, attending events hosted by clubs and the school alike. She wants to get to know the student body and our personal goals for the college and how she can ally them with her own. Students and faculty alike are proud to be at Knox. There is a lot of mutual respect between professors and students and thanks to the Honor Code there is a lot of encouragement and opportunity for cooperation on school work. A lot of people wear a lot of purple and Knox themed clothing on a daily basis. Support for athletics by the student body has been weak for a few years now but this year has shown a huge improvement at attendance of sporting events. And the games have been a lot more fun for athletes and non athletes alike as more people are becoming involved. To me, and most of my fellow students, Knox is home. I can’t imagine having chosen to go anywhere else.

Being from New York City, Knox was not an easy place to transition into. It is small, in the middle of cornfields and about 3 1/2 hours away from Chicago -- major no bueno if you need a city fix and have no family there. Anywho, I always did my work and had a great personality about it. However, I think my change in demeanor for the small town got around. One day while walking Deam Javier Romano approached me. He knew me by name and said he heard good things, would love to speak to me and asked me to make an appointment with his secretary. So, I did and not with the naïvité that this conversation would be all peaches and roses. We did indeed have a good conversation, but he did bring up concerns about city students on Knox Campus. We talked about how we could fix the problem of dwindling excitement experienced by students from major cities and how we could remedy that. He said he would fund it and from then on I had a new respect for Knox. Faculty members absolutely do what they can to ensure all students get their money worth and feel at home. Definitely a memory I will never forget!

- There are many opportunities for research grants, most of which are readily accessible to students (often too accessible actually). - Social scene is terrible; one must chose between live-action role-playing and getting sloppily drunk at one of the many fraternity parties each weekend. - Poor relations with the town of Galesburg - Worst nickname in the U.S. (Prairie Fire) - Administrative Bureaucracy is very complex; access to funds often becomes an issue of bureaucratic untangling. - Nothing to do ever. - Student Government is weak and ineffective. - Students are generally 'leftists' and are generally not strongly religious. - Students are politically apathetic. - Typical student works hard, produces sound, yet bland and unimportant work (possibly due to not requiring standardized testing scores for admission). - Nothing happening in the community at all; don't go here if you want to foster connections or try to make a difference. - Ugly campus. - Generally, Knox College is a poor institution with an ugly, depressing campus, no social scene, and students without initiative. The faculty is helpful and small class sizes allow for one-on-one instruction (if the student reaches out). Research opportunities are plentiful.

Knox likes to pride itself on being a haven for bright students and people with a strong social consciousness. The reality, thought, is that it has become a magnet for students who can afford the high price and are into partying their weekends (and weeknights) away.

Most of the people I know have a love-hate relationship with the school. The very best thing about Knox is the people. Although they may often do crazy things, if something goes wrong, there will always be people willing to look out for you. You can make some of the best friendships in the world at Knox. However, classes are very demanding, and it is fairly easy to get stressed out. Also, although you would assume that it is easy to get bored, as on-campus activities are somewhat limited, there is always something going on at Knox, often student-directed. In sum, even if they profess to hate the school, most students are still intensely loyal to Knox. They care about what happens to Knox, and take action to make sure it remains the college they want it to be.

A small school in a small town makes for close friendships

Knox could fall under the Cheer's theme song ("Where everybody knows your name...") because the size of the campus really does lead to an overwhelming awareness of every one on campus. You may not know a person, but you definitely know who they are and probably something about them. This gives the campus a personal and comfortable feel that sometimes can be overwhelming or lead to what some call our "rumor mill" or "gossip mill," but which mostly provides the energy and life of our campus social life and I don't think that most people would be willing to give it up if they really though about it. Everyone has a niche on campus, whether you are the gaming type, activist type, uber-academic, fun-loving, athletic, or any other category that you would be willing to file yourself under. Your interests and extra curriculars really define who you are on our campus and there are plenty of opportunities to create your own niche. At Knox, you really feel like you have the power to accomplish things. The administration understands that we are adults who are capable of making many decisions for ourselves and allows us to learn from the challenges we may face by trying to make them. Independence and freedom are two qualities that I say define every part of the Knox experience.

Knox College is a great school. I came here for the Creative Writing program and ended up broadening my horizons to History and Classics as well. The campus is large and the college community is tightly knit, which adds to the sense of family you get at Knox.

The best thing about Knox has got to be the cultural diversity; there are students from all over the world. Having conversations with my peers was often times more educational than classroom experiences. However, there really isn't much to do here. There will be a couple of performing arts events per term, perhaps an art show here and there, but that's about it. Knox pulls in one "big" act per year, but they usually get some second-rate comedian or a magician - only recently has the school caught on that students would much rather have a live music act than something of that sort. Knox was just the right size when I began my first year in 2004 - right around 1200 students. Now, we're approaching 1400 and it's bad news. We're running out of places for students to live (they've resorted to building cramped dorm rooms in the basements of pre-existing residential buildings) and the relationships between students and faculty have suffered a lot. 3 years ago, Knox made the submission of standardized test scores optional on the application, and it clearly wasn't the best choice. I completely agree that the SAT and ACT are corrupt and inaccurate measures of intelligence and academic ability, but the classes that have entered Knox since the test-optional policy was instated are visibly less-intelligent than their predecessors. Knox is in Galesburg, IL - a town in which I've lived for ten years now. Galesburg is a relatively small town which has been plagued with economic plight for the past 6-7 years. Several large factories outsourced to other countries, leaving thousands of blue-collar workers unemployed. Stores began closing left and right, and people left Galesburg in search of new opportunities. Now, we have a mall with more vacant space than stores and no real opportunity for recreation. There are nice spots here and there - coffee shops, Lake Storey, Standish Park Arboretum, and nice restaurants downtown - but mostly, you're left wondering what to do with yourself in your downtime. So, Knox students devised their own solution to this problem: ALCOHOL! If you don't go out drinking 3-5 nights a week, you probably won't have many friends and you will probably hate Knox, and you will probably transfer. So it goes. The administration are money-grubbing appeasers, who have no problem lying to students to stop big problems from developing. The faculty are largely very intelligent, passionate, caring, and kind - although there is some anti-Greek sentiment here and there. Visiting faculty are almost always disappointing. The Greek system is big, with close to 10 organizations encompassing over 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student population. Despite its size, the Greek system is largely a positive presence on campus and is not elitist.

The bset thing about Knox is the relationships. Education at Knox is not simply learning in the classrooms, but learning how to effectively deal with people who are unlike you, or don't share your direct interests. The professors challenge you to be critical of anything, because otherwise your view will be biased and thus useless.

Knox is an extremely tight-knit community. There's a bond between the professors and the students. You won't be just a number to them. You will be a person that they will take a personal interest in. You get a much more personalized education process here than if you were to go to a big state university. When it comes to relationships among students, I feel the bond is even stronger. I've made friendships here that I know I will keep and hold dearly for the rest of my life. I met a lot of friends and that only makes the college more enjoyable. Another thing about Knox is the ability it gives us to flourish. Back in high school, it was rare that an underclassman received a major role in a play or musical. It simply wasn't done. The director would play favorites and always cast the same people in the lead roles. When I came to Knox, I was cast in a play right from the beginning. The director saw I had potential and wanted to see where I could go. It was a wonderful experience and I'm overjoyed that I was able to participate in something like that.

A GREAT SCHOOL. YES PEOPLE ASK, WHERES KNOX WHERES GALESBURG? especially back home in india, people go to huge univrsities with popular names, and they scorn when i say liberal arts college and that too not SMITH OR WELLESLEY but knox! but hey they dont know how amazing the education and experience is. great personal attention, great teachers, amazing funding and resources, amazing potential to grow. every step is nurtured and no idea is impossible. u dream and knox makes it possible. college town yes- twqo cute coffee shops close to campus many pubs too. nice arboretum apart from everhything else on campus.one doesnt need to venture out too much but when u do it is fun. a home away from home knox feels like and yet with all the international diversity it feels like a small globe. there is a lot of school pride and a lot of teamwork. i like the go green spirit these days. the food fat could reduce more and more organic food could be brought in( example- PHASE OUT WONDER BREAD PLEASE) new dining services director is great as he is trying to introduce better and more global food. knox deans' are amazing and so humble and approachable. facultuy and administration is one of the best strengths of knox college.

When I tell people that I go to Knox, I usually get a response like: "where is that?" or "I have never heard of that school." It is a very small school(1350 students) and is smaller than my high school. My favorite thing about Knox is that if you want to pursue an extracurricular, you can. Even more, if you want to hold a position in a club or organization, you can, if you try.

Knox is a small liberal arts college in the midwest. While small (under 2000 students last year), Knox doesn't always feel small. There's always something going on, and it's really easy to get involved. The faculty are, for the most part, very accessible and easy to talk to as well as amazing teachers. The dorm situation encourages interaction between people with the suite living style. Sometimes Knox can be kind of boring if you aren't involved.

Knox is a very open minded college, but at the same time they judge you. People here won't judge you for your sexual orientation, or your radical anarchist views. Rather republicans, conservatives and closed-minded people are in their closet. Very small, everyone knows everybody, nothing is a secret. Good luck keeping one. Knox is so small that unless you are a freshman, no one is new, and meeting someone new is as rare as seeing a ghost. People in Illinois know the college, no one else does. The administration is willing to help you. Sometimes they are so dumb that makes you wanna beat the shit out of them. But well, what can you do? Nothing. Just wait and wait for them to do their work. The Professors are the best part of this college, I would say. The small student body allows students personal interaction with the professors, and professors are always willing to help you. They even offer their help before you even ask. Also, some professors are really smart and very respected in their area.

Despite recent controversy, I think that Knox is a place very open to discussion. John Ashcroft was brought to Knox by the Knox Republicans this past spring, and there were a lot of protests, which got some very negative feedback. People kept saying Knox was not a place open to non-liberal ideas, but in John Ashcroft coming to Knox, his ideas were discussed, and the behavior of the protestors was vastly discussed, which I think means we have a good campus dialouge going. Everyone really likes Flunk Day. It's the best day of the whole school year. Most of the administration is in touch with the students, except for the President, who is mostly in touch with making Knox financially impregnable, which also has its merits.