Knox is a very prestigious school. Though it's small and your every day common person probably hasn't heard of it, Knox's name carries a lot of weight in the academic and professional community. The campus is beautiful and historic, and parts of Galesburg are as well. Galesburg has a pretty bad reputation on campus because there are many run-down areas in the town due to a high unemployment rate. However, it gets a lot more attention than it deserves and I've never found the town dangerous or scary. I would have to say that my favorite thing about Knox is the close relationships you form with EVERYONE! I'm friends with my professors, suitemates, people I work with, etc. It's a small college and if you don't know someone, you probably recognize them or their name.

I'm not going to lie: Knox is a very difficult school. However, I have found the entire experience very rewarding and I would never choose another college. I'm on a first name basis will all of my professors and I know most of them on a personal level. The classes are really fun and interesting because many of them are discussion based. I have only had a few large classes (i.e. more than 25 people), but even those have been manageable and my professors still knew who I was. I have never felt uncomfortable asking professors questions or emailing them with something to look over. A few of my professors have even invited me to their homes for dinner or in association with a club event. Overall, the professors at Knox are truly unique and I feel very privileged to have this experience.

You will find every possible type of person at Knox. We may be small, but we're very diverse! I have found that the vast majority of the student body is completely accepting of LGBT students, students of other races, international students, diverse religious practices, etc. Students here are also financially diverse. The majority are probably from average, middle class families, but there are many students who are on either the high end or low end of the socioeconomic spectrum. Overall, probably 80% of the students are liberal or left-leaning. This does create some tension for some conservative students, but I haven't seen it as a huge problem overall. Just be prepared for it!

The campus is very active and there's ALWAYS something going on, whether it's impromptu or a planned event hosted by the college. Greek life has a significant role on the campus, with five fraternities and three sororities. Though Greek life has a presence, it's not a dividing factor if you don't make it out to be. I'm in a sorority and I still have many non-Greek friends. Being a part of Greek life is probably the best decision I have ever made (aside from deciding on Knox!) and I thoroughly enjoy being a part of it because it's very different from the stereotypical fraternities and sororities. I never thought I would ever be a sorority girl but now I can't imagine my life without it! But if Greek life isn't your thing, there are plenty of other things to do on campus. There are house parties basically every weekend and drinking is a popular weekend (and sometimes weeknight) activity. However, there are also activities that don't involve drinking. Many people simply hang out in their suites on the weekends or go to concerts, plays, and other activities that the college sponsors.

It's so easy to make friends on this campus! Some of my closest friends are those that I lives with freshman year. The suite arrangement makes it really easy to make friends because you automatically know 7 other people. You also make friends with people from your clubs or sports. I think this atmosphere is due to the fact that most people come to Knox without other people from their high school, so no one knows each other--you're all in the same boat!

Knox students are often stereotyped as strange and liberal. From Galesburg residents' perspective, Knox students are often (but not always) seen as rich kids who have too much to say.

Though some Knox students are indeed weird, and most are liberal, I've never seen it as a real issue. I think it's actually pretty great because everyone can find their own niche! There are some problems between Galesburg residents (who are commonly referred to as "townies") but all it takes is spending some time in the town and with residents to break that barrier down.

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