What is your overall opinion of this school?
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.
What are the academics like at your school?
Academics at Knox are one of the best parts of the school. Professors like to come up with challenging and often creative projects for their students, but they are also very understanding of students' needs. If a student is struggling in any way, even if it has nothing to do with their classes, professors care and will try to help in any way they can. And the very best classes at Knox, are, of course, the creative writing ones! Creative writing professors neither turn their students completely loose and just tell them to write "whatever". Nor do they tell you how to rewrite your story. They actually help you to find your own way of writing.
And, of course, Knox students love to have intellectual conversations after class, especially philosophical ones. If you've ever enjoyed rambling on about the point of existence, Knox is the place for it.
Describe the students at your school.
Knox students tend to come from really disparate backgrounds, which is great because it really does spur some great conversations. There have been some recent discussions especially about race, which is good because it means such issues are not being ignored.
The one thing about Knox students is they tend to be ambitious. This doesn't mean that they will act viciously toward each other to weed out competition, but Knox is not always the best place for the less opinionated, quieter students. On the other hand, most Knox students are horrible procrastinators, generally beginning papers the night before they are due, so they are not too horribly obsessed with school work either.
The last thing is that students tend to swing fairly far toward the political left. However, there are certainly some very vocal Republicans at Knox. The one thing you can be sure about is that almost all Knox students are passionately devoted to some cause or another.
What are the most popular student activities/groups?
Knox is decidedly not a huge party school, although frat life is fairy active and many students do drink. Campus activities tend to be moderately attended. Mostly, students enjoy creatively entertaining themselves. Many get together on a weekend just to catch up on the news, watch TV together, chase each other around the dorms, or even create a Persian (as opposed to Greek) society.
A few clubs at Knox are very active, mostly those concerned with human rights. Many of the others only consist in a few students, but if you can garner enough interest, it is ridiculously easy to create a new club.
As for friends and dating, it is very easy to get together with interesting and interested people. However, it becomes difficult if there are disagreements, because it is impossible to go a day without seeing the person you are angry with, or who is angry with you, which can be very painful.
What is the stereotype of students at your school?
First of all, Knox students are considered to be extremely bad at sports.
Second of all, Knox students are considered to be pretty much involved in everything...the average student might be a chem major who dances in her spare time, and still manages to find time to volunteer at the local Boys and Girls club. Knox students are also rumored to form a very close community, both on campus and with the town.
Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?
Most Knox students are involved in a number of things...however, there is still a fair number that sticks to classes and watching TV in their spare time. Knox is a tight community in the sense that everyone knows everyone else by sight, and professors and students communicate often...however, the campus is still largely divided into cliques, and while the professors and other faculty are trying to encourage more interaction with the town, most students never interact with town residents.
And yes, sadly, the Knox teams are often sports-challenged.