Knox College Top Questions

One of the greatest things about Knox is that there is no typical student. This makes any stereotype, if there are any quite hard to define. The only thing I could say that encompasses a large percentage of the campus is that we're all very involved, passionate and really friendly.

Every Knox student is different so every time someone asks me what the stereotype of a Knox College student is I always say there isn't one. We are all so unique and different, it is hard to pinpoint one type of Knox College student.

Not always but there are always a few standouts that make the rest of the campus community look like it. This drives a wedge between campus life and the surrounding community. There is a "Knox Bubble" and it is created completely by the school itself. It excludes the area from everything.

for the most part yes. the students think they are all prodigies or great philosophers. either way, they feel like the only way to succeed is to make others look bad.

YES!!

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.

Yes

Knox certainly has students that stand out as weird or bizarre, but overall I think we are just your average representation of society. We were all probably the smart kid in highschool who was friends with people from every social group and got along with everybody.

yes

Not really. Knox has a lot of "lower income" students as well as higher end. Also, depending on the top, Knox students can and do pick a side and refuse to give in or listen to other opinions.

The stereotypes about the students are really accurate; but the stereotypes about the school tend to give it a better image than it deserves. Knox isn't hard to get into or hard to succeed in.

For the most part, but not entirely. Otherwise they wouldn't be stereotypes.

No. I know plenty of people who almost never rest because they have so many obligations to take care of, myself included.

yes:)

It is true that the students are liberal for the most part. It is a very good school. We were ranked #16 for liberal arts schools in the nation by Forbes

Yeah, pretty much.

Somewhat, there is definitely a hipster culture but not everyone is that way.

Yes, Knox students are nerdy and our sports teams besides the golf team and the baseball team are not very successful.

While there are some people who decide to live that lifestyle, there are a majority of students who don't. Knox is blessed with an extremely diverse community; although it is a small school, Knox has some of the most diverse students. The best part about living in such a unique utopia is that everyone knows everyone and it really is like a Knox Family.

See above.

To an extent, but I do not believe they encompass the entire community

Come talk to some of us and decide for yourself. Asking if stereotypes are accurate is an incredibly loaded question.

For the most part, yes. Knox is very liberal, but it also promotes the exchange of ideas. Knox students pride themselves on their involvement with the world around us.

yes!

to some extent; for every crazy liberal there is a crazy conservative, but the majority of the student body are non-judgemental progressives, in the sense they are opened minded, but lean toward supporting more civil and human rights than the conservatives in office do.

no.

I don't know

The majority of the student body is very down-to-earth, especially compared to a school like Reed. There's tremendous diversity at Knox, but a lot of kids don't bother to look for it. The majority of the people working for admissions are, indeed, white, middle/upper-class kids from the Midwest, and some students complain about a lack of diversity. There is, however, a thriving international community on campus. I live with an Indian, a kid from Boston, a guy from Myanmar, a guy who was born in South Korea, but lived most of his life in South America, and a white kid from the Midwest. It's all a matter of being open to meeting new people and not staying in insular social groups.

Yes. Sort of.

Yes and no. I am wierd but not wierd like the stereotype. And we are not all "flaming liberals." I am an Apostolic Pentecostal and God is what is most important in my life. that affects how I live on and off campus.

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.

There are a lot of hippies on campus, but not quite so many radical liberals. And for the most part a lot of views are respected around campus. There will be rude people wherever you go.

Knox is undeniably left-leaning. In a campus of nearly 1400 students, the College Republicans can claim 6 members. But, the campus does have a diverse political scene, as well as a very wide range of religious beliefs. And, the whole campus does not fit the hippie stereotype; we have several Greek organizations (not that some of the Greek kids aren't hippies). We are smart, and many of us were accepted to the Ivy League schools, but choose Knox for its much more laid back atmosphere.

Are Knox students weird? Maybe. I think some colleges that claim to have diverse, unique students end up attracting students who are all individuals in the same way, meaning that they are all unique compared to the people in their hometowns, but together they all end up with the same interests and opinions. What I love about Knox is that people are very unique, but in very different ways. We've got a bit of everything here, and I've found that each individual student I've met here has a very diverse set of interests and ideals, and most everyone is open to discussion about their opinions in a constructive way. Is everyone at Knox gay? Hardly. Knox is just a very open, accepting environment in many ways, which is attractive to people with diverse lifestyles because they are less likely to be chastised for them here at Knox than at many other colleges and universities. With regards to the 'Knox bubble,' I do think that there are some negative effects of the type of community that Knox advertises. People at Knox love the close sense of community we get here, and with that comes a tendency to react negatively to seeing people from Galesburg on campus; it creates in some people a negative attitude about the less fortunate "townies" who live in Galesburg and are not as fortunate to have gotten an education from a college like Knox. This attitude does not exist for everyone, but it is often reflected in Knox students' reflections on the town, and also on the attitudes expressed by people from Galesburg, who think that the students are a bit exclusive and self-righteous. We are currently taking steps to alleviate these tensions by incorporating Galesburg into Knox functions and taking some Knox events off-campus.

For some students, this is an accurate descriptions. But that also comes as a subjective thing, and some people might find others weird or not weird that I myself do. So it's hard to say.

The first one's pretty true. The people here are unique, but everyone's very nice for the most part. The second one is untrue (according to Betas) but a lot of them are jocks. And the sororities are not like stereotypical sororities. They're based on more than just being girly and partying.

Most of the people here are liberal, but there are quite a few conservatives too. We are known for having quite a few exchange students but the diversity of our campus is what makes Knox special.

Classes have been one of the last things on my mind! I mean, I think academics are really important and I do all my studying and assignments, but what really gets me caught up is the amazing opportunities presented every weekend with speakers, workshops, and parties as well as extra-curricular activities that just want students to get involved and take the reigns. I can't say enough good things about the theatre department here and how encouraged I've been to take my education into my own hands.

Yes.

(1) is extremely correct. it seems to me (as someone that drinks very little) that knox students are always counting down the seconds until classes (on a weekday) are out and the alcohol will begin to flow! (2) knox students are smart and opinionated. they know what they like/dislike and aren't afraid to talk about it. (3) knox really isn't all that liberal. our convocation speakers the last few years have been pretty liberal (obama, colbert, clinton) BUT i do not think the student body as a whole is as liberal as other schools i have visited. we do have a fair amount of die-hard conservatives, too (4) the latest PR slogan is "we are knox." however, its a running joke that knox students are really bad at making decisions. for many students, this stereotype is accurate. (5) contrary to the office of admissions, the student body isn't as diverse as they say it is. it seems to me that a majority of students come from chicagoland. international students are mostly european but there is an increasing number of chinese students on the campus as well.

Knox has an extremely diverse student body. We certainly do have the liberal hippie kids, but we also have conservative, people with strong religious beliefs, and people from diverse educational and economic backgrounds. We also have many, many "normal" sort of stereotypical Midwestern kids. Most everyone finds their particular niche at Knox. We party hard, but we tend to do it responsibly.

It's not true that the entire school body is any of those things. Yes, we're smart, but we also have plenty of people with -very- active social lives. There are plenty of attractive students here, too. We do seem to attract a liberal student body, which is not a bad thing in the least. Although, we have plenty of super conservative students, too. They just happen to be outnumbered. And yes, our liberal students DO have good ethical guides and moral codes. We're nice people! We're not snobs either. A lot of students have money, but there are plenty (like me) who came from working class or lower backgrounds, and are having a great time.

In general, yes. Knox is a liberal accepting community. Knox is very weird to those who don't attend and somewhat weird even to those who do. However, it is in general a good weird - a good different. If you enjoy your campus visits then Knox is for youm and in that case Knox rocks.

This stereotype is absolutely true. One of the main points of attending Knox is to learn to ask questions and this is heavily emphasized by the faculty. It also helps that Knox students are very involved in clubs, organizations, and world issues. Everyone has their own opinion and isn't afraid to voice it.