There is no way to name the best thing about Knox. I could name any number of things, from the sense of community, to the wonderful faculty members, to Flunk Day. Even though Knox wasn't my first choice school by a long shot, I can't imagine being anywhere else, and I recommend a Knox education to anyone who thinks they might like a place like Knox because I truly believe Knox is a unique place for people to create an identity.
If I had to change one thing, I would probably wish for better food, but no matter where you go, you're going to get sick of the food, and the "Caf" does offer the materials to make some pretty delicious food if you are willing to get creative. Our new Dining Services Director is also taking big strides to make new options which he often cooks himself, and wants to get the students involved in the decisions, so I expect that will get much better as time goes on.
When I tell people that I go to Knox, I get one of two reactions. Either they have never heard of it and have no idea where it is, or, they know someone who went there and therefore react very positively to the idea. One of the main things that attracted me to Knox was that every person I met who'd gone to Knox or knew someone who did said that they absolutely loved it. They LOVED it. I never even met someone who said they just LIKED it. That excited me.
I spend most of my time on campus either in my suite with friends hanging out or doing homework, or in the Center for Fine Arts, where most of my extracurriculars are held. When the weather's nice, I spend as much time outside as possible because the campus is gorgeous in the fall and spring.
Galesburg is far from a college town, which was one of my biggest aversions to coming here in the first place. However, I rarely find myself needed to go off campus to find entertainment. There is always a lot going on right here on campus, and when I'm not attending one of those things, there's always homework. If I do feel the need to get away, Peoria is a 45 minute drive, and it's also very easy to just take the train up to Chicago. Group trips to Target are always a blast as well, and there are 5 dollar movies on Tuesday nights at the town movie theatre, with free popcorn and drinks included.
Knox's administration is very approachable, as well as very dedicated to doing the best they can for the students. The Deans at this school are all wonderful people, who genuinely want to give you the best for your money here, and are there to help you through both academic and personal struggles. At Knox, the students really do have a voice.
The biggest recent controversy on campus has been a debate about whether or not to continue to have Greek life on campus, or whether the current Greek system should be capped so that it doesn't continue to grow. Both faculty and students have been debating the issue for a while now, and it is still an ongoing discussion. While Greek life on the Knox campus is profoundly different from the stereotypical Greek system of a large university, some people don't think it's positive effects on the student body outweigh what they see as negative effects, so a lot of research is being done on what the Greek system does and does not do to make Knox a great place to get an education.
There is a lot of school pride here, and I love that it's not school pride that's focused on a sports team or anything like that; we have genuine pride for the institution that is giving us our education. I love it here.
There are many things unusual about Knox. We have a purple track... one of five in the country supposedly. We also have one of the few remaining college carnivals: a day called Flunk Day which happens every Spring Term. It is a surprise day, starting around 5:00 a.m., when students are woken up by a group of Seniors known as the Friars, and a day of festivities occurs in place of classes for the day. Another unusual thing about Knox is the ability of students to be consider equals with their professors. For example, I have had dinner with several of my professors, and have no qualms about going to see them and talk to them about class or about life in general. That kind of comfortability with the faculty and administration was not something I expected to encounter in college. Another interesting tradition is Pump handle. It begins with the President shaking one of the Dean's hands, and then another Dean shakes both of their hands, and a line forms, so by the time everyone has passed through the line, you have shaken the hand of every student and faculty member at Knox.
One experience I'll always remember was my first night at college as a first-year. There is an event called "Play Fair," in which the entire first-year class is brought together on the lawn at night and you play a bunch of ridiculous games to get to know each other. What's wonderful about it is that you are there, at a time when you're vulnerable and uncertain, yet you're standing there with your entire class, doing ridiculous things together. There aren't that many colleges where you could get your entire class together in front of one building to play games together.