Knox College Top Questions

I've found the Knox student body to be very accepting overall. Not everyone is open-minded, but for the most part people want to get to know other people based on their individual characteristics, regardless of the ways in which they are similar or different. I think there is some work to do as far as incorporating everyone all the time because people find comfort in the groups they identify with, so integration of people from certain groups with people of other groups is still a challenge, but overall people are accepting of who other people are, even if they don't necessarily have things in common with them. As a lesbian, I've found Knox to be one of the most accepting places of the LGBT lifestyle of any place I've ever spent a good amount of time. If I were to profile the kind of student who would feel out of place at Knox, I would say that a student who is unable to accept differences in other people would feel very out of place. For example, a student who is so set in their ways as to feel uncomfortable around people with other ideals, values, and lifestyles, would not fit in well here. People of all persuasions are welcome, but not if they are so strict in their ways as to want to impose them on other people. I'd say different types of students definitely interact, but I'd like to see more of it. We're much better off than a lot of campuses, but we have some work to do in that department. A large number of Knox students are from Illinois and the Chicago-land area, but not as many as people think. There are also a lot of students from all over the country, and lots of international students. We seem to be getting a lot of students from the Portland area lately, as well, probably because Knox provides an environment similar to that of Portland, but is far enough away to provide a different setting. Knox gives out a LOT of financial aid, so there is a wide variety of financial backgrounds among students here, and that is something that doesn't really matter among Knox students. I don't even really know who comes from what financial background here, because it doesn't come into play regarding who hangs out together or anything like that. Everyone here has equal opportunities, so money is not important. Students at Knox are pretty politically aware, but not all of them. We've got a good amount of very politically and socially active students here, but we've got our fair share of politically agnostic students. There are republican and democrat clubs, but the campus is primarily liberal and left-minded. I don't hear much talk about what people will earn one day; at Knox, I think it's more about what your are passionate about and what will make you happy in your life, than about how much money you'll make, and I really like that.

Very diverse, and very outspoken. A bit on the extremist liberal side, which can get really annoying sometimes, but all in all it's good.

One thing that is rather irritating about Knox is that you can NEVER tell what the weather is from looking at what people are wearing outside. We've got all kinds. Some people bundle up when it's 60 degrees and some wear shorts and sandals in snow. I think we have a really diverse student body, but it's not hard to find people with interests similar to your own.

Because of our diversity there are a lot of different kinds of people at Knox so what might be considered weird or different at other schools is widely accepted. Really the only people who might feel out of place are Republicans or conservatives. Basically, any kind of person you can think up, they are represented here.

The Knox community has a bunch of individuals, people who know who they are and how they express themselves. Students who just want to go to college to get the skills to do a job and then be done with it would feel out of place at Knox. Most people, if they don't already know where they're going, are actively searching for their place in life. Most students wear jeans to class, but on nice days, dresses, shorts, and capris make appearances. There are the fashionable, eccentric, and scrubby all across campus. Students are predominantly liberal from usually a bit more affluent backgrounds. They come from all across the United States, and we also have a greater than average percentage of international students, largely because Knox treats them so well.

Knox students are very accepting of other racial, religious, LGBT, socio-economic groups. I do not know anyone who feels out of place here. Some people try to start trouble about people not being accepting enough. However, I feel this is a misplaced discussion. Knox students try to believe that they know a lot about other cultures but they do not. As I said before they accept others but they simply do not know much about them.

Knox is diverse, in some aspects. Students argue - especially when it comes to politics. If you're way conservative, you may feel out of place. At the same time, however, it is important to note that Knox students are open to hearing new opinions. They may not agree, so prepare yourself to defend your position. Students where anything and everything to class. I saw a guy wearing a dress the other day... In the Caf, you've got tables for jocks and all of the frats and sororities. If you don't play sports or aren't in a frat/sorority...you sit wherever else. As much as [especially] sororities comment on how "open" they are, they really aren't. They'll be nice to you all the while encouraging you to join their sorority.

One complaint I have about the Knox student body is that different groups of students move very much in their own circles. Although I do feel there is no "typical" Knox student, we have our cool kids and hippie kids and weird kids, etc. At times it can feel like being in high school again. The Greek kids and Jock kids (many of whom coincide) sit on the opposite side of the cafeteria from the hippie liberal kids almost uniformly and there is not much interaction between the two groups. People of different ethnicities or countries of origin hang out almost exclusively with each other. I keep getting the feeling that I may only think of Knox as a liberal hippie school because those are the people I hang out with and there is another whole Knox world out there who would have a completely different picture of the school social life than I do.

There's a group here for everyone. Almost any major issue, there's a group devoted to it. Any major political movement, there's a group. Anything you are passionate about, there's a very good chance you'll find at least 20 others who feel the same. Knox seems to be a very mixed group of people, and almost everyone will interact with each other at some point. We're pretty much a huge group of eccentric people. One of our star football players is a regular at the local poetry slams and writes with most amazing poems. No one is sure which he is praised for most often. His playing, or his poetry.

Knox's student body is liberal and is generally pretty accepting. It is an extremely diverse school for its size. I chose Knox because of its diversity and I have not been disapointed. It is a great place to meet different kinds of people.