Knox College Top Questions

Don't be discouraged by the initial appearance of your school, often it takes a bit of digging to find its best aspects. The guided tours can be great but they can also sometimes gloss over the real perks of campus life. Don't go into your college search thinkging that you know definatively what you want to do and how you want to do it. College has the uncanny ability to change people.

If you are a student, look for a campus that feels right to you, an amazing library, interesting and engaged professors, and access to study abroad opportunities. I cannot recommend study abroad more highly. Make sure you do it. Period. It will change your life and broaden your horizons in ways you would never have dreamed of. Think of the thing you like to do most, or the thing you like to most do or talk about, and make that your major. Then through yourself into your studies and you can't go wrong. Also, don't worry about becoming best friends with the first person you see, you'll be there for a while, and you will find amazing friends that will last you a lifetime. As for parents, support your kids, but above all, give them the space they need to grow and flourish. Let them try and sometimes fall flat on their faces because that is the way that we grow and learn! Feel free to comfort after a fall, but for all the sound and well learned advice that you've passed to us over the years, we still need to learn some things for ourselves.

I would give parents and students different adivce. Parents to you I say allow your child to explore different avenues and schools so that they really find a place where they feel comfortable and believe they can live and learn for the next four years of their lives. Students, make sure you choose a place where you feel you can belong, don't worry about living away from home, don't sweat the small stuff, work hard but also make sure to take the time to have fun.

I would encourage parents/students not to choose a school based on reputation or ranking but rather how student life on a particular campus and the location appeal or don't appeal to the student. After essentially finishing a degree in physics it's abundantly clear that the quality of my education has much more to do with my own dedication or focus and less to do with the professors I had along the way. Having gifted, accessible teachers is a wonderful perk but you can get a quality education at any college or university if you truly want to apply yourself and explore your area of study. I've found most people choose premier schools & use their school's ranking as a form of validation don't end up with as good of a mastery of their field as those who "no-name" at which they had a satisfying quality of life while pursuing their degree.

Very rarely does a college senior have a crystal-clear idea as to the exact area of study that he or she wants to pursue in college. Even if a college student does have a precise major in mind, a change of mind is quite possible once a student realizes the variety of posibilities open to him or her. Therefore, I believe that the most important thing a parent and/or student can do when choosing a college is not to worry so much about choosing a college based on an exact area of specialization, but instead to focus on the sort of person that graduates from a particular college. Talk to a variety of seniors currently attending a particular college and find out their life philosophies. After three years of attending the college, do the students seem truely invested in what they are doing? As a student you must be able to look into the future and ask yourself, 'do I see myself becoming this kind of person and being happy?' If the answer is yes, then you know that you are making the right choice and will get the most of your college experience.

I debated for weeks over my college selection so I understand the frustration that can come with the process. Ultimately, what I found to be most useful was to make a list of what qualities I truly valued, and then to create a list of the pros and cons of my final choices. This led me to select Knox College over Marquette University, a choice I have never regretted. It is important to go to college open to new ideas, ready to embrace fresh experiences that will change you. If you go to college with people you know, my advice is to be sure to meet other people and not spend all your time with your old friends. While this is a safe and comfortable option, you miss out on a great deal if you are not socializing. Finally, college is a perfect time to have fun. No parents! Enjoy yourself at college- it is four years of living an exception to the "real world," but make sure you keep up with school. The main reason college is so great is because you learn about topics never even mentioned in high school. So study hard, but enjoy the college life.

The most important thing for a student to get the most out of his or her college experience is to search for a campus that is comfortable to the student. The first thing to look for is the type of school, whether large or small and which area of the world or United States. After that, the decision is cut in half. Next, the student must consider their main area of desired study, activities, and simply the atmosphere of each campus. To fully understand the campus and people that attend each campus, overnight stays are necessary. After making a top 10 or top 5 list, stay overnight at those schools and at that point, the decision will be easy.

Don't decide on a college just because it has a big reputation or maybe one of your friends is going there. You really need to like the school regardless of what everyone says. I regret not doing an over night at Knox before I came here, so I would suggest that. Another thing to remember is that you may not feel like you will miss being home now, but trust me, everyone will experience being home sick while being at school, so choose the distance of your school wisely. I know I wish I was closer to home.

The process of finding a college is one of the most important decisions in a student's life as it will be the next few years of their life. The best advice I can give is to go on multiple tours of the colleges and if possible, have the student do an overnight at each college they are really considering to see what life is really like. Also, students should see how accomodating and friendly the other students are on campus, as well as the professors. Maybe, they could plan to attend a few classes with different professors to see how they like the class sizes, teaching styles, etc. All students should check out the freshman dorms, specifically the beds (comfortability), showers, locations of bathrooms and closet space. If the student is interested in sports, they should be sure to meet with coaches and other athletes of that sport. There are many other things to consider, such as academics, but students and parents must be sure not to get overly-stressed throughout this lengthy process.

A Student will know which college is right for them the minute they step foot on campus. Not because of the size, or freedom like most parents think. The student will know at the bottom of their gut that this is the school for them.