Knox College

Date: Jan 24 2006
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
I graduated from Knox in 1996. I was an apathetic—though bright—high school student who had a less than stellar GPA. I attended a community college, dropped out for a while, then came back determined to apply myself. I did so well that I decided to transfer to the best school possible. I was determined to attend the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign, but then I fell in love with the idea of going to a smaller, snugly school. I read an influential book about the glory of liberal arts schools (Loren Pope's Looking Beyond the Ivy League), and I was sold. I chose Knox because it was in-state and offered a degree program in creative writing, which many undergard schools don't have.

I'm torn about my feelings for Knox. On the plus side, the campus is small but beautiful, especially Old Main and the library. I also made great friends during my two years at Knox and had a blast (in fact, I partied more than studied and Knox is not a party school). I also believe that liberal arts schools offer rigorous educations. Finally, when I was at the community college, I really looked forward to a small school where everyone lived on campus—you know, the whole community thing. I have a two-year-old daughter, and I'd love to see her go to a liberal arts school, though not necessarily Knox (see my comments about name recognition below).

On the negative side, the small student population can be suffocating, and even though Knox sells itself as an open, friendly place, I found it surprisingly clique-ish. Classes were challenging, but at times instructors were too loose and liberal. One English prof. basically had the students present the material, in panels, which could be a good idea if the prof supplements the students' comments or briefly teaches, but this specific course was essentially a ten-week, unfocused chat about literature. I learned very little, but to young students (I was an older (twenty-four) transfer student) the prof. appeared cool and anti-establishment—it didn't matter that no one really learned anything. Even now, as an MA holder who is set to begin a PhD in English, I still look back on that class—taught by a highly respected prof whom I won't name—as silly.

I also wish Knox were more well-known. Even in Illinois, most people haven't heard of it. Downstate, yes, Knox has some pull, but in Chicago, nine out of ten people won't know Knox. When I was a student, I bought into the whole liberal arts sales pitch: reputation is overrated; it's what you learn and apply that will carry you through. I agree, but now I wish I had gone to a school where I could learn and apply what I've learned AND have a recognizable name on my transcript. If I could go back in time, I would have applied myself more in high school and applied to Northwestern. If I had to attend a liberal arts school, I'd attack Grinnel or Macalaster or Oberlin or Carleton or any of the many fantastic schools out East.

Knox is a good place for those who have their goals set on graduate/professional school, and many Knox students do go on with their education. In that sense, Knox has a good reputation. People in academia sometimes know Knox. Knox also has a lot of financial aid to throw around. Knox essentially cost me the same as the University of Illinois would have.

I recommend Knox overall, but be sure what you are getting into. If you really support the liberal arts philosophy, great, but keep in mind that their are liberal arts schools out there with better reputations.