Knox College Admission
Knox College Undergraduate Program
Knox College Application

The Facts

Knox College is a small, private liberal arts and sciences school located in the town of Galesburg, Illinois, and is home to over 1,100 undergraduate students. The college is perhaps best known for its strongly knit community, and the individualized attention placed on each and every student. The absence of graduate students ensures that the focus remains entirely on undergraduate education, and students rave about the sense of the individual. The school has a terrific pre-medical program, and many pre-meds are able to apply early for medical school nearby. The arts are also a strong suit at Knox, and the theater and studio art programs get rave reviews from students. Some of the most popular majors at Know include psychology, biology, education, creative writing, and economics.

Admission to Knox College is not terrifically competitive numerically; however, the applicant pool grows with each admissions cycle, and many of the applicants are highly motivated individuals who have been academically successful in the past. Last year, over 1,600 students applied to the school for admission, and approximately 1,130 of those students were accepted; of those, about 270 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1090 to 1350, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 24 to 30. Additionally, over 68% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.6.

Knox College has a very manageable student to faculty ratio of 12:1, and one of the best features of the school is the teachers’ accessibility and willingness to help the students. They are available to students in one form or another day and night, and often form close bonds with their students that last well-beyond graduation.

The Social Scene

The town of Galesburg, Illinois, doesn’t really offer students much in the way of entertainment besides a movie theater and a small art museum. The campus is pretty much located in the middle of nowhere, i.e. Illinois farmland with the occasional factory. However, for those students who have cars (and many do), the cities of Chicago and St. Louis are each about a three-hour drive, and provide a nice escape for those students who crave a bit more urban excitement.

The school has a fair amount of fraternities and sororities, and students say that they pretty much govern the on-campus social life. However, if you are looking for rowdy parties, this probably isn’t the place for you. Students are far more concerned with academics, and rarely party their weekends away. The school also boasts a huge number of student-run clubs and organizations, running the gamut from Habitat for Humanity to Chess Club.

The dating scene is reportedly awesome, and the friendly atmosphere makes for an easy dating experience; expect a lot of corn-fed Midwestern beauties...

What’s Good

“The school places so much attention on the individual, and you really feel taken care of here.”

“On-campus housing is awesome, and its a great way to meet other people with similar interests.”

“There’s a lot of open space around to get a bit of peace and quiet when the academics get overwhelming.”

What’s Bad

“There is nothing to do off campus, and sometimes on campus for that matter. It gets boring.”

“It’s too small here; everything is really touchy-feely and you begin to feel like you’re being treated like a child.”

“If you’re a raging liberal who hates Republicans, I wouldn’t recommend coming to Knox.”

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