Top 10 Most Liberal/Conservative Colleges

**Sirk** · 08-06-2008, 06:40 PM

Top 10 Most Socially Liberal Colleges

1. Warren Wilson College (Asheville, N.C.)

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The typical WWC undergrad "likes good organic wholesome food, a good local brew and bluegrass on a starry night, is health conscious but smokes hand-rolled cigarettes, dresses in work clothes but accessorizes, recycles, doesn't watch TV and knows some botanical-ornithological basics." To put it more simply: "This place is a haven for hippies and very left-wing people." Other types pepper the student body, including "surfers, farmers and punks, some people with dreadlocks, others with dyed hair. A small portion of the population has facial piercings and tattoos."

:lmao: oh how I hate hipsters.

2. Hampshire College (Amherst, Mass.)

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Students at Hampshire tend to be "socially conscious, left-wing and artistic. We are fond of do-it-yourself philosophies, from 'zines to music and film production to designing ecologically sustainable communities. We like a wide variety of music, and like to have parties in cramped mods at which we play this music at high volume. We are comfortable with smoking, drinking and drug use, in a laissez-faire sort of way. We may be vegetarian, vegan or meat eaters, but we like to cook, and we love to complain about the dining hall."

3. Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.)

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"Hippies, hipsters and geek chic" are common sights on the Bard campus, as are "people who have that 'I'm on the cutting edge of underground fashion' look." However, while Bard might appear to be "all about tight designer jeans, indie rock and everything else NYC or LA," the reality is "there are really a lot of normal college kids here -- people seem to think everyone here was a social outcast in high school, but most people here are friendly, social and pretty normal (although certainly a bit cerebral)." Undergrads tend to be "politically conscious and left-wing-activist types." One student notes, "If you're uncreative or conservative you probably wouldn't fit in. Other than that, just about anything works."

4. The Evergreen State College (Olympia, Wash.)

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"The hippie stereotype persists" at The Evergreen State College, but they are by far "fairly normal college students: studying, partying occasionally and experimenting with different styles and points of view." True, "There seem to be more vegetarian, vegan, and health-conscious students at Evergreen" and the 'normal' TESC student "may be atypical elsewhere; when something offbeat or out of the norm happens, we just shrug our shoulders and say, 'Well, that's Evergreen!'" Still, the population runs the gamut from "neurotically brilliant grandmothers to Army veterans to 16-year-old geniuses to queer forestry students to mildly syndicated cartoonists."

5. Bennington College (Bennington, Vt.)

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"Most of the students enjoy going against the grain" at Bennington. These "really interesting, crazy, creative brilliant people ... try to 'out-different' each other: Who can be the most eccentric? Everyone, no matter how nerdy, will not only be super cool here, but have a group of friends just like them." Although they insist that "there is no typical Bennington student," most students would concede that their peers "are usually creative, self-motivated, smart and hilarious. Among students here, there is a wide variety of social backgrounds, religious upbringings, intended academic concentrations and motivations. Politically, though, we are quite limited -- the vast majority of students are very liberal."

6. Reed College (Portland, Ore.)

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Reed students "are characterized by a love of learning for its own sake as well as an inability to dance like normal people. Skilled dancers can be integrated into the community with little difficulty, but academic slackers are quickly weeded out." Most "are the kind of 'closet geeks' that you'd never have known about in high school -- that is, the ones who looked really cool on the outside but on the inside were all about physics or classics or what-have-you -- or 'closet cool kids,' the geeks who were actually really awesome if only you'd bothered to get to know them." There's "one type of student you won't find much of: neo-conservatives. Mostly "students are left wing in political persuasion and are proud of it."

7. Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, N.Y.)

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With a motto like "we're different, so are you," it's not surprising that "Sarah Lawrence is like Mecca for creative, proactive, outrageous and independent students who want ultimate freedom in designing their education." Bohemian attire and alternative music are culturally prevalent, and "writers, artists, eccentrics, musicians, academics, activists and scientists all call Sarah Lawrence home." In fact, many students say that, "the typical Sarah Lawrence student looks like the atypical student at any mainstream university."

8. Simon's Rock College of Bard (Great Barrington, Mass.)

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Undergrads "are very smart, or at least smart enough to realize the conformity and uselessness of high school" and "are either very studious or very artistic, or caught somewhere in the middle." Some see Simon's Rock as "'nerd camp' all over again. From neon hair to preppy-looking science students, the Simon's Rock type is that there isn't one." Contrary to popular perception, "We're not all communist beat poets majoring in movement studies. Yeah, we have lots of vegetarian liberal kids in sandals from Vermont, but they [also] carry 3.3 GPAs and head our community council and fencing club."

9. Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)

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"There are common labels that get placed on people at Vassar," including "'hippie,' 'hipster' and 'pretentious,' and to a degree, the labels are accurate." Vassar is a comfortable respite for "indie-chic students who revel in obscurity, some socially awkward archetypes and some prep school pin-ups with their collars popped. But the majority of kids on campus are a mix of these people, which is why we mesh pretty well despite the cliques that inevitably form." What nearly everyone shares is "an amazing talent or something that they passionately believe in" and "far-left politics, with no desire or intention to try to understand any political view even slightly left of center."

10. Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.)

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Demographically speaking, there are "two main molds of a Wesleyan student: the preppy New England kid and the kid ... that [is] some kind of mix between a hipster and a hippie. Outside of that it's an extremely diverse group of kids who come from all over and have a wide range of interests." Most students here "are liberal and 'alternative.'"

**Sirk** · 08-06-2008, 06:40 PM

Top 10 Most Socially Conservative Colleges

1. Brigham Young University (Utah) (Provo, Utah)

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"Because of the nature of BYU as a private institution run by a religious group, the school typically attracts a lot of Latter Day Saint (Mormon) individuals," most of whom are "friendly, clean-cut and religious," with an "emphasis placed on education and social interaction." They "never drink or smoke, work part-time and spend weekends either at the library or trying to find someone to marry." As one student explains, "Because of our religion, many students are very preoccupied with marriage and finding their special someone. This also is hard for those of us who are not yet ready to look for a marriage partner or who don't want to start a family right away." In fact, atypical students -- there are some, "usually distinguishable by the way they dress (they try to stand out)" -- can find it "hard to be around this culture." One student writes, "Sometimes I get really frustrated and don't like how close minded and judgmental a lot of the students can be."

2. Grove City College (Grove City, Pa.)

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At GCC, "people are very focused on God. Many are involved in campus ministry groups, and almost everyone attends church on Sundays." As one might suspect at such a place, the kind of fun most students go in for here is of the "good, clean" variety. The dorms at GCC are single sex, but "Intervis (Dorm Intervisitation) is pretty popular." Intervisitation rules are pretty strict; in the words of one student, "Members of the opposite sex can only come to our rooms to hang out during allotted hours on weekends, provided the door is propped open and the lights are on." Alcohol is forbidden on campus, and students who are caught drinking, "whether they're 18 or 35," face strict penalties; the school administration "doesn't take that stuff lightly." Undergrads advise prospective students that at GCC, "There is pressure to find a mate by your senior year, so the opposite sex is often on one's mind."

3. University of Dallas (Irving, Texas)

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Many students at UD bring a conservative Catholic perspective to their studies, but "a lot of non-Catholics still enjoy this school a great deal." Some are quite religious, others less so; one student writes, "A very small group of students are sometimes so engaged in their religion they wear it like a shiny badge of righteousness, so you might think the school is full of these people, but it is not." For many, coming to UD becomes a family affair; one undergrad explains, "The first person in the family goes to UD, and gets everyone else hooked as well, so all of their younger siblings end up going to UD; several professors know or teach entire families over the years."

4. United States Air Force Academy (USAF Academy, Colo.)

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"Life is incredibly busy" at the Air Force Academy. "If it isn't schoolwork, then you are working out or working on military duties. There is free time, but it is limited and often best used doing schoolwork." It's often not possible for students to leave campus to have fun; one student explains, "As a freshman, you have a certain number of passes to go out. Plus, it's possible to be restricted. If you are on probation (for failing academics, athletics, conduct or honor), you cannot leave [without permission]." Students should note that underage "Drinking on campus is unheard of these days; it's illegal and tightly enforced."

I haven't dated an AFA cadet in like 10 years but back then a lot of them were getting arrested, drug and sex crimes. I hope they've cleaned it up.

5. University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, Ind.)

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Life at Notre Dame is centered on two things: "residential life" and "sports." The school "does not have any frats or sororities, but campus is not dry, and drinking/partying is permitted within the residence halls." The administration reportedly tries "to keep the parties on campus due to the fact that campus is such a safe place and they truly do care about our safety." Beyond residential life and sports, "religious activities," volunteering, "campus publications, student government and academic clubs round out the rest of ND life." Additionally, according to students, something like, "85 percent of Notre Dame students earned a varsity letter in high school."

6. Wheaton College (Ill.) (Wheaton, Ill.)

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"As cheesy as it sounds, [Wheaton] really is about the integration of faith and learning," students assert, telling us that the school "is a close community of students with the same values and beliefs doing their best to learn and grow closer to each other and to God." Students here don't "drink, smoke or do drugs. Period. (Except for the occasional 21st birthday, and even then they don't get smashed.)" Whatever they're doing, "Whether it's playing games on the dorm floor, going into Chicago with friends or getting involved in campus or church groups," "Life at Wheaton revolves around community."

7. United States Military Academy (West Point, N.Y.)

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Don't come to West Point expecting the typical college experience. As one student explains, "The military atmosphere makes everything different. Teachers are usually commissioned Army officers and strict discipline is maintained within the classroom at all times. Disciplinary actions ensure that students turn in assignments on time, arrive to class on time and do not miss class." Being a military school, it should come as no surprise that things at USMA are "uniform." "Most students are the same," notes a senior. They're "intelligent, athletic, honest and committed to serving in the Army."

8. Texas A&M University -- College Station (College Station, Texas)

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While "It is true that there is a very large Caucasian population at TAMU," there are also "large numbers of Middle Eastern, Asian and Hispanic students" as well, providing a good deal of diversity on campus. But keep in mind that it's Texas, and it's not Austin, so it should come as no surprise that A&M students tend to be politically conservative. Some point out that "conservative students are probably the most vocal, making it appear our school is more conservative [than it is]. From my experience, most students place themselves in the middle of left and right, making informed decisions when it comes to politics."

9. Furman University (Greenville, S.C.)

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"Furman kids are often viewed as being rich, white and preppy (sororadorable and frat-tastic are two common terms)," and "While the majority may fit into those categories," there are also "plenty that are outside that spectrum." True, the typical student is still "a southern (probably from Tennessee, Georgia or South Carolina), Protestant Christian of a conservative denomination, athletic, snappily dressed and hard-studying, but not possessing deep intellectual interest in more than a couple of subjects," but the university is working hard to overcome its reputation as a "a school only for conservative, rich, white kids" by "opening up its doors to many different types of people."

10. United States Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, N.Y.)

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Life at USMMA is rugged and highly regimented. It's especially difficult for first-year students (called "plebes"), who "are on lockdown most of the time" and "who clean everything. Rather than having a janitor service for the barracks, the plebes clean, and if cleaning isn't done well, we get in trouble with the upperclassmen." While many underclassmen jokingly compare the plebe experience to being "in jail," they also praise the way the experience of being a plebe molds character; as one student states, "Plebes have horrible lives to begin with. However, the structure and environment develop great leaders and provide a solid foundation for success."

So liberal schools are public and different all in the exact same way.
Conservative schools and private and religious or military.

**Nate** · 08-25-2008, 09:38 PM

All of these seem extreme to one point. I would not want to go to a military or religious college but I wouldn't want to go to a hippie college either. #10 Liberal college Wesleyan University is really close to where I live.