Conservative at liberal college tips??

PragmaticMom
Thu, 06 Sep 2018 12:12:11 +0000

In response to the original post: my experience going to one of the most liberal schools on the West Coast was not uncomfortable at all. I grew up in a conservative household, and was myself very conservative at that time. I voted Republican in my first election (George Walker Bush) as a college sophomore. I participated in a weekly bible study group and went to church on Sundays, just as I did when I was at home. My roommate even hosted a small bible study group in our dorm room. I ate lunch with kids who prayed, with eyes closed and hands clasped on pubic display in dinning halls and campus eateries. No one made fun of us for it nor were my views disparaged in class. I was able to surround myself with people I related to - my inner circle friends were Christians (some were also very liberal despite their faith). I was a thriving philosophy and political science double-major despite my conservative views. How I voted on issues of guns, abortion (hot button then, too) and immigration only came up in conversation if I volunteered it.

That said, going to college did challenge me to reflect. Being around others who didn’t believe the same way made me question my own beliefs. I continued to vote conservatively and go to church for another decade. Eventually, on my own, my views became more liberal. However, if you fear this will happen to you (becoming a liberal) because of your college choice, then don’t go to a college where you think this will happen. It’s too much money to pay for something you don’t want. Do consider one more piece of advice from an older person: being socially outcast because of an unpopular opinion is going to happen a lot in adulthood. I work in a creative-ish field. I have to present and defend ideas all the time a room full of people who have different agendas. My ability to defend my proposals and ideas, honed in classes as well as hallway debates in college, is one of the reasons I’m good at what I do.

Good luck to you as you find the right fit! You will have a blast wherever you go.