<p>Is the student body more conservative or more liberal? And are the students politically active?</p>
<p>Would like to know what people think about this question also…</p>
<p>I’ve heard that is more balanced than most universities. The combination of Jesuit/Catholic identity and the liberal politics of Massachusetts (Boston) seem to offset each other. But this is what I heard from two visits to Boston College; not much to go from…</p>
<p>That makes sense though. Anyone else?</p>
<p>It’s balanced. I think the student body leans more to the left, but we definitely have passionate conservatives who are not afraid to speak up. The professors are to the left overall, but plenty of conservatives. The administration is pretty much Catholic to the core. I think BC is one of the most politically diverse institutions in higher education. You won’t feel alienated if you lean one way or the other because you’ll have plenty of backers on your side of the political spectrum. I tell you what though, we are not conservative like Notre Dame. We had Obama as the freshman convocation speaker for my class (2009) and John McCain the year after (2010). No protest for either one.</p>
<p>I remember that there was an uproar that the administration didn’t want to have a LGBT dance, and a lot of student protestors convinced them to have it.</p>
<p>I’ve read some articles that some alumni want the school to go back to it’s more Catholic roots, so I think the administration might be a little more conservative than the overall student population.</p>
<p>But, look at some of the speakers, and remember in the Northeast you’re probably not going to find a VERY conservative school.</p>
<p>Here’s what I have been able to glean: The students are in some regards centrist, but mostly left of center. The administration is definitely right of center. The faculty is probably mostly left-leaning (even the Jesuits themselves tend to be the hippies of the Catholic Church), but they are not occupying buildings and making ludicrous “tear it all down” speeches in class as at some other schools. BC is likely viewed as being more conservative because higher education is largely controlled by people with left-leaning ideologies, and so any school that tends to be more centrist is viewed as akin to BYU or Bob Jones University.</p>
<p>So I guess if you want to hand out “Free Mumia” T-shirts on the quad at BC (or the “Dustbowl” is what BC calls their quad), you can freely do so. But unlike at many other colleges, there may be students at BC who feel fully empowered to challenge your view and engage you in a dialogue on it. At some other schools such students would likely hold their words for fear of being jeered by calls of “Fascist”. I have come away with the impression that unexamined and half-baked positions – whether from the right or the left – are not given a free pass at BC. Healthy and balanced and reasoned debate and dialogue seem to be a core value at the school. Balanced debate scares the hell out of many extremists on both ends of the political spectrum. If you are one of them, BC is not for you.</p>
<p>I saw the play Angels In America there last year so I feel that while the Admin leans toward the right, they are beginning to allow more liberal policies/events on campus. I’m sure you will find people who share your same beliefs as well as some who oppose but respect what you believe in.</p>
<p>In my experience the student body is an even split, but the conservatives seem to be more active. That may just be because of the current political situation though. I had some liberal professors and some conservative ones, but they all disclosed their views and welcomed students calling them out on any perceived bias in their lectures. The administration is socially conservative but they allow for debate. They also lean towards more “liberal” causes on certain issues, such as being generally anti-war and anti-death penalty.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, this really helped. Personally, I don’t care if a school is more right or left, as long as both sides are heard. I like dialogue. :)</p>