This discussion was created from comments split from: Colleges with no Greek Life.
We visited CA schools for my son but realised that it is just too far to travel. Also, Rice is a great school but DD is adamant about not applying to schools in Red states. Also, TX in particular is disturbing due to its nutty gun laws!
@londondad My D feels the same way although Southwestern U looks great! She won’t go near any state with gun laws that allow – or in Texas’ case force – guns into the classroom. States with “stand your ground” laws are also out, like Georgia, or Florida. Crazy stuff happens around those laws. So no New College of Florida either for us.
You know, she grew up born and raised in NYC where she’s never had to deal with guns.
Ironically.
Despite stereotypes about the place.
Rice U. does not allow guns – http://www.rice.edu/campus-carry.shtml
private universities are allowed to ban them.
Most states have either “stand your ground” laws or in practice, according to the map in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand-your-ground_law .
However, behavior of police and prosecutors can vary significantly in different states and localities, even when the written law is the same.
If she is a senior in high school now, she grew up in NYC after its great drop in crime to become one of the safest large cities in the US.
@Dustyfeathers and @londondad Every private college and university in Texas has banned guns in the classroom. Please don’t let the Texas gun laws get to you. We have lived in the Dallas suburbs for over 20 years, and my daughter is currently enrolled at a private university in Texas. I can tell you that I have never seen anyone openly carrying a gun, or even hinted that they will openly carry. I haven’t seen any impact of any recent laws in the cities or suburbs. It might be a different story in the rural areas though.
In an ironic twist, the only time in my life that I have seen a gun on an ordinary person was while getting off a commuter train in downtown Los Angeles about 25 years ago. A man’s sport coat had gotten caught around the gun that was stored in the small of his back and exposed the gun. I had seen him on the train before, and I suspect that he was a plain clothes police officer.
@sciencegirlmom It is just not the gun laws that bother DD. It is the appalling overall political environment of Texas.
@londondad I couldn’t agree more with your statement. Political climate has been a big factor in the college search for my daughter. And while there are many, many great schools in the south and many other “red” states, we have stayed away from some because we fear the different ideology could be an issue, especially in light of the recent campaign and what seems to be a growing divide in our country. This is sad, but unfortunately, a new reality. Or a reality that has always been there which has recently surfaced.
So while I do think that most students can find their niche at most schools, I do think it’s important to understand the overall culture of the schools to which you are applying. Just like it’s important to understand how “Greek” a school is.
When looking at the % of students participating in Greek life, you do have to dig a little deeper. Some schools don’t include freshmen in the number but use the total student population for the calculation, thereby depressing the %. You also have to look at the number of kids who ‘wanted’ to join Greek life, but weren’t given a bid. This number is hard to get at, but if it is significant it can indicate, that some not involved in Greek life feel excluded and not able to fully participate in social life at the school.
@collegemomjam Great post. Thanks. My daughter is extremely fortunate that she has good all around application credentials and is credible for a variety of good schools. As a result, she has been able to find some great choices that fit her goals in the Northeast. Mid-Atlantic and Midwest without having to apply to schools in Red States. In the end, she will not lose any sleep over her decision not to apply to Vandy, Wake Forest, Rice, etc and those schools will get along just fine without her.
I think our daughters applied to/avoided a lot of the same schools! My daughter will also end up in the Northeast or Mid-West. Luckily there are so many great schools in this country that can meet the various needs/wants of a large variety of applicants. I do think it’s important to do your homework to try to find the right fit!! Good luck to your daughter!!
^ Thanks, you too!
@londondad @Dustyfeathers @collegemomjam I’m a current senior and I am VERY liberal, but I’ve lived in Texas my whole life. Overall, the political climate is obviously conservative, but I don’t think it’s so bad that it should deter anyone from applying to a school here that they would like outside of its location. I’ve literally never seen anyone walking around with a gun in my entire life, even though I was born and raised here in Texas. And you might encounter some extremely conservative people, but overall most people don’t push their views down your throat, and there are quite a few liberal people here as well. We had Women’s Marches all across the state and several airport protests about the Executive Order too. Just my two cents.
Ppl keep talking about never seeing anyone with a gun…hello…it’s a CONCEALED weapon. They are all around you. Open carry is one thing, concealed weapon another. Concealed weapons are very popular in big “gun” states.