<p>OP, I went there ('74, grad '78) and my daughter did too ('01, MS '03)—there was an active Campus Crusade chapter back in my day, and I had many fine friends from their ranks. Still in touch with some of them. </p>
<p>My daughter knew conservative kids too (her major might not have had many of them–computer sci). You won’t be treated harshly and that business about opening doors & stuff that Jindal spouted in that interview is pure bs. He gives Brown a bad name—he is a liar. </p>
<p>I have been back for all kinds of reunions, parent weekends, college visiting for younger daughter this year—and people open doors for everybody, if they get to the door first. If you treat others with respect when you discuss something, you will be given the same. There are some students there who are immature, self centered, and rude, but you will find the same anywhere else (being immature and self centered is not that uncommon among 18 - 22 yr olds!). Don’t worry about nonsense you may hear from people who are not students at the place themselves. </p>
<p>If you are accepted, why don’t you look up the chaplain of whatever denomination you are from, and email them to ask some things about campus life for your religious group? You can ask the Chaplain’s office for the right person to contact.</p>
<p>Just to reiterate what JRZMom said: Jindal’s claims about the opening doors thing were either pure fiction or an extremely unusual experience. I’m pretty liberal, and I hold doors open for everybody.</p>
<p>My son is politically conservative and very comfortable at Brown. Frankly, I don’t think he or his friends are very involved in political issues at all. From what I observe, there doesn’t appear to be all that much activism there. Most colleges except Christian based and maybe some Catholic schools are quite liberal anyway. I don’t think Brown is significantly different from the vast majority of colleges in this respect, although it does have a reputation for being hyper-liberal. </p>
<p>A poster above mentioned things that would “make a conservative sick” like marijuana and gay pride. I don’t actually agree with that, but maybe that is the difference between political and social conservatism. Again, most colleges (and here I would include the Catholic schools, but not fundamentalist Christian schools) are socially liberal. Yes, there is pot smoking at most colleges (I think) and Brown is no exception. There is also tolerance at most colleges, too. I have a feeling this is not what you were talking about, but perhaps you can mention what you are concerned about.</p>
<p>I like to be as involved as I can be in political discussions. I’m registered Republican, live in a suite of people who all would vote straight down the Democratic party ticket (i.e. I’m outnumbered 5-1), but it’s never derision I get when I express my views. Rather it’s interest: most people here want to have a genuine discussion, and WANT to understand the side they haven’t heard their entire life. I’m the same way, and I won’t lie: my views HAVE shifted since coming here. But I’ve shifted my views based on the evidence presented. I’m still pro-life, but believe that there’s a need to discuss options to prevent unwanted pregnancies. I’m all for a decreased government, and would love to end the police state we’ve created due to the war on drugs (even though I’ve personally used no illicit drugs).</p>
<p>If you’re a pure-Republican, and you truly believe that EVERYTHING the Republican Party votes for has a coherent basis (i.e, as it is now, anti-immigration, pro-drug war, pro-tax reductions, queer-discrimination, pro-life, pro-death penalty, etc.) AND you’re not willing to consider other views, then you’d better not discuss politics, or have some fine evidence, and be willing to concede that you won’t convince most people. But most people are neither pure-Republican or pure-Democrat, but rather a mix of, to varying degrees republican, democrat, libertarian and socialist. And if you can explain your world view, people will likely happily engage with you.</p>
<p>I agree with chsowlflax17. I’m registered as Independent and consider myself slightly conservative (by national standards, not Brown ones). I personally don’t really like to discuss political views (even with those who tend to share mine), so I tend to keep quiet. My friends know that I’m substantially more conservative than most of them, they don’t have much of a problem about it (they do their best to avoid Republican bashing while I’m near them) and respect my desire to avoid talking about political viewpoints.</p>
<p>Not everyone is like this. I had much more trouble with some of the more socially and politically active people on campus (not all, of course). Some people of all political viewpoints are extremely insensitive at times. There are, however, enough people of the other sort (as well as people with conservative viewpoints) that avoiding these ones shouldn’t cause too many problems.</p>
<p>@AvidStudent No, “we” refers to those that reported the previous flame war and called for a moderator to clean the thread up (i.e. why posted have been deleted and some have been edited by the mod). Also those who opened up a thread titled, “Conservative at Brown?” not “My opinions of cable news networks.” Tsk, tsk, the people on this internet these days…always jumping to random conclusions and believing themselves to be correct. </p>
<p>Anyways, @chsowlflax17 thanks for your post - it was very informative. Politically, you sound a lot like me. If that’s how people are, I could easily deal with it.</p>
<p>^ For the record, I only brought up FOX News-style conservativism (although, someone else started the whole actual rant about the news networks) because you used the term ‘liberal bias’ which is, generally, a make-believe-ey term used by pundits rather than those interested in genuine intellectual debate. My intention was to help you; if you’re big on conservative punditry, and you have a thin skin, you might not do so great at Brown. No need for tsk tsks.</p>
<p>Former Brown parent of a fairly conservative relatively non-political Brown alum, my view is that the whole Brown is so liberal that you have to be prepared for some over the top indoctrination experience is silly. I think that there are some who for some reason delight in perpetuating this stereotype, but it’s a stereotype.</p>
<p>Four children here and four different colleges/universities. The idea that Brown, one of the four, is somehow more “liberal” or more “radical” just isn’t accurate. It’s not Hillsdale, but it’s no different politically/culturally than hundreds of other places.</p>