@TheDidactic. You’re absolutely right. There’s no way to tell what kind of roommate I may be paired with. That’s why I’d like to make some sort of agreement forbidding any improper behavior (i.e. sex, drugs, alcohol) within the room(s), in order to avoid any problems. If this isn’t possible, and if I’m matched with a person who does these things, I fear that I will end up having an unpleasant time at College.
“Cornell and Brown are more liberal in comparison.”
I would not put Cornell with Brown at all. If we’re classing the Ivies into uniformly liberal vs. mainly liberal, I’d put Brown in uniformly liberal and Cornell in group that’s mainly liberal with healthy center-right minorities (along with Dartmouth, Princeton, and Penn). I consider Harvard more liberal than these, but it has more of a conservative voice than Brown or Columbia.
At any of these schools, being socially conservative (believing that premarital sex is inherently immoral, etc.) will put you in a tiny minority.
Most schools have substance free dorms. But if the problem is sex in the room, then I’d look for a school that offers singles for freshmen, or lets you live off campus after freshman year.
In terms of roommates, there is usually some kind of roommate survey and if you indicate that you’re quiet, go to bed early, wake up early, it is less likely that you’ll be put with a partier. If you’re not going to a party school, it will be less of an issue too. Some schools have substance free dorms or quiet floors and you may want to choose one of these.
Unless you go to the most conservative school, there will be drinking and some drugs and sex in college-- definitely at every IVY and all the schools listed in #35. (I don’t think the drinking or sex correlates with being liberal.)
I don’t think many people have problems with their roommate having sex in the room while the other roommate is there, do they? Most people discuss this and if it’s not ok, it doesn’t happen — anyhow,that’s what I (a parent) have heard.
This is a funny one. Sometimes the matching isnt so great.
Other times, people lie on the applications, or their self-assessment is off.
They may put what their ideal roommate is like, not what they are like.
Other times, the parents are filling out the preferences and putting what they want their child to get.
Notice the words “less likely”.
Living off campus might be the best option for you, if the school permits it for freshmen.
Good advice @qialah. I’ll take it into account.
I notice. Thats why I list possible circumstances.
@MidwestDad3. I was considering that option, but my family wouldn’t be able to afford that option and due to our income I would receive free room & board at the colleges I’m considering.
@Hanna. Your comment makes me think that, within the Ivy League, I would probably feel more comfortable within a school that has an active, though small, conservative minority (Princeton) than in one with a weak one (Brown).
I’m confused… you say that you won’t apply to Duke because it is too southern, and yet you say you will consider Vanderbilt and Washington U? Tennessee borders North Carolina to the west and they are at the same latitude.
Some people who are conservative in their personal habits may not object to roommates or other associates who do not adhere to the same rules. For example, strongly religious people often interact with people of other religions or no religion without any problem.
@harvardandberkeley. I must have been confused; I thought Vanderbilt was in NY and Wash U was in St. Louis.
@ucbalumnus. I wouldn’t object to having an extremely liberal roommate or a big party person, as long as he doesn’t have sex or parties or do drugs in the room(s). Otherwise, I wouldn’t have any problem with having a roommate with ideas that completely differ from mine.
You should def apply to ND as that is going to have more people with your views. In dorms they single sex with Parietals. Although I do know a girl there now an she goes to parties hosted in the boys dorm and there is alcohol. At Brown I think the conservative minority are more political conservatives. I think the sort of conservatives views you are following would be rare at Brown, Yale, Columbia and Harvard-- Dartmouth too is likely only fiscal conservatives. Even if GT is ‘more’ conservative than ND, it is still going to have more people with Catholic values and beliefs than the other colleges --by far.
My daughter did dorm in sub-free housing the first year, with a Catholic roommate by chance, and some of those people went on to room together in sub-free the next year. I think that is a good option for you to request as that at least takes care of some potential problems. My dd is extremely liberal but it doesn’t mean she is doing drugs and having sex in her room. She didn’t want a loud noisy partying dorm. She found that wasn’t necessary to do the sub free but at least she didn’t have to worry so much about unknown factors going in. Once she could pick housing and roommates sophomore year it wasn’t an issue. So consider doing that, most colleges will have sub free housing for freshmen and they may have more conservative student in them, or may not you never know.
Also, colleges covering aid for dorming usually give the same aid for living off campus, or you can look at the COA and see if there is an off campus rate. Usually freshmen want to have a bit of on campus experience though. And colleges often require freshmen to live on campus. But that is where problems will crop up if any. As usually you will pick your own roommates later, and upper div housing may be more serious.
Wash U is in St. Louis. St. Louis is in the south. Vanderbilt is in Nashville.
I have a question. What sort of “active conservative group” are you looking for? You want to protest? If so, you can always just make a club when you get there.
If this means so much to you, you should let go of this Ivy dream. You won’t be a fit at an Ivy League school. You should look at other schools. Stay with like minded people. There’s no need to go to a school where you know that a large majority of the people will have a different opinion than you. Look at schools in the South.
But where ever you go, understand that college is a time to be open and experience new things. Make the mspt out of your experience. Don’t box yourself into a group. I know several people who were staunch republicans and democrats and when they went into college, the both drifted closer to the center. Good luck 
@CaliCash. Sorry, I was a fit lost. I think I linked Vanderbilt with NY because of the historical Vanderbilt family. I don’t actually want to protest. I would like to be in a place where I could find other conservatives in order to not feel so isolated. I don’t want to be in a school where everyone thinks exactly like me, but would like to go a place where I can find both people who agree and disagree with me.
I believe I’ll follow your advice and look at schools in the South, even though I hadn’t previously considered the area for geographical reasons.
I don’t have any intention of boxing myself in a certain group, I just want to avoid being completely isolated. Thanks for the advice, which I will certainly take into account,
Thanks for the advice, @BrownParent. I will certainly take into account and research substance-free dorms and off-campus living in the colleges I am looking at. BTW, I wanted to thank you again for introducing me to QuestBridge. I’m really impressed by it, and am currently a College Prep Scholarship Applicant.
@DominicBayer, Please find some sub-20 colleges that you really do want to attend.
It’s so sad to read about kids obsessing and splitting hairs over which Ivy League/top tier universities, and then reading about their rejections in April.
Here is one of many such threads you should read:
Best of luck in your college search!