Conservatives at Columbia

<p>Does anyone know how many conservatives are at Columbia? I heard it was really low...</p>

<p>the "Columbia University College Republicans" facebook group has 220 members. just to give you a general idea</p>

<p>yea there definitely are conservatives at columbia....in a class i took last year with probably about 25 people, there were at least 3 hard-core conservatives, possibly more, those are just the people i know personally</p>

<p>Im pretty sure there are conservatives at Columbia, why do you ask though?</p>

<p>Reason I ask, is because the word conservative is bit hard to define these days, in terms of the republican party.</p>

<p>A lot of conservatives view the republican party as being too corporate/lobbyist influenced and then presenting the issue as a conservative issue. Another example are the medicare bills, no-bid contracts,etc.</p>

<p>I'm pretty sure there is a diverse view of points at Columbia, for example I'm pretty sure some economic professors agree that high taxes aren't always the solution and supply side and free trade have always been beneficial for nations that aren't protectionist. So they you have it, you have to see for yourself where you stand , and check it out. Columbia is know for being open-minded, I've heard.</p>

<p>there are a few - the Columbia College Conservatives Club, or C4, comes the most easily to mind - but they probably comprise less than 10% of the student body.</p>

<p>The vast majority of Columbia students have attitudes that lean liberal, but are not interested in protests and are not very passionate about the matter. Well, socially liberal anyway - i'd say there's a bunch of fiscal conservatives, who don't buy into conservative social policy but want to see more fiscal prudence out of government. Heck, I fall into that category.</p>

<p>im a conservative.</p>

<p>hi, weiss and dennis.</p>

<p>no you're not kim</p>

<p>yes i am, weiss.
guiliani whatwhatt
awk 07.</p>

<p>jk guys, jk
i love liberals
obama 4eva</p>

<p>obama went to columbia</p>

<p>obama '08</p>

<p>Would being conservative be an advantage in admissions? I am from a Christian School, so they will know that I am probably conservative just by looking at my transcript and application. The reason why I ask is because of this quote from Jessica Marinaccio:</p>

<p>"You need people who are liberal, people who are CONSERVATIVE, people who grew up in cities, and those who grew up in rural settings, those who have lived in cultures outside of the U.S.," Director of Undergraduate Admissions Jessica Marinaccio said. "We have been seeking diversity."</p>

<p>"They are all extraordinarily bright and have all made different impacts on their communities," she said. "What the class as a whole brings is different voices, different experiences. ... That, hopefully, is what we try to construct."</p>

<p>If the number of conservatives on campus is around 10%, then a small number of conservatives apply each year. I would assume that because they love diversity, they would want to accept more conservatives. Am I justified in saying this?</p>

<p>Admissions</a> Stats Break School Records | Columbia Spectator</p>

<p>Ah, the fallacy of self defined diversity...</p>

<p>Columbia will admit qualified students. In doing so they will look to diversify the class by making sure they don't an admit a class of like minded students.</p>

<p>However there's no magic quota where the adcoms are going to go "we just don't have enough conservatives... lets look through the pile again and admit some more."</p>

<p>i.e. it's not going to hurt you and it's only going to be marginally helpful in the sense that you might stand out a bit from the mass of applicants.</p>

<p>McCain 2008, conservative w/ legacy status</p>

<p>
[quote]
Would being conservative be an advantage in admissions?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>this hurts my brain.</p>

<p>ConfucianNemisis's post is entirely accurate.</p>

<p>Being a conservative isn't a hook... I don't think they really care about political stuff compared to other things like minorities statutus or whether someone came from a low income place or not.</p>

<p>Like I said and the poster said above, Columbia doesn't really care about your political views, its more about academics, who you are in terms of what you can bring to Columbia, ie activities, clubs, if your an unique student from a disadvantage background,etc.</p>

<p>I really don't think Columbia gives a hoot about whether you are conservative, I have never heard of a college saying well let's check the political status of applicants for diversity. It may be good in the classroom, but as for application, doubt it.</p>

<p>Politicians would have a field day if Columbia or any other university discriminated by political status.</p>

<p>That being said why are you asking, if your opposed to affirmative action then why should Columbia give preference?</p>

<p>As I said before, its really hard to define conservatism these days. Just look at all the 08 candidates, each one has a lot of "liberal" in them according to different conservatives. I'd be happy to discuss politics with whoever, .</p>

<p>Having said that though , if your gay/lesbian you might get a preference at Columbia, atleast one of my relatives who went their said something to the tune of that.</p>