Far Left/Progressive Views, Looking to Get Involved Politically - What Schools Should I Consider?

College Search & Selection
1

Let’s take everything else out of the equation for this. Assuming I’d automatically meet requirements for GPA, ACT, SAT, ECs, volunteering, etc., what schools tend to have students who aren’t afraid to voice their opinions?

Large cities (Chicago, NYC, Boston, Atlanta) are good because even if the students aren’t too active, there will likely be a few opportunities within the city. I’ve also heard the Ivy League schools tend to be pretty vocal.

I’ve participated in a Trump protest before. My hometown isn’t very active, though, so it was 25 people max. I want to be in feminist marches and pride parades and #BlackLivesMatter protests and sit ins in representatives’ offices (like some LGBT members did to Marco Rubio a month after the Orlando shooting). Social justice is extremely important to me, as you can see.

Schools I was considering before I realized I want to be politically active in college include:
University of Chicago, Columbia, University of Virginia, Georgia Tech, Boston College, UNC Chapel Hill, Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, USC, Vanderbilt, Michigan State, Ohio State, Kentucky, Alabama, Rice, Miami (FL), and UC Berkeley.

I know right off the bat that Kentucky, Alabama, and Rice will probably not have what I am now looking for, while Columbia, USC, and UChi probably will. I don’t know too much about the rest of these schools’ political lives, though. If you have any interesting info/insight, I’d be glad to hear it!

2

Academic interests?
Cost constraints?

3

Swarthmore, NYU, Hampshire, Oberlin, Evergreen, Reed, UCSC, Bennington, Vassar, Lewis & Clark, Bard, and sure, UChicago.

4

How about some schools w thought diversity so you acquire some political balance.

It’s intellectual poverty to only be listening to people who agree w you.

5

Some people want to remain poor. Never saw UChicago as a social justice school.

6

Macalester.

7

Schools with reputations as more activist include Wesleyan, Macalester and Oberlin. I suppose Tufts, with access to Boston, might be a possible, though I haven’t looked at it in college search for my kids so am not current on the school culture. Larger schools will afford the opportunity to be as involved and active as a student chooses, and of course, Berkeley is one of the original homes of the student movement a long long time ago.

ND and Wake seem the antithesis of activist – Wake is often described as a “non-Catholic” version of ND (as well as slightly less difficult admission), at least among families we know. We know a number of ND students, and while students are generally amiable and come together as a strong community, the kids we know don’t describe a culture of activism (except on pro-life issues, with buses of students protesting Roe v Wade in DC every year).

8

You can find many opportunities for activism at any of the Quaker Consortium colleges - Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Swarthmore, Penn. In addition to being in/just outside Philly with plenty of its own opportunities to get involved, the schools also have fairly easy access to NYC and DC and I know students will go to marches/rallies in those cities as well.

9

Let’s see, in the very first response in this thread:
Conservative & Irreligious colleges?
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1899265-conservative-irreligious-colleges.html

And here, just a few responses in:

Interesting.

10

@ucbalumnus assuming there are no restraints for me whatsoever.

@GMTplus7 I won’t get in a debate with you on CC. I will just say this: there’s nothing wrong with wanting to go to a school where I can come together with like-minded people and fight for the changes that we want to see in the world.

@marvin100 @CheddarcheeseMN @Midwestmomofboys @doschicos thank you all for your comments/info. It’s very much appreciated.

@csdad2 lol this IS very interesting… :-?

11

@kb13579, the University of Washington in Seattle might be a good fit.

http://www.washington.edu/president/2016/07/11/standing-together-for-justice/

12

I’d say Columbia, among others.

13

The most far-left schools:

Oberlin
Reed
Wesleyan

14

You should be able to fight for what you believe in at most colleges in the US. I think a large part of the young generation is quite liberal, so unless the college is marketed as overly conservative or religious, you should be able to find plenty of liberals to back you up.

15

From your list, NOT these:
University of Virginia
Georgia Tech
Boston College
NC State
Wake Forest
Notre Dame
Vanderbilt
Michigan State
Kentucky
Alabama
Rice
Miami (FL)

Off the top of my head, I would say these fit your criterion:
Wesleyan
Oberlin
UCLA
Bard
SUNY New Paltz
Vassar
NYU
University of Vermont

Just found this list:
https://colleges.niche.com/rankings/most-liberal-colleges/

16

As safeties or matches, you might want to also look at colleges in or near some state capitals (e.g. Willamette, Evergreen State, et al) or in some swing states where young activists are trying to make an impact. My son has found many opportunities for political activism in Florida. He is active within the Democratic Party, but supports its progressive wing.
If you’re looking for more conventional, urban settings, Temple is worth applying to as a potential safety. If you have the academic chops for the colleges you’re considering, you stand an excellent chance of receiving a merit scholarship and being admitted into the Honors College. My other son attends Temple, and has a paid summer internship with a progressive lobbying group.
Colorado College is very progressive, but situated in a city with a powerful Christian Conservative presence. It is within easy distance of the capital in Denver.
Look at colleges that allow independent study projects and offer internship opportunities.

17

Surprisingly, I’m going to name Grinnell as one that is great for activism. The most politically active student I know is going there now, and even though it’s “in the middle of nowhere” Iowa is a huge staging ground for presidential primary rallies. This student was able to meet pretty much every candidate this year (which is impressive since there were so many), get hired onto the Sanders campaign there, lead a caucus, and is also doing “activist” things at home during the summer. I never would have guessed it, but it’s definitely one more place you could consider.

18

Consider having enough hours in the day to be pre-med and politically active.

19

^Shouldn’t be a problem. Plenty of people do both. Plenty of students do a pre-med track and are involved in many ways - campus groups, athletics, etc.

20

Wesleyan and Swarthmore both have very politically active campuses.