<p>I have heard so many times that Texas the liberal school in Texas?</p>
<p>Im a prospective student, and for anyone who goes to UT, is this really true?</p>
<p>Austin itself is fairly liberal, surrounding suburbs are fairly conservative. UT is more left-leaning than other Texas colleges, but it has its share of conservative students, too. Given UT's size, it will always be whatever you want it to be.</p>
<p>some professors are very liberal....which i noticed after visiting the campus.... not what i would like in a university but there are so many people it doesnt really matter...... texas as a state is conservative so there are many conservative students that go there....so it really should be a huge problem.....unless you REALLY hate liberals....lol</p>
<p>It's such a big school that you get all kinds of political viewpoints - republican, democrat, libertarian, socialist, ultra-conservative, and apathy. However, Austin is a pretty progressive city within itself.</p>
<p>those students who are not from austin in general are conservative.</p>
<p>and how much of the student body do they represent?</p>
<p>I go to UT and would say it's a fairly liberal school on a number of different levels.</p>
<p>Student-wise I'd say there's a large amount of liberals, much more so as opposed to A&M. You have many of those indie-hipster type kids, anti-war types, etc. Just a few days ago I saw parts of sidewalks spray painted with an advertisement about a Walkout Against Bush.</p>
<p>Faculty wise I've talked to students who also concur that UT seems to have made them a bit more liberal. There are even gay professors. UT Austin is a very accepting school in my opinion.</p>
<p>You should visit the UT campus in the department that is related to you major and you can probably get a pretty good feel for what kind of fit the school is for you. </p>
<p>Also consider visiting Texas A & M and check out the department there. The two schools have a pretty different feel as Austin is losing a lot of its original college town feel as a lot of the nationwide chains are moving in. There is a city wide effort to "keep Austin weird" which is a probably unwinnable effort to support the original small quirky businesses which are being run out of business, unfortunately.
College Station has grown a great deal, too, but is still essentially a college town with all its advantages, but has a large number of international figures visiting frequently due to the very active Presidential library if you have to have your political fix. It also offers quick access to either Houston or Austin if you really need it.</p>
<p>I disagree that Austin is losing its college town ambiance...in fact, I think it is the epitome of a "college town." Sure the downtown area has it's commercial enterprises and their is a huge boom in real estate in the suburbs, but the surrounding areas of UT (the drag, west campus, hyde park, etc) have character and creativity that is pretty much non-existent in College Station. For now, there doesn't seem to be a threat to the lively-hood of Austin's so called "weirdness." South Congress quirkiness thrives, Hippy Hollow public beach is as naked as ever, and small businesses thrive around the university. But everyone should definitely check out both College Station and Austin and form your own opinion.</p>
<p>"Keep Austin Wierd" is not my comment but a marketing effort by the many small businesses that feel under siege by the large chains that have discovered Austin and the available cash. I like Austin and its particular quirky atmosphere. It certainly has a charm that College Station doesn't have. I was merely remarking that its not as it used to be before and as more out of town businesses continue to enter the market with substantial financial backup, it is very difficult for the small shops that are so unique to survive. </p>
<p>Austin and College Station are completely different animals. Both schools have enormous student populations. You can surely find like minded people at either school. Anyone considering a state school should visit both, as I suggested and find the best fit. They really have different strong points. But College Station really revolves around the school whereas Austin is also the capitol so UT isn't the only game in town. Not a positive or a negative- just different.</p>
<p>944- If finances are any consideration, also check out the merit scholarships at both schools and see which is the better fit for you. They have very different attitudes about this, so research which is a better financial fit as well. This may trump your concern over politics!</p>
<p>Good luck on your search.</p>
<p>Austin > College Station :)</p>
<p>I mean come on, we have 6th Street, an 8-0 Football Team, an Awesome music Scene, Great speakers -- who could ask for anything more?</p>
<p>dcfca- I agree. I was not stating a preference. Was just suggesting to 944 that rather than getting info from us on CC, it would make sense to check out all options personally. That would include other state schools besides UT and TAMU, as well. </p>
<p>Now- stay out of trouble on 6th St!</p>
<p>I love Austin...it definitely has its own culture and spunk.</p>
<p>As far as the school itself, I can't really say much other than that I've attended several lectures by professors (sociology, gov't, etc) and they did lean toward the liberal side. Around campus, there were lots of socialist-movement posters and protest-oriented flyers, but that's -- I think -- standard at any university in America. UT is so big...there are bound to be many conservatives running around.</p>
<p>I've only been to A&M once and it seems to me that it would be more conservative, just considering the student body and the location.</p>
<p>It depends on the circles you run with. seems like there are quite a few conservatives in McCombs. If you join a frat, everyone is a conservative. There are also a bunch of emo-hipsters that hang out on the drag that are really liberal.</p>