I am a junior in high school, and am starting to look at colleges to visit this spring. From the research that I’ve done, UGA has literally everything I could want in a school! The only issue is that I am from PA, so I know the culture in Georgia is quite different, and in that case I also consider myself pretty liberal (pro-choice, not super religious, supporter of gun control). I know that the state of Georgia as a whole is pretty conservative, but from what I’ve read, Athens seems somewhat liberal. Can anyone give their input on if I would like it here?? Also, if someone could tell me about UGA’s political science program, that would be great! Thanks 
Well, Georgia passed the “guns everywhere” bill a couple of years ago. Guns are allowed in schools, airports, municipal buildings, and bars–yes, bars! So, how do you feel about that?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/01/guns-in-bars-bill-kicks-off-in-georgia.html
I’m a current student at UGA, and I love it here. Great friends, classmates, and people general. I’m a liberal northerner too (well, in terms of culture; I’m from Miami!), but one of the things I came to appreciate here is the southern hospitality aspect. People are really nice and courteous!
I know how you feel. I share your exact sentiments on abortion, religion, and gun control. I had similar concerns before ultimately deciding to attend UGA. But I have zero regrets for doing so. It’s wonderful in Athens!
Here’s the deal: Athens is considered “liberal” by Georgia standards. People here are conservative (and likely Republican), but they aren’t (especially the students) obsessed about it. Mind you, you won’t exactly find too many people proudly proclaiming their support for Planned Parenthood and what not like in other northern colleges/cities, but they won’t oppose it either. Lots of indifference towards these types of subjects. There also are plenty of liberals here among the crowd.
Regardless, your religious or political affiliations won’t really matter much when it comes to making friends.
The Metro Atlanta area (from Atlanta extending to Athens) is pretty liberal anyhow. Conservative by northern standards? Yes. But liberal by southern standards.
Feel free to ask any other questions if you’re interested!
The culture in Athens, GA does not equal the culture in the rest of Georgia. Although the majority of students there are technically from Georgia, many are from metro Atlanta and have family backgrounds and heritages that span the globe. Atlanta has grown from two million to six million in the past couple of decades, so the students originating there can have families that came to Georgia from anywhere. Atlanta is also well-known for its support of gays and blacks – two liberal agendas – and the students hailing from there may be more liberal than you expect from Georgia students. UGA of course also attracts students from other states and countries who have a variety of beliefs and political values.
I suggest you visit Athens and see what you think. My personal impression, having been there many times, is that it certainly has its share of alternative types and plenty of liberals. With the strong music scene, there are many creative performers who call Athens home. Is it still part of the Bible belt? Yes. Will you still meet some students who grew up attending church every weekend and who cherish conservative values (no matter whether they party the night before at the frat house or not)? Yes. But you will meet all kinds of students, and professors tend to be liberal everywhere.
As a liberal in Georgia, I can assure you that the overall ‘mood’ of a school is not as important as you’d think! I toured several schools throughout the state, and even at the military college I saw numerous fliers and posters for meetings on abortion information and other liberal-minded topics! If you choose to attend UGA, you will notice a different attitude in the air and will surely meet some of the most stereotypical conservatives you can imagine, but you’ll also notice that universities in general support liberal minded-ness and that most college students aren’t as set in and obnoxious about their beliefs as you would think. Plus, the school is big enough that you will ultimately meet many like-minded people and ideally avoid those who avidly are not.