<p>I'm a senior in High School, planning to major in political science, and perhaps economics.</p>
<p>I hear a lot of names being thrown around when people talk about strong poli sci (Columbia, Standford, UC Berkeley, etc) programs, but here is my concern:</p>
<p>As a hardcore libertarian, I don't want to go to a school whose overall political climate is terribly contrary to my political ideology. Having just completed a year of AP US History where my teacher was a socialist, I can safely say that I do not want any similar experience in future.</p>
<p>I want an environment that is centered on the same values and ideologies as I hold, for I think that it will make for a more fulfilling experience.</p>
<p>Right now, the only school that comes to mind as a possibility is UChicago, based on it's history in economics. So are there any schools out there with strong poli sci programs that lean libertarian?</p>
<p>You arent gonna find any schools that are "libertarian" (you pothead) ;) seeing as it is such a small catergoy, you will find schools that are liberal or conservative though. Being a libertarian a would assume you are more of a conservative than a liberal.</p>
<p>TRUST ME ON THIS, if you dont want to be taught by a socialist, dont go to ANY california university, that includes stanford, and berkley. Also, dont go to any ivy, because they are all dominated by socialists also. All of these schools have conservative professors also, but overwhelmingly are liberal. (if anyone here trys to say that any of the ivys are conservative or "not to liberal" it is because they are a liberal themselfs, or they dont know what they are talking about. (acually I dont believe that Penn or dartmouth are to to bad)</p>
<p>Idk anything about Uchicago.</p>
<p>Traditionally conservative universities (or atleast no liberal) that have good polisci programs are
Duke
Vanderbilt
Tufts (especially their international relations program)
Umich is not to liberal I dont beleive</p>
<p>those are just a few, if you have any others you want to list I can tell you my opinion on their place in the political spectrum.</p>
<p>vanderbilt has a significant libertarian population. half the college republican members (fairly large student group here) are self-proclaimed libertarians that realize voting libertarian is a waste</p>
<p>it won't make such a difference in college.</p>
<p>libertarian is not necessarily conservative. it's socially and economically liberal, which is actually a combination of today "conservative" and "liberal" tendencies.</p>
<p>Chicago is more conservative than other schools in the northeast, and is a good place to be any political ideology. I don't know if I'd consider the student body "libertarian" or "liberal" or "conservative"-- it's a little bit of everything.</p>
<p>I'm a little concerned, though, about your desire to be (only?) around likeminded people. Part of the fun of it all is disagreement and understanding that the people who don't agree with you may have equally valid arguments. High school sounded awful, but college shouldn't be the same way.</p>
<p>MIT has top-notch econ and polisci programs and a large libertarian population...I have joked, and heard others joke, that the big political divide on campus isn't between liberals and conservatives, it's between liberals and libertarians. </p>
<p>I have no idea what the attitudes of the profs in these departments are, as I never took any econ and the polisci classes that I took were IR/security studies, where the overall political agendas of the profs weren't obvious, but I will say that they did not try to force students to agree with them, as long as the students could support their positions well.</p>
<p>I will also echo unalove's concern about your apparent desire to attend a political echo chamber.</p>
<p>Also, this thread reminds me of my old APUSH teacher, who was one of my favorite high school teachers. He was very liberal, a Nader supporter, and would often state his opinions in class. He really, really wanted dissenters to speak up and challenge him. But most of the time they didn't, they just sat there and then grumbled after they left about what a jerk he was and how he was trying to force his opinions on conservative students. Even after he encouraged them to speak up. In exasperation he made more and more radical comments, hoping that somebody would be moved to challenge him. It didn't work. In some cases, a student would speak up, and he'd refute the student or bring up a new point, and then the student would close down, when what he really wanted the student to do was back up the argument better or address a related point. In the rare cases when someone actually argued with him intelligently, he argued back against them, vehemently, but was also clearly pleased. I often stayed after class to talk with him, and he expressed frustration to me at the reluctance of dissenting students to speak up and argue.</p>
<p>The same teacher sponsored the Young Republicans - all the conservative teachers either had too many time commitments already or weren't into sponsoring ECs, and he said that he was really glad to see high schoolers interested in politics and wanted to make sure they had a forum to pursue it (he sponsored the Young Democrats and Amnesty International as well), even if their views were contrary to his.</p>
<p>Point being, sometimes teachers with different political beliefs, and who are outspoken about them, aren't trying to shoot you down.</p>
<p>I suppose I should clarify. I am not looking for a school where there are no opinions different than mine, but rather one where the libertarian view is accepted.</p>
<p>I have no issue with being in a liberal atmosphere, but I want to avoid academia that is strongly invested in liberalism, or conservatism, or any ism for that matter.</p>
<p>My want for an accepting political environment stems from the AP US History class I mentioned above.</p>
<p>I spent the entire year writing papers from viewpoints I didn't agree with with, because I would recieve poor grades for writing my true thoughts. Instead of writing about the benefits of non-coercive monopolies in the Gilded Age, i was forced to write about the absolute evils of big business.</p>
<p>This is what I want to avoid.</p>
<p>So it seems that I'm looking for two things:</p>
<p>1) an environment that is politically even-handed in academics
2) an environment that has a libertarian presence</p>
<p>
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I spent the entire year writing papers from viewpoints I didn't agree with with, because I would recieve poor grades for writing my true thoughts.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Did you actually know this to be true (if it is, it's pretty appalling regardless of what political ideology the teacher holds), or did you assume it because your teacher had strong views?</p>
<p>"wesleyan is one of the most liberal schools in the country"</p>
<p>That being said (and seeming absolutely true), if there is one thing heard over and over on an admissions tour there is that different points of view are welcome and celebrated.</p>
<p>"it won't make such a difference in college.</p>
<p>libertarian is not necessarily conservative. it's socially and economically liberal, which is actually a combination of today "conservative" and "liberal" tendencies."</p>
<p>No, acually that is not what a libertarian is. A libertarian is someone who beleives the the best government is the one that governs the least. They believe that the government should provide ONLY the services that the people cannot provide for themselfs.</p>
<p>Having a small government for the most part, contrasts with liberalism very much.</p>
<p>"We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose." -a libertarian view</p>
<p>Well, another way to find a Libertarian-supporting or -tolerating school would be to check the LP's website for a list of Libertarian Student Associations/University Libertarians or whatever such organizations are called. The one with the most promising website may be a clue!</p>
<p>Also: about the UC's being socialists... that's not entirely true: UC Berkeley has the largest association of College Republicans. So the student body there, at least, is diverse politically. You're sure to find some Libertarian-leaning Republicans.</p>
<p>But be not afraid to start your own College Libertarians. That would be rad.</p>