<p>I've already submitted my enrollment fee at another school, but there's a part of me that still really loves Texas. I've been having second thoughts about the school I've been planning to attend. I'm a conservative student, and some people have told me that I probably won't fit in at UT-Austin. Apparently, it's a very liberal school. I've heard someone compare UT to UC-Berkley. Probably a bit of a stretch, but it was enough to sorta cross UT off my list.</p>
<p>Any thoughts from current students or people who are familiar with the school?
I have until May 1st to make a decision, so I would appreciate the input.</p>
<p>UT and Austin are liberal for Texas, not liberal for the rest of the U.S. </p>
<p>Oberlin is liberal. </p>
<p>There are thousands of Republicans at UT; you won’t be alone if you go there. If you are an open-minded person who can get along with people who have views that differ from yours, you will get along well at UT. Everyone is very friendly.</p>
<p>Midwest Mom is right. UT is liberal for TX. It is hardly fits the stereotype of Berkeley. That being said, I hope the political situation is not the only factor in your deciding against UT. It is a huge, diverse school with people of any background you desire. Anyone can fit in here. Plus, this should be a time to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself anyway.</p>
<p>Honestly as a conservative young adult you should be bracing yourself for a drastic reduction in the conservative movement. Most conservatives are over 35 while the young generation is 2 to 1 liberal(by liberal I mean democrat), not to mention minorities, who are increasing in the USA are also democrat. The majority of republicans are white, and over 35, and both of those groups are on the decline(over 35 naturally due to death).</p>
<p>The Republican party needs to reform their movement or else it won’t nearly be as powerful for the next 40 years. </p>
<p>Now is not the time to run away, you should try to learn to live with people of different viewpoints, there will still be a ton of conservatives at UT, but A&M is the place to be if you truly want conservative comrades.</p>
<p>MagicMan522, just remember that many of today’s conservatives were college students during the very liberal '60s and '70s. As people age they tend to become more conservative, or to quote poet Robert Frost, “I was never liberal when young for fear it would make me conservative when old.”</p>
<p>sja1202, Why are you so concerned about being in a somewhat liberal environment? One of the great outcomes of college is to have your values and beliefs questioned and tested. If your positions can withstand rigorous debate they’re more likely to last. Or to put it another way, “a punch in the mouth tends to focus the mind”.</p>
<p>I would definitely agree that UT has a very strong conservative base, but the majority of college students in Austin, especially at UT are democratic leaning. If you are in fact looking for a conservative base, you’ll find all the god-fearing, flag saluting, queer chasing republicans at A&M in bulk.</p>
<p>Well I saw one site that ranked it first, others say its around eight. No doubt that it’s one of the top in America. But if you’ve ever been there you know what I mean, you can feel it in the air.</p>
<p>It really depends on the major. Business students and engineers tend to be more conservative than other students, and the culture of those schools is more conservative. Many programs like Plan II Honors are incredibly liberal, at least with regards to the majority of the faculty, but there are conservative faculty members as well (Texas Monthly editor Paul Burka teaches in Plan II. He calls himself a moderate, but he is a conservative by most people’s standards), and many conservative students.</p>
<p>Greek life is pretty conservative at Texas–at least the IFC and Panhellenic groups. There are going to be exceptions, of course, but a pretty big majority of students are conservatives.</p>
<p>Just last Thursday there was an anti-gun walkout on campus that got a lot of kids, and right beside them the Young Conservatives were yelling for the opposite issue.</p>
<p>Really, though, the political scene is very diverse. During last March’s primary season, I’d say it was split about 40% each for Hilary and Obama, 10% for Ron Paul, and 10% for others in dorm windows, but that isn’t necessarily a representative sample of the entire student body.</p>
<p>Just remember, most Texas students are at least somewhat open minded, so if you aren’t willing to have your convictions changed it may not be the school for you.</p>