Hello! I am very interested in Lafayette College! I am very conservative (sorry if that enrages some people), and I do not want to attend a school that has a liberal reputation. After some research, it seems that the student body of Lafayette is very well balanced politically which is perfect!
However I am interested in pursuing a major in govt and law, and I would obviously not want very progressive or liberal teachers putting a slant on the information. I understand that everyone has their own political views, and in history sometimes conservatives were right, and other times liberals were. I just mean that I don’t want an overwhelmingly left teacher putting his/her political slant in every issue and teaching it from that perspective. Because it would be very hard to tolerate a class and excel in a class where teachers consistently opposed or taught against your views.
So I was wondering if the teachers in the govt and law department had left reputations or taught material in a well-balanced, fair way? Obviously, the latter is more desirable, but I am looking for really honest answers! Thank you :))
I don’t know anything about the faculty at Lafayette, but I can feel for you on the search for a not super liberal school. I’m very conservative leaning and am looking at Lafayette as well! It’s rare to find a school like this that’s relatively balanced. Hope you get a positive answer! (sorry I wasn’t of help on the issue you asked about:)
It’s what real scholars manage to do. Are you looking for a college that will support your (relatively ignorant) HS and family views or a place that will educate you?
@JustOneDad - That seems a bit harsh. Conservative-bashing is at all reflective of what goes on at Lafayette College. And while I typically fall on the liberal side, I certainly don’t think that conservative equates to ignorant (or else my H would be ignorant). The OP clearly stated that he/she is looking for a “well-balanced” school not some conservative haven. The way I read the post is that the OP is willing to hear and learn from different ideas but just wants to have his/her opinions and belief set are respected as well. Sharing of ideas respectfully allows the education system function at its best.
@JeanJacket123 My D is at Laf but is studying the sciences so I can’t help you with the gov’t and law department but in general the professors she has come across have been great and the student body has a good mix of people. If you go back to campus (ex. for an interview or another visit) perhaps you can arrange in advance to talk to a prof. in that department or meet with a student in that major. If you have any questions about Lafayette you think a parent can answer feel free to PM me.
Part of learning is challenging your belief-system. A professor can be respectful while still presenting a point of view that is in opposition to your own.
I think there are schools that skew very conservative and have the reputation as such. There are school that skew very liberal and have a reputation as such. As long as you steer clear from the extreme ends of the spectrum, you should be fine IMO.
Only you can determine where on the spectrum Lafayette falls for you.
I can only imagine if you’re respectful of others beliefs, they will be respectful of yours. This should go for most schools. Luckily, Lafayette is in the middle, so you’ll be even better off. Even the most “liberal” schools (Berkeley, UChicago, Brown) have conservative alliances with strong chapters going for them. As for professors, theres probably a mixed bag but they’re academics as well, so they won’t bash you gor your beliefs, either.
I’m also conservative leaning, jsyk No judgements here.
@happy1 Thank you! That is exactly what I meant. I took government this past year, and while I liked it a lot, my teacher constantly berated ANY conservative politician or idea, and extolled ANY liberal politician or notion. This frustrated me quite a bit, so I started looking into what he said, and I found that much of it was never the whole story, only the liberal slant on some story. And sometimes, after reading what actually happened, I would still agree with my teacher! But sometimes I wouldn’t. I just wish he had presented us the facts, then told us his view and why, and let us decide for ourselves. But he never did. So that’s what I’m trying to generally avoid in college.
Because of that experience, I don’t want the Govt/Law department’s teaching to be slanted. I want the whole story! So I that’s what I was wondering, if the teachers in the govt law department taught material fairly, or not. Thanks for all the responses! :))
@JustOneDad No I’m not looking for a school to just support my beliefs and offer no academic challenge whatsoever, I just want a place that will tolerate my beliefs and be fair to them, especially in the govt and law classroom.
Catholic U in D.C. has a good mix of conservative and liberal professors. Being in the Capitol, there is a strong political science program and many politically active students. I would say that the College Republicans and College Democrats are equally strong. While there are many liberal professors, you will not find far Left censuring which can be challenging for an undergraduate to deal with on a daily basis. I believe there is a lot of academic freedom there for conservatives, while still having exposure to the liberal worldview.
@amadee Thank you! I actually looked into CathU! It’s such a great school but I couldn’t see myself there for some reason. I have looked at Gettysburg! It’s one of my matches! Hmmm that’s interesting, some people have told me Gettysburg has a liberal reputation, although I looked into it and didn’t find anything to support that claim. I was really interested in Kenyon but I think it’d be too far left for my comfort (student body and faculty).
No judgements here.
I took government this past year, and while I liked it a lot, my teacher constantly berated ANY conservative politician or idea, and extolled ANY liberal politician or notion. This frustrated me quite a bit, so I started looking into what he said, and I found that much of it was never the whole story, only the liberal slant on some story. And sometimes, after reading what actually happened, I would still agree with my teacher! But sometimes I wouldn’t. I just wish he had presented us the facts, then told us his view and why, and let us decide for ourselves. But he never did. So that’s what I’m trying to generally avoid in college.