<p>I really like the way that Rice is set up, especially the college system, but I come from an uber-liberal town, and the thought of moving to Texas is a bit disconcerting.</p>
<p>So my question is, as a liberal agnostic-bordering-on-atheist, am I going to feel alienated or resented?</p>
<p>My son just started and is very liberal and an agnostic and is very happy. His roommate, from Texas, turns out to be an agnostic, too. Houston is not quite as conservative as you think.</p>
<p>Rice is quite liberal, as is much of Houston. You will be fine.</p>
<p>Rice is fairly liberal I would say, but college is not a time for you to be surrounded by people of the same political alignment. Even if Rice were super-conservative, I can't imagine you being resented or alienated at any school unless you try to proselytize everyone you meet in a really annoying voice, haha.</p>
<p>My s. was active in the Kerry campaign on campus last year. You'll be fine.</p>
<p>texas may be conservative, but big cities such as houston and austin are liberal. (like big cities all over the country).</p>
<p>There's no doubt that big religion and conservative politics are two distinct features of Texas. The monolithic Lakewood Church in downtown Houston is an obvious example of Christianity's prevalence in the state. Within Rice, however, you will find that the student body's religious and political inclinations in no way reflect the overall Texan mindset. The school newspaper (the Rice Thresher, May 20, 2005) found in a poll taken earlier this year that 24.2% of students considered themselves liberal and 35.8% moderately liberal. Of course, these data could be inaccurate because only 55% of those picked in the sample responded to the poll.
A campus visit, if at all possible, would probably be your best bet for finding out exactly how religious and how conservative the university feels to you. Being alienated or resented, however, is practically impossible. You will find plenty of company among agnostics and atheists (such as myself) and among students who share your political views.</p>
<p>Rice is more "liberal" than the most liberal universities in the sense that the faculty does not consider conversion of students to a particular world view to be part of its mission, and the student body generally respects everyone's beliefs. Some call this lack of an institutionalized social agenda apathy, whereas others would describe it as tolerance or intellectual honesty.</p>
<p>wobudong: that is good to hear!</p>
<p>Hey wobudong, your screen name means "I don't understand" if I read correctly....good gag</p>
<p>No offense, but if you come from a hardcore liberal town and share the same beliefs, maybe you should be looking for opportunities to encounter people from all ends of the spectrum instead of avoiding/fearing them. I'm about as conservative as Allen Ginsberg but that doesn't mean I pick my colleges based on the chance that a Republican might <em>gasp!</em> be on campus. It's hard to find colleges without a strong liberal element anyway, so I think you'll be fine.</p>
<p>I'm a Houstonian, and I'd say that Houston is pretty level-headed, with the area surrounding Rice being pretty liberal--next to Austin, it's the liberal mecca of Texas.</p>