<p>I've been reading the "Last Place You'd Ever Go" thread and have really become alarmed seeing some of the stereotypes people hold. </p>
<p>What stood out most personally to me were the stereotypes of Texas and the south. Many seem to think that Texas is full of nothing but ultra-conservatives. People have said things along the lines of "no amount of money would ever make me want to live in the south". </p>
<p>People first of all need to realize that there is nothing wrong with going to school with conservatives. I am quite liberal, but I wouldn't want to go to school with all liberals.</p>
<p>The truth about schools such as UT-Austin, Rice, Duke, Emory, Georgia Tech, etc. is that they are quite diverse. Especially in the bigger southern cities (Atlanta, Houston, Austin), there is some serious diversity. The schools reflect this. They have too in order to remain competitive.</p>
<p>Austin, contrary to popular belief, is acutally a very liberal city. The students there have diverse beliefs. The music scene is amazing there. Most significantly sized Texas cities are not slow paced.</p>
<p>The smart CC kids should be able to realize this. Don't write off all of these highly ranked schools due to stereotypes.</p>
<p>Yes, I agree. I live in Louisiana, which is pretty conservative in itself, and find Houston, Austin, DFW quite progressive. Austin is especially liberal, like you said. There are parking lots for small cars--and I saw one such sign which designated "Small Cars Only" plastered with a sticker that said, "HUMMERS SUCK." I think it had the highest per capita of people who voted Democratic in 2004 in all of Texas. There's a huge hippie/bohemian feel there. I can't tell you how many "REPUBLICANS FOR VOLDEMORT" and "KERRY/EDWARDS" stickers I saw in Austin. </p>
<p>I've never really labeled Texas as "the South." To me, it is Texas. It has its own culture and history distinctly separate from the true south. Of course you'll get conservative people way out in Midland and Odessa, just like you probably would in the backwoods of Vermont. </p>
<p>I really hate Atlanta, though. Urgh! But Emory is a fine school. </p>
<p>The South isn't that bad. It is pretty backward, but consider it a trip to the past. Avoid the rural areas and you're fine. We're nice. We smile and stop traffic so someone can turn left. We will give you refills and refills of iced tea as the day is long. I don't want to live in the south past August (when I'll be moving to the university of my choice in Texas), but I can see that there are some very positive attributes to the area.</p>
<p>It is unfortunate that Austin has such a image. I applied for exchange to UT Austin and most of the academics said "why would you want to go to texas?". </p>
<p>On a good note texas has become highly competitive for exchange due to its party image and good reports of returning students. So the image is shifting but it is just taking some time to get to the older generation.</p>
<p>Seems to be a different case within the US though. Does the south dislike the north or west?</p>
<p>Tsk, tsk, all this talk of "diversity" yet we're too afraid to face anybody with differing political opinions. First of all, universities as a whole are generally liberal bodies (comparative to the general population), and second, nowhere with a population of 2,000+ at least is going to be ALL one way or the other. Besides, it's good to broaden your horizons and expose yourself to different political philosophies. Just because you're liberal, doesn't mean you should avoid all places that aren't liberal like the plauge. Why not try to convert some of the "evil" conservatives, or maybe you'll see that conservatives aren't all so bad after all. Learning and growing from people with different ideas and perspectives--that's the point of diversity, isn't it?</p>
<p>I agree as well........I wouldn't go to school in Texas, but that's only because it's far from home. But the diversity aspect is certainly a great facet of those Southern schools held in high regard. Besides, if liberals only want to attend liberal colleges with other liberal students, they'll never know how to truly defend their views or (respectfully) debate with conservatives, or anyone with a differing opinion. Or, they may simply never know all the perspective that are "out there."</p>
<p>i hated my 3-4 months in TX, mainly because of the area, but i certainly wouldnt mind going ot Austin. And for the south, you cant beat duke and emory, great schools</p>
<p>It's no different than the stereotypes I hear about New England - people aren't friendly, they don't smile, they don't talk to you, blah blah blah. We all make decisions based on reputations, just as we discuss the reputations of the various schools, when we don't have the time or ability to make detailed reasoned judgments for ourselves.</p>