<p>Interesting list. Hillsdale is a popular choice in our area. I know that students there are conservative, but they are not narrow minded. We all have personal values that might be labeled conservative or liberal. We debate from that point of view. Hillsdale encourages research, discussion, and debate. I don't think conservative necessarily translates to something negative. There are some schools missing from that list that do not allow their students to consider other points of view ... those are the schools that are narrow minded.</p>
<p>No PCC? how odd...unless they don't consider it a college</p>
<p>"I thought it interesting that four of the top ten conservative schools were Catholic."
Which brings up how one defines conservative (or liberal, for that matter). Lots of Catholic schools would score pretty high on important liberal/social justice issues while still being conservative on the current hot button things like gay marraige.</p>
<p>Interesting that Mount Holyoke, Wellesley, and Wesleyan College are three of the ten on the list of "Most Diverse." There would seem to be one particular vector of diversity missing in its entirety, no? One, that say, excludes fiftyish percent of...everyone? Not at all to diminish those schools and their educational missions - but top ten <em>most diverse</em>?</p>
<p>I can't imagine having a school with an admissions policy that says "We do not accept _______" with blank being anything other than "men" making it into the top ten...</p>
<p>Not trying to sound <em>gasp</em> intolerant, but isn't Bard full of lesbians?</p>
<p>or was that Amherst...</p>
<p>Not that there's anything wrong with that.</p>
<p>Duke--my D knew lots of conservatives at Wesleyan. They want to include everybody; you won't find a list of liberal "tenets" they expect students to subscribe to equivalent to the descriptions presented by these colleges. I don't doubt the majority of profs and students are left-leaning, but being so isn't required--most of these schools on the conservative list seem to require--and enforce-- a certain set of beliefs.</p>
<p>garland - sorry I was unclear - I was referring to the list of "Top 10 Diverse Student Bodies" that 07DAD posted above :)</p>
<p>Ah, I just re-read and realized I misread you entirely! Sorry! :)</p>
<p>"Not trying to sound <em>gasp</em> intolerant, but isn't Bard full of lesbians?</p>
<p>or was that Amherst..."</p>
<p>I think you meant the Air Force Academy.</p>
<p>(nothing wrong with that!)</p>
<p>The "criteria":
[quote]
Many conservative students seek alternatives in higher education, but they may not be fully aware of institutions that fit these criteria. The 2007-2008 Top Ten Conservative College list features ten institutions that proclaim, through their mission and programs, a dedication to discovering, maintaining, and strengthening the conservative values of their students.</p>
<p>The listed colleges offer an alternative to the liberal status quo, because they allow and encourage conservative students to explore conservative ideas and authors. They offer coursework and scholarship in conservative thought and emphasize principles including smaller government, strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values. Furthermore, they avoid trends in academe by continuing to study Western Civilization instead of straying toward the study of Marxism, feminism, sexuality, postmodernism, and other distractions that do not give students a complete understanding of our country, our culture, and its founding principles.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>In answer to bluebayou:
[quote]
Young Americas Foundation highly recommends service academies such as West Point and Annapolis for people interested in serving their country and receiving a top-notch education. However, these schools do not appear in the top ten. They are not liberal arts colleges but rather military colleges that follow a training model for future officers. There is nothing more honorable than serving our country, and we strongly encourage interested and able students to consider this option.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>In fairness, while Liberty U may be an outlier for many people, most of these colleges are pretty decent. Who can argue about Grove City, Hillsdale or Thomas Aquinas, for example.</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, I would be interested in seeing a list of conservative colleges in the US, the list from which these top 10 colleges was picked from.</p>
<p>These are the top 10 as far as being "good colleges" (from among the conservative colleges that exist), not the 10 most conservative, right?</p>
<p>Mini, you may have answered the question that has been at the back of my mind for the past year. D's friend had been dead-set on entering the AF Academy ever since she was little. When it was time to apply, though, she balked. Maybe she heard the rumors?!</p>
<p>If they took family income into account I think the colleges listed as most diverse would change.</p>
<p>"Maybe she heard the rumors?!"</p>
<p>Could be a different issue entirely. </p>
<p>"Earlier this month, Captain MeLinda Morton, a Lutheran minister and executive officer of the chaplain unit at the Air Force Academy, was removed from her position and transferred to Okinawa, Japan. Capt. Morton was an outspoken critic of the religious climate at the Air Force Academy. According to the Washington Post, she said that evangelical Christianity dominated the campus, and the evangelicals want to subvert the system. They have a very clear social and political agenda.</p>
<p>I think it would be more interesting to see a list of the ten colleges with students and faculty most tolerant of and open to political diversity. </p>
<p>I have been pleasantly surprised by the different religious traditions and levels of observance, and very diverse political perspectives of the kids my D has been encountering at college. As we were watching and discussing the presidential debates with her, she would talk about which kid supported which candidate (from both parties, mind you) and when we asked why a particular kid supported a particular candidate, she was able to discuss the candidates' beliefs (as presented by her friends) without rancor.</p>
<p>Coming out of college in the late '60's/early '70's period, we were amazed that she and friends with very different political beliefs were actually having discussions with substance as opposed to the name-calling that characterized the college political discourse we recall.</p>