I will pile on with others: Oberlin and Swat are pretty much the direct opposite of what you indicate interests you.
Suggestions:
Rice; Furman; Davidson; Hillsdale (although I am not sure on Neurosciences there); Vanderbilt; Harvey Mudd (if you can get in).
Rice is pretty much spot-on. Very, very strong pre-med/health sciences, you are a low match with your stats, relatively conservative due to Texas influence, strong national reputation, located minutes from the largest medical facility in the world for internships/research. They also have a residential college program similar to Harvard/Cambridge, where you are placed in a “college” within the overall U for four years to develop relationships within that residential college. It is also very well endowed with excellent facilities, and is very well priced for the “rank” of the school–about $10K less per year than its competitors.
I think Hillsdale is closest to what you are looking for. For instance, they accept no money from the government specifically so that don’t have to abide by all of the rules and regulations that come with the money.
In my opinion Hillsdale is neither “socially” liberal or conservative. They are however, very constitutionally aware. They will speak where the constitution speaks and leave the rest alone. I think their adherence to those principles draw a more conservative student who will likely be more socially conservative than others. Christian schools who are part of evangelical churches are more likely to be socially conservative. I’m thinking of Baptist or Nazarene schools of which there are many.
I think a conservative student could find their niche and be happy at any of the following:
LACs - Williams, Bowdoin, Claremont McKenna, Davidson, Washington & Lee, Colgate, Hamilton, Colby, Holy Cross, Bucknell, Lafayette, and Richmond.
Universities –Dartmouth, Duke, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, UVA, Wake Forest, Boston College, Georgetown, and Lehigh.
Claremont-McKenna is only considered somewhat conservative in the context of a college (students being more liberal than the general population) in Southern California (a very liberal region). I’d say that “social conservatives” aren’t much more common there than elsewhere; those who define themselves as “conservative” are likelier to be economic conservatives or libertarians. The rest of the consortium is very liberal.
Apart from fundamentalist, religious colleges, you have to presume a “liberal bias” on most campuses. Many of the most “prestigious” institutions are located in decidedly “Blue” states. Professors have always leaned left, with the exception of some Economics departments and Business faculties. I read a study several years ago which revealed that the most liberal faculties were not in the Social or Behavioral Sciences, but in traditional Science departments. I strongly suspect that is because nobody pays any attention or cares much how a Physics professor votes, and universities feel obliged to have different views represented in, say, a Poli. Sci. department.
Tom Cotton went to Harvard. Ted Cruz went to Princeton (before Harvard Law). They will complain about how badly they were outnumbered ideologically, but they thrived nevertheless.
Catholic colleges will offer some sanctuary to social conservatives, but they often have very liberal faculty members. You can find single-sex dorm floors with parietal rules at Fordham, but expect most of your professors to endorse more redistributive economic policies than you might like.
College students and faculties lean more to the left than other demographic groups. There is no escaping that fact, but it can be relative. Southern students are probably more liberal than older people in their region, but are likely to be more conservative than northern or West Coast students. You are likelier to find more sympathetic peers at Rice or Vanderbilt, but you will find some everywhere. I was at Barnard/Columbia in the '70s, and there was a strong Orthodox Jewish presence on campus. They were very conservative on social issues at a university known for leftist politics.
OK - you have enough here - you have ideas and opinions from others
YOU need to visit colleges - try to be there right when classes start so you can see the student body in action (hopefully before your school starts)
You will feel a different vibe at each place
also - the idea of “I will visit once I get in” doenst work at most of these places - if you dont visit - you wont get in
Thanks everyone for the responses! I’m looking through the sites and forums for each of the schools you all recommended! And lol for the Swat and Oberlin: that was before I started thinking about social life and only thought about the academics.
I’d love to visit the campuses, but because I am on the west coast and most of the great LACs are on the East, it’s a bit more difficult for me to get over there. I might not be able to make college visits before applying, but will definitely visit if I am accepted.
@International95 Amherst and Williams would be fine? I thought Amherst was really liberal especially with how Smith (part of the consortium) is really progressive. And Williams too: I’m always just a little skeptical of schools in MA (as much as I love the state) when it comes to political and social ideals.
Well, you live in the state that has a historical reputation of being one of the most socially conservative in the nation–Pepperdine, also in your state is Biola.
I just want to register caution with the OP’s limitation of looking at schools with a 15–30% admit rate. Some schools will have a higher admit rate but should still count as just as selective, because the applicant pool is self-selecting. (It works the other way, too, just not as frequently.) I’d look at the stats of admitted students rather than the simple percentage as a measure of how selective a school is.
My son is a social conservative, headed for Oberlin this fall. The key isn’t to find a school with lots of conservatives, it’s to find one where “liberal” means open-minded, rather than left-wing. To do this, you’re going to need a school with a strong intellectual environment, rather than just a high-stat environment. Obviously there are some overlaps. If you have truly smart, open-minded people, you will find your peers, and you will be able to make friends, even among those who disagree with you.
And you need to be willing to let go of a few assumptions about yourself. No matter what you are now, you won’t be that person after a few years in college. You’ll learn things and have interactions that will change your mind on some issues, and help you become more firmly entrenched in what you already believe on others. This is part of the experience.
My daughter is a junior at Wellesley, site of the “naked party,” but she has never felt pressured to go to that or do anything else that she isn’t comfortable doing. This isn’t junior high, where you won’t have friends if you don’t toe the line. There is room for all POVs in a place where thinking is itself a value.
If you find a place like that, you will fit in somewhere! Good luck!
You need some catching up to make yourself noticed by some of these schools.
Does your school have reps that visit? Get yourself a local interview with a rep or an alum. Find out when they are in the area!
I assume that you went and put your name on the mailing list of schools that you have checked out and want to pursue.
Don’t underestimate the importance of demonstrated interest.
What schools have you visited and what were your thoughts?
@Massmomm thanks for the input. As I said in an earlier post, I’m not necessarily looking for a conservative school but one that is more accepting of conservatives. And also, although I might be somewhat open to new ideas and I would call myself more of a moderate than a conservative, my parents are very conservative. If they knew about certain parties at the school I might attend…I don’t wanna know what response I’ll get lol.
@dfbdfb I understand that there are a bunch of great colleges that have higher acceptance rates due to self selection (ie Case Western). The 15-30% basically just means “highly selective but not ivy.”
I think Williams would be conservative enough for you, but not Amherst. Williams is likely the most conservative private secular university in MA, unless I’m forgetting one or two. It has a lot to offer and I think you might like it.
Whichever college you choose, you may want to seek out wellness, substance-free or quiet housing. The students seeking these arrangements may have a greater tendency toward social conservativism.
If you only want a school socially conservative students, then that’s one thing, but if you’re interested in a range of politics, then I’d encourage you to continue to keep Oberlin on your list. Oberlin does have a reputation for being off the charts left, but the reality is that it is an environment that tolerates a lot of different opinions… Just for example, Oberlin has an endowed Ronald Reagan lectureship that brings in conservative speakers, an active Republican club, a bunch of faith based organizations and a plenty of apolitical kids. Just as Berkeley today is not Berkeley of the 60’s so too, Oberlin.
@qialah Thanks for the input. The problem with colleges that currently have an environment of toleration is that they always strive to be “politically correct.” This political correctness, IMHO, is a largely liberal idea and heavily favors radical liberals. There was a comment somewhere on CC (I forgot where) that I agree with alot: there’s a difference between politically correct tolerance and actual tolerance (as in politically quiet). I prefer the latter, which is why I think Oberlin is likely not the right fit for me.