What’s it like to be a white, conservative, male Christian on Rice U. campus?
I cannot speak from experience but my daughter is a student there and one of the things she loves about Rice is the diversity and the level of acceptance the students have for those different from themselves. Her group of friends includes a mix of genders, sexual orientations, races, nationalities and religions. So, I think as long as you don’t care that you will be surrounded by all sorts of people (not just other white, conservative, male Christians) you’d be fine there.
You can find students with just about any viewpoint at Rice. There are small but vibrant Christian organizations on campus and there is even a modestly sized campus Republican group.
However, like most top-25 universities the student body skews predominantly liberal. You can see this if you look at voting results for Rice’s precinct, which went 93 percent Democratic in the 2016 election. For purposes of comparison, the Roper Institute reports that young people in the broader US voted 55 percent Democratic in 2016.
This suggests you wouldn’t have an especially large group of conservative compatriots at Rice. But as long as you are prepared for that, a fair number of conservatives can and have graduated from Rice over the years and perhaps you’ll eventually be among them.
You can be whoever you want, as long as you are nice to others.
Rice has a diverse and accepting student body. My daughter is white and is involved with Christian groups on campus such as Chi Alpha. There are groups that attend church together on Sunday. Some go to West University Baptist Church, some go to Seven Mile Church (nondenominational) etc. There are many churches located in walking distance of campus. There are probably more liberals at Rice than conservatives, but there is an active campus Republican group.
If you are looking for a place that has a predominance of white, conservative, Christian males, that is not what you will find at Rice. In Texas, SMU, Baylor, A & M, or TCU would fit the bill. Nationally ranked schools such as Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Washington & Lee, Duke or Dartmouth might be more your speed.
I recommend you avoid echo chambers, if you are conservative, go to a liberal school. If you are liberal, go to a conservative school. You’ll become more knowledgeable and more tolerant. Surrounding yourself with people who agree with you is not a great way to evolve.
I guess I should have gone to a women’s college.
Haha. If they have other men as well, it’s better than all male school. Co-Ed schools are better than single gender schools. Unlike single gender schools, liberal or conservative schools have students of opposite school of thought as well. No mainstream top 100 rank college is completely liberal or conservative.
Example : Far-right listening to Breitbart and far-left listening to MoJo lives in their own custom bubbles, impermeable to reality. It’s hard for them to understand each other. Unless we leave our bubbles to really talk to each other, differences will keep growing.
@Riversider - I pose that very question to every Sociology department head I come across when visiting schools, knowing full well there are no conservatives in their ranks, and the looks I get in return are priceless. Talk about living in their own custom bubbles, impermeable to reality…
OP should spend some time on Unigo reading student reviews of Rice. My son and I both did exactly that, and we both couldn’t wait to go and visit Rice. We made that trip a couple of weeks ago and the school is now at the top of his list. After visiting 12 schools this year, nowhere did we find a more relaxed and welcoming environment than the Rice campus - students, faculty and staff!
my kid is conservative Christian and absolutely loves Rice - stays true to beliefs - gives no judgement - receives no judgement - third year there and says everyone is super nice and welcoming - best choice ever - for me the best thing is i have seen a distinct change in personality for the best - a more relaxed, polite, appreciative, thankful person - not sure if it is the southern culture or Rice but I love it.
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