Why do people label college as a "liberal haven"? (Ivy League, skills)

[twista6002]

I always hear about how college is supposed to be a liberal brainwashing shop. I've gone to a JuCo in southern California and a state school in New Jersey, two areas that are locked to be "blue". Never once have I been told by a professor how to vote, never once have I been outcast if I have a view in the minority, and for the most part most of my professors have shown a neutral image of both sides of the spectrum. I've even had a few conservative professors who have given more biased arguments than my liberal ones. Where does this come from? Thinking about it, this really just sounds like an excuse by rightwing commentators about young people voting democrat. Thoughts?

[JBoughton]

Originally Posted by twista6002

Thinking about it, this really just sounds like an excuse by rightwing commentators about young people voting democrat. Thoughts?

You're learning something in college.....a prime example of repeating something over and over again so often that people who don't look for the facts behind the words think that it's true. Something the right has become very good at.

[artsyguy]

Brainwashing is absolutely non-partisan. Both political parties or non-parties with an agenda can brainwash or exploit students.

Originally Posted by JBoughton

You're learning something in college.....a prime example of repeating something over and over again so often that people who don't look for the facts behind the words think that it's true. Something the right has become very good at.

[akck]

Originally Posted by twista6002

I've even had a few conservative professors who have given more biased arguments than my liberal ones.

How certain are you that your own biases aren't affecting your judgment that the conservative profs are giving you biased arguments?

I don't get heavily into political arguments because frankly, they're all the same. One thing I've noticed is no one comes to an argument without their biases. The main one I see is one side comes to the argument with their opinion as being the truth or proven fact. They then see any arguments from their side as being balanced and arguments from the other side as biased.

If I ever enter an argument, it's to point out an inaccuracy in a "fact" or to show proof that other research opinions exist I've been accused as being both liberal and conservative for doing this, depending on which side I'm pointing out the inaccuracy.

[Ceece]

Going to college, "going away to college", usually results in a person not being controlled by their parents, families, churches, and social groups for the first time in their lives. It's when people have to stand on their own and think for themselves. It's a time when many people see that there is more to the world than what they have been exposed to thus far. They are exposed to more highly educated people than they have ever been and many of those highly educated people have different views than they do. It challenges everything you thought you knew. This goes for liberals and conservatives but the majority of those who change world views during the college years are coming from sheltered or very conservative backgrounds so it is seen as a 'falling away' by many.

That is why.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by twista6002

I always hear about how college is supposed to be a liberal brainwashing shop. I've gone to a JuCo in southern California and a state school in New Jersey, two areas that are locked to be "blue". Never once have I been told by a professor how to vote, never once have I been outcast if I have a view in the minority, and for the most part most of my professors have shown a neutral image of both sides of the spectrum. I've even had a few conservative professors who have given more biased arguments than my liberal ones. Where does this come from? Thinking about it, this really just sounds like an excuse by rightwing commentators about young people voting democrat. Thoughts?

Schools vary wildly in terms of how conservative or liberal they are.

It really is quite moot though, there is not a lot of difference between the two parties anyway when you look at actions. Granted they do talk differently.

[Katiana]

A lot of college profs are really not all that into politics that much, except as how they are affected. For ex, at a state university, the profs will mostly be in favor of increased state monies going to the U. Certain fields have a more liberal/conservative bias, e.g. engineering is conservative, social work is liberal, etc, but there are exceptions to all of this and also degrees of liberalism/conservatism among individuals in these areas.

[Thomas_Thumb]

Well, most colleges tend to be liberal, because most youngins are liberal. Young college students tend to be more open to liberal social issues.
Also, they really don't have a good sense of money (or rather savings), and lean to entitlement programs (not minding to spend off of other people's taxes).
Also, most don't have children. Most people become more conservative after having children and after years of seeing how inefficient the government is.

[slim04]

OK, college in old europe is only for the nobility and wealthy. It primarily teaches the classics, ancient greek and latin philosophy.

The only colleges in America for centuries were institutions based on the older european colleges and universities. Only the wealthy sent their sons to these institutions, which eventually became the most elite college and universities in the U.S. (i.e. Ivy League). They have a strong tradition of teaching humanist philosophy (i.e. social justice, rationality, logic, etc.). Graduates of these elite institutions become members of academia and this very strong humanist influence follows them. Humanists ideals are generally more compatible with liberalism, than conservativism.

Nation grows, colleges both public and private sprout everywhere, these humanist ideals spreads to them by members of academia. Most colleges in the U.S are considered liberal.

However, schools become increasingly middle and working class and career oriented majors explode in popularity (i.e. agriculture, engineering, business, nursing, education, etc.). These students don't have jobs lined up at daddy's firm after graduation, so they need to develop skills that will make them marketable. Liberal arts programs decline, professional degrees are much more popular. Instead of spending 2 to 4 years getting a solid liberal arts education, many students get just a handful of traditional liberal arts classes.

So the humanist and liberal influence wanes. It's still there in many places, especially if the school has a strong liberal arts and social science department. It's just not what it used to be, but it still exists.

[th3vault]

Overall, with a few exceptions (BYU comes to mind), a college will be a very liberal place. However, this also depends on the major.

Sociology/Gender Studies/Liberal Arts/Political Science...... tend to have very liberal professors teaching the subject matter with a liberal slant.

Business/Hard Science/Engineering/Mathematics........ too busy working on subject material to bother with politics

Theology/Criminal Justice/Military Science.............. conservative slant due to either religious figures, ex-cops, or military personnel teaching the courses