Colleges in America are known for being liberal, and when you're a young Republican looking at colleges, that can really be a drawback. Lucky for me, I was able to find a college that isn't overly liberal, but it wasn't an easy thing to do.
It's not that I have a problem being around people who disagree with my views. High school was full of students and teachers that let their political opinions be known. But when you're considering political science as a minor, you have to think about what kind of professor you're going to get. I have heard so many stories about liberal professors inserting their personal views into the classroom, criticizing students who dare to disagree.
I'm not afraid of criticism, but why would I let my grade be in the hands of someone that can't separate their views from the teachings in the classroom? There's a difference between a professor playing devil's advocate and actually arguing their own personal ideology.
It is extremely maddening how many students go into college only to become filled with liberal ideas because of their professors. College students are extremely impressionable, which is something liberals take advantage of. Please don't even try to argue against that fact because everyone knows our colleges are overwhelmingly liberal.
Even though my college isn't really liberal, I'm still surrounded by students that either have uninformed opinions or affiliate with the Democratic Party. Yes, even on Marist College's campus there are students "feeling the Bern." The scary thing is that so many college students across the country love Bernie Sanders, who is a democratic socialist -- you can't get much more left of the spectrum than that.
Professors, liberals and conservatives alike, should not be influencing students with their political opinions. They should give students the facts and allow them to make decisions about their beliefs on their own, but a lot of the time that isn't what happens.
I frequently encounter students who have no idea what they're talking about, their opinions of Republicans being completely skewed -- and it's frustrating. College is supposed to be a place of higher education, where young people are supposed to question things and form their own opinions. If professors are touting liberal beliefs like they're the only ones that should exist, it doesn't help the students.
People have their opinions about me because I'm a Republican, but at least I formed my own political opinions before coming to college, figuring out what I really believe. I never let people tell me what I should think or feel politically, and colleges shouldn't want to dictate what young people believe. We came to college to think, so let us think -- don't do it for us.
