When I thought of differences between college and high school, there were obvious ones that came to mind such as location, living with someone else, taking classes I enjoyed, more independence, and more. However, there was one major difference between the environment I've grown up in and my university environment.

I grew up in a suburb of Milwaukee, WI that was primarily conservative, with a long line of family members with traditional Republican values. I am a caucasian female, and I have never, or at least that I can remember, been a minority. I went to an all-girls private high school that was also dominantly conservative, and although I had my own set of established beliefs, it was still hard to differentiate them in such an established environment.

Then all of the sudden, I was thrown into one of the most liberal states in the country, in a traditionally liberal university, in a liberal field of study with liberal classmates and professors. To be completely honest, it was a culture shock I never saw coming, but one that has impacted me on more levels than imagined. Now, my past majority is a minority.

One of my major takeaways from this transition is the realization of how your environment affects you more than you may ever realize. At home, there were definitely girls in my high school who were liberal and spoke up about it, but others didn't necessarily view that as a positive thing.

However, at my current university, I find it even more challenging for conservatives to discuss their beliefs. Although I definitely share both liberal and conservative views, whenever talking to a professor or classmate, I almost always emphasize my liberal beliefs more than my conservative beliefs. It isn't necessarily that I'm scared; rather, I would just prefer to avoid conflict.

In class, I learned about the theory of the spiral of silence, which basically states (sorry for botching the scientific aspects to the theory) that if a group is vocal about one specific stance, a person who feels the opposite is less likely to participate in the conversation for fear of isolation. For instance, in my communications class, the majority of the class and the professor primarily discussed liberal points of view. Even though I identify with both conservative and liberal beliefs, I was absolutely terrified to contribute some of my conservative viewpoints in the discussion. Because of this theory, the person right next to me may have felt the same way, but I would never know because he/she is also scared to speak up.

To say it has been a strange struggle is an understatement, as I can say I have never been so confused about my political beliefs. More than anything, this transition has taught me that even when you're least expecting it, there are life changing moments and decisions to be made.