Branching off this topic, is it easier for the conservative mind to be developed in the heart of a liberal leaning university, or at a conservative friendly university?
I am a current student at Shimer College, and I can definitely say that St. John's is a remarkable school. Several of our facilitators are graduates who have touched me in a very similar way as Aitor explained. The school is certainly comprised of the intellectual elite, but that is a double edged sword. They are so elite as to be too inclusive. Getting into the school is a mighty feat, and congrats if that works out. But if it doesn't, I would highly suggest Shimer College. Shimer is a unique mix between St. Johns and Antioch College, another great school that I suggest you explore.
My reason for Shimer would be its classes. Our discussion based classes include only 12 people at max and last for about an hour and a half after having read approximately 100 pages. Class is usually quite intensive and rewarding, as people are all sharing their ideas about what they all have read, you critically analyze what your classmates, and what the author as well, is saying.
Any other questions about Shimer? Let me know and I will try to answer as best I can.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: ToryH,
Whenever I get a chance to counsel high school students on college choices, I always recommend Hillsdale College first. I don't know if either of you have considered this Michigan school, but it might be a good non-great books alternative to consider. Being a Hoosier and a Purdue grad, I would definitely advise against going to Indiana University. You might claim I'm simply prejudiced against I.U., but I wouldn't recommend Purdue either.
JosephC, my view on conservative training is similar to that of the military. The military won't allow you to fight the enemy until you have been fully trained. I consider college to be continued training, therefore, go to a conservative-friendly institution. The biggest advantage to this is that you won't be wasting your money on classes that teach multicultural tripe. Instead, you'll be investing your time and money on information that will be useful to you.
INsage I can't believe you would actually say that. Especially to high school students looking for honest advice about college. I think it to be a sham having to decide who you are with a simple, mostly fictitious, dichotomy of liberal/conservative. I think it even more absurd that you would relate political philosophy to military training, unless of course you believe politics to be a war in itself, but at that point we are departing from democracy and are setting the stage for some tyrannical movement.
(On a similar note, My Social Science 2 Class read Thomas Hobbes and Machiavelli back to back, which I think helps me point this out easier)
Shimer college itself is impossible to categorize as liberal or conservative. I have friends here who fully support Bush; and I have friends here who refuse to vote because of their anarchistic leaning. The difference here is that regardless of who you are affiliated with you are willing to have a fair discussion about where you stand, you don't seclude yourself to your certain type of political person who are there only to fix your ego when your argument fails. Regardless of what happens the hegelian dialectic moves on.
