The Best Conservative Liberal Arts Colleges: Avoiding PC Schools Hostile to Faith and Tradition

Yes, there are conservative liberal arts colleges that don't run away from religious tradition-- great schools that aren't dripping with political correctness.

It’s never too early to start preparing your student for college. Below is some information that may be of interest to you and your family.

1. The essential college guide is Choosing the Right College 2005: The Whole Truth About America's Top Schools. Our family found the 2004 edition very helpful. This guide published by the conservative Intercollegiate Studies Institute provides the inside scoop on the political and moral climate on campus for the top schools in the nation. Over 125 essays provide the inside scoop on the academic, social and political climate of each school. Even if your student’s school of choice is not among the 125, this book is valuable in helping you formulate questions and conduct your investigation into whether a college is overrun by political correctness and speech codes creating a hostile environment for people of faith and traditional values. I had a difficult time getting this from bookstores and Amazon said they would have it in a few days, but after three weeks I cancelled and ordered it from thbookservice.com. This is not a slam on Amazon or the bookstores, simply a report on the tremendous demand for this publication, especially during peak season.

2. Prod your student into preparing for and taking the SAT and ACT early in their 11th grade year. Better yet, start during their 10th grade year. Kaplan and Princeton Review offer effective classroom and online prep classes.

3. A very helpful book about how to prepare college applications, write essays and interview is Acing the College Application: How to Maximize Your Chances for Admission to the College of Your Choice by Michele Hernandez. It's likely to be in stock at most Barnes & Nobel stores and at Amazon. Another alternative is to hire a college consultant to assist your student with application preparation.

4. Collegiate Choice videos are amateur videos of actual campus tours including questions posed by the photographer and prospective students taking the tour. There are hundreds to choose from at about $10 each but ordering a half dozen videos can save a lot of travel and time and perhaps narrow choices. DVDs and VHS tapes from Videc are free (you may keep DVDs but have to return VHS). These are professionally done but they only show what the college wants you to see.

5. An alternative to large national college fairs are more intimate consortium fairs such as the nationally renowned Southern Consortium Tour. The Southern Consortium is an elite group of 19 highly selective schools from the South and Southeast. It's a good chance for students and parents to attend a free event and learn about some schools outside the region while they ratchet up excitement for going to college. The schools include: Agnes Scott College (GA); Davidson College (NC); Emory University (GA); Furman University (SC); Hollins College (VA); Rhodes College (TN); Rice University (TX); Rollins College (FL); SMU (TX); Stetson University (FL); TCU (TX); Trinity University (TX); Tulane University (LA); University of Miami (FL); University of Richmond (VA); University of the South (TN); Vanderbilt University (TN); Wake Forrest University (NC); and Washington and Lee University (VA).

Your comments are welcome. E-mail me at: gene@allenpllc.com.