{"id":2481140,"date":"2025-09-01T12:54:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T16:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/applications-to-southern-colleges-surge-as-students-look-to-escape-radical-politics-and-judgey-campuses\/"},"modified":"2025-09-01T12:56:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T16:56:28","slug":"applications-to-southern-colleges-surge-as-students-look-to-escape-radical-politics-and-judgey-campuses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/applications-to-southern-colleges-surge-as-students-look-to-escape-radical-politics-and-judgey-campuses\/","title":{"rendered":"Applications to Southern Colleges Surge as Students Look to Escape &#8216;Radical Politics&#8217; and &#8216;Judgey&#8217; Campuses"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fapplications-to-southern-colleges-surge-as-students-look-to-escape-radical-politics-and-judgey-campuses%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2481140&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Recent reports reveal a significant rise in college applications to Southern universities, driven by students and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/education-nonprofit-says-requests-for-school-choice-scholarships-have-nearly-tripled-since-covid\/\" title=\"COVID has caused a significant increase in requests for school choice scholarships, according to an education nonprofit\">parents seeking alternatives<\/a> to elite Northeastern schools perceived as dominated by radical politics and strict political correctness. Since 2019, applications to Southern schools have increased by 50%, surpassing the growth rates in New england and the Mid-Atlantic. Additionally, the number of students from northern states enrolling in Southern public universities has surged notably over the past two decades.<\/p>\n<p>Families are attracted to Southern schools for their perceived civility,cultural atmosphere,affordability,and a balance between academics and social life. Many students are deliberately avoiding Ivy League and traditionally elite institutions, viewing them as unwelcoming or biased environments. Instead, universities like Wake Forest, Duke, Vanderbilt, and the University of Tennessee are gaining popularity for their sense of community and inclusive spirit.<\/p>\n<p>Affordability and the desire to enjoy the college experience beyond academics are <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >critically important factors influencing<\/a> these choices. Southern schools are seen as places where students can be themselves, engage socially, and avoid what some describe as the stifling culture of radical politics prevalent in elite colleges.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Applications to colleges in the South have surged in recent years, fueled by students seeking alternatives to elite schools dominated by radical politics and political correctness, according to a report from Fortune.<\/p>\n<p>The outlet spoke to parents and students and compiled data showing that applications to Southern schools have jumped 50 percent since 2019, compared to less than 30 percent for schools in New England and the Mid-Atlantic, which are traditionally viewed as elite.<\/p>\n<p>A Wall Street Journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/education\/sorry-harvard-everyone-wants-to-go-to-college-in-the-south-now-235d7934\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> also found that the number of northerners enrolling in Southern public schools has risen 84 percent over the past two decades, including a 30 percent increase from 2018 to 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Students and parents are gravitating toward schools with civility, culture, and affordability in mind.<\/p>\n<p>Trevor Traina, a San Francisco tech entrepreneur, told <a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/08\/31\/college-in-the-south-vanderbilt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fortune<\/a> his son Robby avoided <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mike-rowe-adds-insult-injury-embattled-ivy-league-schools-pointed-comparison-trade-schools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ivy League schools<\/a> altogether.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Despite having a 4.0 GPA and being a student athlete, he chose Wake Forest University in North Carolina over Princeton.<\/p>\n<p>Traina said many students now see elite schools as &ldquo;unfun, judgey and biased against white boys.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He added that many of his son&rsquo;s peers opted for Duke, Vanderbilt, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/embattled-college-quarterback-picks-new-school-rape-allegations-arise-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tulane<\/a> instead of Ivy League schools.<\/p>\n<p>Other students and their families d similar stories.<\/p>\n<p>Ainsley Matteson, a University of Tennessee senior, described the sense of unity she found in Knoxville.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re wearing orange on game day, there&rsquo;s this sense of belonging,&rdquo; she told the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>A high schooler named Cameron McManus, who lives in suburban Washington, D.C., is currently looking at where to head next year.<\/p>\n<p>He said he is drawn to UNC Chapel Hill, Clemson, or the University of South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/department-education-lists-52-universities-investigation-race-based-dei-policies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vanderbilt University<\/a> has also become a major draw.<\/p>\n<p>The school&rsquo;s Chancellor Daniel Diermeier told Fortune that applications are surging from California and the Northeast.<\/p>\n<p>Affordability is also a factor for many families when choosing a school.<\/p>\n<p>Danielle Davis said she chose the University of Florida over the University of Virginia, which is in her home state.<\/p>\n<p>More than one person told Fortune that traditionally elitist schools are being viewed by young Americans as places where they cannot be themselves, complete their studies, and balance a social life.<\/p>\n<p>As one student put it, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to go to college and focus only on studying. I want to have fun. That&rsquo;s what Southern schools are all about.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As for Traina, Fortune reported his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/so-frustrating-abrams-on-people-asking-if-hes-nervous-about-son-being-a-cop-for-halloween\/\" title=\"\u2018So Frustrating\u2019: Abrams On People Asking If He\u2019s \u2018Nervous\u2019 About Son Being A Cop For Halloween\">son decided<\/a> to &ldquo;avoid a culture of radical politics and stifling political correctness&rdquo; when he chose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-no-4-duke-holds-on-for-71-70-victory-over-wake-forest\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wake Forest<\/a> over his alma mater, Princeton.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Applications to Southern colleges have significantly increased recently, driven by students looking for options outside elite institutions perceived as dominated by radical politics and political correctness, according to a Fortune report. The publication gathered insights from parents and students and found that applications to schools in the South have risen by 50% since 2019, compared to less than a 30% increase at traditionally elite schools in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Additionally, a Wall Street Journal article noted an 84% growth over two decades in northern students enrolling at Southern public universities, including a 30% rise between 2018 and 2022. Many families are attracted to these schools for their focus on civility, culture, and affordability. For example, Trevor Traina, a tech entrepreneur from San Francisco, shared that his son chose Wake Forest University over Ivy League options like Princeton because many view elite schools as unwelcoming or biased environments. Other students similarly prefer institutions such as Duke, Vanderbilt, Tulane, UNC Chapel Hill, Clemson, or the University of South Carolina for their sense of community and balanced college experience emphasizing both academics and social life<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2481141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Tulane-University.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[62381,62380,62382],"class_list":["post-2481140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-college-applications","tag-southern-colleges","tag-student-trends"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Tulane-University.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2481140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2481140"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2481140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2481144,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2481140\/revisions\/2481144"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2481141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2481140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2481140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2481140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}