Please fuck off Mr. Coastal.

I understand attending a specialized university would bring its own unique experiences. A university based on the teaching of Catholicism would be one element. Add the fact that its location is in middle America. After reading a the review of Franciscan University this came particular review raised these issues -

"I attended Franciscan University in the early 2000's and had a good experience. I made good friends and learned a lot about my faith and about myself.

It was a culture shock at first. I'm from New York City and most of the kids were from small towns. A lot of kids were home schooled which was something I hadn't even heard of before I went there. NYC is a diverse place and I grew up experiencing many different cultures and ideas, but there weren't a lot of kids like the ones I met at Franciscan. It is not a very diverse place in terms of race or even ideas. The school is extremely conservative. If that's what you're into, then you'll love it. I'm happy I went there. I have good memories. I also now have an insight into the upside down thinking that most of middle America has."

The demographics probably has changed since the early 2000s. Even then, I found it a little patronizing and hypocritical of this poster to conclude what he did. Not universities are created equal and most universities have a liberal bent - institutions like Franciscan University not withstanding.

There have been countless stories, documents and recorded, of conservative students on liberal campuses on the coasts being ostracized, blackballed and mocked by their fellow students and even professors. This is not to say that whatever lack of diverse ideas is be defended, but it helps to put things in perspective. If I attend a university similar to Franciscan University I won't be expecting NYU or UCLA type of diversity in race or ideas. The institution attracts a certain type of student as do the MITs and the Warren Wilsons of the world. I'm not sure what he was expecting at the university.

How does spending four years in Steubenville, Ohio, population of approximately 18.5K, give insight on "most of middle America"? Not only that but the ideas the poster was exposed to he considers "upside down thinking" though he gave no examples of what ideas came as a culture shock to make him think so. No offense to the city and the university but they don't speak for other states.

If anything, this is the failure of critical thinking of the coastal "enlightened" (well I'm from NYC where it's so diverse!) to think that because he spent 36 months in middle America they have a sound understanding of the region. Let's visit Midwestern liberal arts colleges: Kenyon, Beloit, or Oberlin. Would spending 36 months at either college be a fair amount to say one can objectively judge middle America? Maybe. It depends on what they studied, who they interacted with, and what they did within their studies. If we just

It's clear to see this poster's thinking - homogeneous student body, high percent of home schoolers, conservative, Catholic, and middle America equates to backwards thinking. I suppose all that consumption of diverse cultures and ideas in NYC didn't produce a truly enlightened person he thinks he is.