Simpson University

Date: Feb 21 2010
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
I grew up having a conservative background ("conservative" being a description of both my political, religious, and social perceptions), and then chose to go to a fairly liberal university straight out of high school. I will not deny the immense influence this contrasting atmosphere had on my perception of the world, largely influencing my expectations of ideas, beliefs, and knowledge. For various fiscal reasons I ended up at Simpson University my sophomore year, and given my exposure to a legitimate university, I am able to see the various social and academic failings of Simpson University.

Academically, the majority of the students here are looking to get a piece of paper at the end of their four year endeavor. The search for lasting knowledge, while some students carry this out efficiently, is simply not a priority to the majority of the school. "Community" is the main focus, a laughable notion given the constant restraint of student voice around campus. If you're not conservative and wish to change certain policies or influence the campus in any way, your voice is muffled with the Student Handbook and you're shut out from the possibility of Student Leadership. Recently, a group of friends and I started an alternative student newspaper. Our goal was to increase the intellectual voice on campus and to get people thinking outside of the Simpson bubble. Immediately, we were contacted by the administration and forced to get approval from them before distributing anything on campus. Aside from the administration, numerous people contacted us saying that if we didn't agree with the university then why would we choose to stay here? This is simply one example of how few people here care about being progressive for the sake of intellectual achievement. College is often thought of as a place where ideas prosper and your ideology of life is altered or justified. At Simpson, the only thing that has changed in me is a further embellishment of my disdain for closed-minded communities who rate things like getting a "ring by spring" higher than intellectual prosperity. If you're looking for a university which reflects numerous qualities of church camp or youth group, then by all means attend this university. But if your ideas lie somewhere outside of the conservative Christian bubble, then be prepared to continually fight to have a voice even when no one wants to hear you. Be prepared to have a small circle of friends who share your love of knowledge, and to be hated by those who have no problem settling with the status quo.