The 5 Most Progressive Colleges in the USA

5. Wesleyan, Connecticut

Sure, so you’ve heard a little bit about this university, and it sounds kind of liberal and fun. They’ve had a vegetarian club since the early nineteenth century (1830, to be exact, which is well before even proto-hipsters could get their hands on the rabbit food), and they’re constantly protesting about some kind of dangerous fossil fuels or overly right-wing opinion. But by far the most progressive thing about Wesleyan? Well, that would be the alleged naked parties they have on the regular. You should be now both glad and disappointed that you didn’t go to this university. But mostly disappointed. Dang.

 

4. Grinnel, Iowa

With a university president who is both black and gay, it’s pretty clear that any kind of intolerance isn’t going to go down particularly well here. Grinnel takes pride in the diversity on it’s campus, but it’s not just that this has landed in the number four spot. In fact, they practice self-governance, meaning that students are involved with resolving conflicts around the campus instead of administration. And on top of that, they even get a say on what goes on in the administration itself. Just think of the chaos you could unleash with that kind of power…till the student mediators got to you, of course.

 

3. American University, Washington

A university known for it’s utterly open and accepting nature, it’s hard to think of another place that so warmly welcomes wide varieties of race, gender, and sexuality-the LGBTQ society is one of the biggest resources for that community in the state, and it landed on a list of the most lesbian friendly colleges in the country. It’s also got a seriously active eco-warrior edge (in the cool way, not in the hippie tie-dye shirts way). But on top of that, students are expected and encouraged to take part in lively political debates, and all kinds of mindsets and ideas are represented. This is where to go if you’re a political mind in the making.

 

2. University of Vermont, Vermont

Sure, some colleges go all out and have an LGBTQ society, maybe even throw them a day to call their own and raise awareness of their cause. But the University of Vermont goes a step further than that, handing over the whole month of April to LGBTQ awareness and setting up tons of events that celebrate the LGBTQ world-from film screenings to a lecture from Dan Savage, the founder of the It Gets Better project that supports LGBTQ teens. It doesn’t get much more open minded than that.

 

1. Brown University, Rhode Island

Yes, it was always going to be Brown at the top of this list – the university known for offering classes about drugs and weird cinema turned out to be, unsurprisingly, one of the most progressive in the land. It encourages students to accept their sexuality with a series of events where partygoers are allowed to wear as much or as little as they like, and the school encourages an open dialogue about sexuality and gender in general. This is a place where anything goes.