• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • College Loans
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • College Loans
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise

You are here: Home / Life / LGBTQ+ / Campus Life: The LGBT Factor

Campus Life: The LGBT Factor

November 8, 2010 //  by College Magazine//  Leave a Comment

FacebookTweet

Hannah Morgan > Sophomore > Journalism > University of Maryland, College Park

With deadlines looming for fall 2011 college applications, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) students have to factor a relatively newly-recognized component into their college searches. And with recent LGBT collegiate issues abounding, have certain schools developed reputations with the LGBT community?

 

“I do believe that certain schools have an LGBT tolerant stereotype,” said Andrew Hor, a sophomore international business major at George Washington University. “Each school has its own unique vibe and attitude, just like a person would.”

So, where do LGBT students start when looking for colleges? What factors go into the decision?

As expected, factors like cost, location and size play a huge role, but ultimately it may be ais a gut decision made by each student individually.

“For me, personally, LGBT tolerance was extremely important when looking at colleges,” said Zoe Travis, sophomore at Smith College, one of the most “predominantly queer schools” in the country.

“College is the only four years of your life where you have so much control over what environment you are in,” said Travis, “and I [knew] that I wanted my ability to express myself to be my least concern while at school.”

Schools that offer liberal arts educations tend to portray liberal, political and social college atmospheres to potential students.

“I was picking schools I knew I could be out at, so I was looking at really liberal schools,” academically, socially and environmentally, said Andrew Reighart, a sophomore public policy major at St. Mary’s College who didn’t choose to come out until college.

Additionally, schools in cities, where more people live closer together and where there are more culturally diverse events, present more opportunities for diversity, and therefore have more liberal atmospheres.

“As I spent my high school years ‘in the closet,’ I had always fantasized of moving to a big city where I had the freedom to really explore my identity in a setting that made movement between social groups easy,” Hor said, “I feel that most LGBT students crave a change of pace and location.”

Hor said these reputations weighed heavily into his final decision of GWU. Except for one northeastern campus, Hor exclusively applied to urban schools.

“In general, urban areas tend to be more liberal, typically you will find more registered democrats there and democrats are more willing to be tolerant,” of many social issues, including LGBT tolerance, Reighart said.

Stereotypes of schools vary from student to student, however, and Reighart emphasizes that it is impossible to accurately label each school. The existence of LGBT-oriented clubs and organizations is a good indicator of a school’s LGBT population and community.

“Being out at GW has been an incredible experience. Everyone I have encountered has been more than overwhelmingly accepting and supportive,” Hor said. “GW is unique in that I do not feel that I need to partake in the larger LGBT community to seek legitimacy in my relationship- it is acknowledged by everyone.”

Finding the right college is a different journey unique to each student, regardless of sexual orientation. It’s important to keep an open mind when looking at prospective schools, and to listen to a gut reaction about the feeling of a place—oftentimes it could be a deciding factor.

Good luck class of 2015!

Images courtesy of ucla.edu and justmeans.com.

FacebookTweet

Filed Under: LGBTQ+ Life

About College Magazine

College Magazine Staff

You May Also Like

LGBT POC

Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, Oh My: What Queer Dating is Like in the Digital Age

Am I Gay Enough to Be Bi?

chicago pride festivals

Top 10 Pride Festivals of 2018

I Was the Guy in a Girls Dorm, But It Wasn’t What You’re Picturing

bisexual songs

Bi Bops for Everyone: 10 Bisexual Songs You Need to Listen to ASAP

10 LGBT+ Books To Read Right Now

that girl

A Guide to Being “That Girl” Who’s Unafraid to be Herself

valentine's day songs

Happy Valentine’s Gay: The Ultimate LGBTQ+ Valentine’s Day Songs

7 Tips for LGBTA Dating in College

gender

What it’s Like to be Gender Nonconforming in College

pride

Fluid Sexuality: An Intimate Look at the Kinsey Scale

bisexual pride flag

Breaking Down Bisexual Stereotypes

The Conversation We Should Have About Transgender Women and Feminism

“But I’m a Cheerleader” Taught Me It’s Ok To be Gay

queer girl Valentine's Day

A Queer Girl’s Perspective on Valentine’s Day

Members of Queer/Trans People of Color United pose around a large banner with the organization's logo.

Club Spotlight: UF’S Queer/Trans People of Color United

I Got Kicked Out of My Dorm for Being Transgender

Coming Back and Coming Out

Leaving the Closet in College

Author Robin Talley Spills About New Book and Writing About the LGBT Community

The New Gender-Normal: Gender-Inclusive Housing

Sex is Sex: Learn to Love Your Regrets

You Don’t Have To Come Out Alone

Bros in Bars: The Cliché Macho Man

Previous Post: « Suicide in College: Is There a Solution to the
Next Post: Surprise Careers for Your Major »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment

Primary Sidebar



Enter to Win!

Trending Posts

421

The 6 Commandments for Sliding into a Girl’s DM like… an Average College Dude

340

10 Steps To The Perfect Galentine’s Day

signs a girl likes you
113

11 Signs a Girl Likes You as More Than a Friend

92

10 Can’t Miss Inspirational Speakers at The Passion Summit

millennial generation
78

15 Ways Millennials Are Out Here Killing It

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise

Copyright © 2019 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.