The Most Political Colleges (PHOTOS)

Dream of running for office? Live for public service? The following are ten schools -- part of Unigo's 10 for '10 college rankings -- that serve as training grounds for the world's civil servants. Click through to see why students rated these campuses the most politically engaged -- and if your school is missing, make a case for it in the comments section.

See Unigo's other college rankings -- and stay tuned for more:

The New Ivies

No Last Call: Party Schools

Best-Kept Secrets

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American University

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American University students will proudly tell you that their campus is one of the most politically aware in the nation. With the White House just a short train ride away, it’s easy to understand why. As one student puts it: “American is the best of both worlds. You get the opportunities of the nation’s capital along with the close-knit community of a small campus.” Another says “the location of American makes many opportunities available to students. I am a freshman and I already have an internship with a congressman! And political speakers drop by AU all the time.” While most students lean to the left, the College Republicans have a major presence at the school as well, and it is uncommon for any party to be ostracized. This is most readily evidenced by the students of all stripes who regularly call up and voice their opinions on WAMU, one of the top 5 NPR stations in the U.S. Overall, American University students take full advantage of their school’s prime location, and are constantly immersed in the political life of D.C.

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American University students will proudly tell you that their campus is one of the most politically aware in the nation. With the White House just a short train ride away, it’s easy to understand why. As one student puts it: “American is the best of both worlds. You get the opportunities of the nation’s capital along with the close-knit community of a small campus.” Another says “the location of American makes many opportunities available to students. I am a freshman and I already have an internship with a congressman! And political speakers drop by AU all the time.” While most students lean to the left, the College Republicans have a major presence at the school as well, and it is uncommon for any party to be ostracized. This is most readily evidenced by the students of all stripes who regularly call up and voice their opinions on WAMU, one of the top 5 NPR stations in the U.S. Overall, American University students take full advantage of their school’s prime location, and are constantly immersed in the political life of D.C.

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Comments

[Arthur Colker]

06:15 PM on 09/01/2010

Um....is this a joke? GW and American make the list, but Georgetown doesn't? Not to diss on anyone's school, what was the number of presidents that went to GW or American? How about the number of senators or congresspersons? When those numbers even come close to Georgetown's then maybe we can have a conversation. By all accounts Georgetown is the only top tier institution in DC and its omission makes this list meaningless.

[Carmen Cardenas]

08:57 PM on 09/08/2010

I agree 100%

[Bardia Khajenoori]

09:32 PM on 09/22/2010

I actually opened the comments section to mention the same thing...

[victelliz]

10:25 AM on 08/31/2010

Go AU! American University is super for kids who are politicos. My son transferred there from another college and immediately found lots and lots of politically involved students. Moreover, the college's Campaign Management Institute, a 2-week intensive program that is broadcasted on C-Span, is perfect for those who seek a carreer in the management of political campaigns. After graduation, my son got close to a half dozen job offers and is now gainfully employed in a senate campaign.

[Menuka Samaranayake]

02:15 PM on 08/30/2010

On Wisconsin!

[DrSnuggles]

02:09 PM on 08/30/2010

It's a little disingenious to include Oberlin - doing a lot of drugs and not showering does not really make you a liberal. If they are going this route why isn't Liberty on the list?

[AlwaysAnObie]

08:32 PM on 08/30/2010

Totally agree Liberty should be included, but my goodness - what gratuitous remarks about Oberlin!

[DrSnuggles]

09:12 AM on 08/31/2010

I apologize - I have no experience that people from Oberlin don't shower.

[samtee]

12:42 PM on 08/30/2010

Those kids are going to keep those signs change the logo for next time

[BankerTee]

11:02 AM on 08/30/2010

No Yale, Harvard or even Georgetown? What a useless and meaningless list!

[Tails]

11:23 AM on 08/30/2010

Or Cal-Berkeley or UT Austin.

[Hare]

01:35 PM on 08/30/2010

I think is because most of the Ivys except for Princeton are already at a place where being Political is so common is just taken for granted, just look at Columbia, is like if you are there is because you were born or bottle fed political consciousness

[SpreadingTheWealth]

10:38 AM on 08/30/2010

What a colossal waste of time and money.

[Tails]

11:24 AM on 08/30/2010

College?

[onegandolf1]

10:26 AM on 08/30/2010

I notice that "Liberal" and "Mixed" are represented here, but very few "Conservative"
schools are. We all know about Liberty and the like, but there is one about 75 miles from me that deserves attention.

Often mentioned as one of the "Best values among Colleges" Grove City is a super school in which to pursue majors such as Business, Accounting , Actuarial Studies and the like. It is affiliated with The Methodist Church.

It's focus on Business related majors coupled with it's church affiliation help make it one of the most reliably conservative colleges one could find. Professors often write articles for the school website that are positively glowing in their praise of past failed Economic policies.

I no longer recommend Grove City to my students, but remain convinced that it's Business Department is super.

[Shane Castevens]

07:39 PM on 08/30/2010

The writers 'Liberal' bias is obvious in this article. It's inevitable every writer puts his/her own spin it.

[Gneirre]

09:10 AM on 08/30/2010

Soooooooooo proud of my Alma Mater - Wesleyan University. It was a GREAT 4 years!!!!

[petit chaton]

08:47 AM on 08/30/2010

Where is Hillsdale College on this list? Usually #1 or 2 when discussing right-wing fundamentalist schools; quite possibly the most conservative school in the country. Diversity? None.

[owlsocks]

07:13 AM on 08/30/2010

Well, all that I can say is that UMass Amherst, just down the road from Hampshire, is a veritable den of liberal activism. It gave Hampshire it's start as a politicized school.

[NickGranite]

07:03 AM on 08/30/2010

Ah, dem brainwashed youth. No one listens to an 18-22 year old about anything until it's time to ferry them to the polls. Simply not enough life experience to know that no matter how smart you are, how good your intentions are, human nature wins out over government intervention everytime.

[StellaFox]

10:03 AM on 08/30/2010

I know 18 year old men and women that have more knowledge and experience in geo-politics than you do in your little finger.

If 18 year olds are old enough to die in the military for this country, their opinion are as equally valid as yours.

[SaddleBum]

12:40 AM on 08/30/2010

bring back the draft

guaranteed anti-war movement.

[Self Evident]

12:29 AM on 08/30/2010

Not one school from Washington or Oregon. Speaks volumes about the supposedly progressive Pacific Northwest. Actually, it's embarrassing.

[Indie3000]

12:17 AM on 08/30/2010

Here are the latest polls from pollster.com, an aggregate polling organization owned by Ariiana Hufffington.

Obama's Job Approval: 51.1% Disapprove.....44.7% Approve
http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/jobapproval-obama.php

National Congressional Ballot: 46.2% for Republicans.....40.9% for Democrats
http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/10-us-house-genballot.php

State of the Country: 59.1% Wrong Track.....32% Right Track
http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/issue-rdwt.php

Obama's Approval on Heath Care: 52.4% Disapprove.....42.5% Approve
http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/jobapproval-presobama-health.php

Obama's Approval on the Economy: 57.7% Disapprove.....39% Approve
http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/jobapproval-presobama-economy.php