Being in college, especially at a large public university like UK, is an experience that introduces students to a whole new spectrum of diversity. They can meet people from all over the world with different backgrounds, and for students that come from small or rural environments this can be quite an eye opener. The experience tends to give students a wider and more tolerant outlook on politics and life in general. 

It is no secret that college campuses tend to swing left and big college towns always seem to vote blue, but why is this? Is it because we’re millennials and we love to follow fads? Many college students would agree that this idea, which older generation conservatives try to push, is far from the truth. 

For many of us, college is our first time being away from home and our parents. Many of us are still teenagers, and our rebellious nature makes us want to go against what our parents believe, which often leads to people from generally conservative families embracing more liberal ideas. 

As a generation of tech savvy individuals in an age where any information we desire is at our fingertips, many of us are hyper-informed. For many college students this was the first election we were able to vote in, so it held importance to us. This paired with the ease of sharing your opinion on social media has increased involvement in and discussion of politics among students. 

Education also plays a huge role in why college students tend to be more liberal. According to Pew Research Center, there are about twice as many liberals with graduate or postgraduate degrees than conservatives. 

This poses the question, is our educational system biased toward a more liberal outlook? 

The experiences that come with being a college student tend to give students a more liberal outlook. The exposure to diversity pairs with the education being pursued to form a more informed, tolerant person. 

Many young people are hungry for change. Getting an education opens up a broader conception of how the world is and this can cause students to be outraged by what they see. 

Overall this is a trend seen on college campuses around the U.S, and this will continue as long as students are driven to be informed about how our country is run.

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