Pepperdine Law Question Forum

[arhmcpo]

OP -

The undergrad university is very conservative. The law school is very different.

While more conservative than your typical university (by "typical" I mean largely liberal) the student body has at least as many Libertarians as Republicans; and lots of Democrats as well. Most professors here, like any other law school, are left leaning. The school emphasizes their desire that you believe in god, any god, but they won't force it on you; anything religious related is voluntary (i.e. a student group hosting speakers or meetings)

I would recommend against living in Malibu and living in a neighboring community like Calabasas which is about 10 minutes away and a couple hundred dollars cheaper if that's an important issue for you.

Basically the law school wants the best students; usually half the class or more is from out of state; that process does not include the luxury of attempting to discriminate between perceived liberals or conservatives. The atmosphere is anything but oppressive, we hang out and look at the ocean from school; it tends to create a more relaxed environment.

[Foosters Galore]

I'm in the exact same boat as you, OP. True blue, liberal atheist who wants to move to CA except I'm from OH. I decided not to apply to Pepperdine because of their conservative Christian stance. I actually toured the campus and talked with a few current students. Their responses indicated that class discussions, case analyses, etc. are often influenced by the school's Christian perspective. I don't think it's inconceivable that I would be ostracized for saying Roe v. Wade was decided properly. Plus, the schollies I've heard people getting from Pepperdine come with top 1/3 stips. Financially and politically, the school is not for me.

It's just a shame that the most beautiful law school campus in the country's most liberal state is a right-wing establishment.

Maybe we'll be classmates @ Loyola or Hastings. Good luck!

What a load of shit. I mean absolute shit. I'm a liberal. At Pepperdine. Have never, ever, ever seen this or heard of this. Our Con Law professor took an anonymous poll on the 1st day of class as to the students political leanings. The result was 31 conservative, 29 liberal, and 18 moderate.

We're doing Roe next week. If I'm still alive, I'll make sure to check back in and let you guys know how it went.

[Sean1269]

I'll throw in my two cents on this as well. I'm not conservative, I land just left of center. I'm an atheist. There is an active Federalist Society and Christian Legal Society. I have never been to one of their meetings and I don't hear much from them. Conservatism in the classroom? No. It's law school. We are not studying Political Science. The only times you will hear about politics in the classroom is when Professors jokingly talk about Pepperdine being conservative. Most of the faculty is left leaning or moderate. The student body is a good mix.