This year, more and more teenagers are mentioning conservative politics on their college application and getting accepted into ivy league schools. Is the culture surrounding higher education shifting?

From The New York Post. More and more high school seniors are getting political on their college applications — and it’s paying off.

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Applicants writing about volunteering for conservative organizations or even door-knocking for President Trump in their admissions essays are getting into top schools, according to college admissions advisor Christopher Rim.

“They’re like, ‘Listen, this is what I believe in, and I’m going to talk about it. And if the admissions officer fundamentally disagrees with me and rejects me, that’s fine, because this is who I am and that’s not the school for me,’” Rim, the founder and CEO of college consulting firm Command Education, told The Post.

Even though it might seem like a risky move, Rim says it’s working out for his advisees. Clients who leaned into controversial political issues in their essays gained early admission to Harvard, Penn, Stanford and Princeton for the 2025-2026 school year. …

Before this application cycle, clients who had volunteered to help elect a Republican would often opt not to put it on their application. Or, if they volunteered for a conservative organization, they might not have named it on their list of extracurriculars.

“Now they’re naming them without issue, and they’re even asking for recommendations from politicians who in the past definitely would have been deemed ‘too controversial’ to get a recommendation from,” Rim explained. “And they’re getting into Harvard.” …

“Up until this year, the attitude was more, ‘Why try to be controversial when I don’t need to be?’” Rim explained. “But now we see a lot of students speaking out and being vocal. I don’t know if it has to do with Trump winning the election, but they don’t feel as scared.” …

“They’re really doubling down on their beliefs and being true to who they are, and ultimately that’s what colleges want. They want interesting students who will stand up for what they think is the right thing.”

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(Excerpt from The New York Post. Photo Credit: Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash)