Ole Miss/Oxford

[MattNC]

Anyone here live in the Oxford or is there anyone that went to Ole Miss? I'm considering applying there to work on my PhD in political science, but I know absolutely nothing about the area. Since it's a college town I'm assuming it's perhaps a liberal haven in an otherwise conservative state?

[ronzo]

1. Very conservative on the whole

the town and the school.
You really have to seek out the liberal thinkers, but they're there...
On balance, I have to say I loved my time in Oxford.
I still get up there from time to time....
I'll answer any question you have as best I can.

[sybylla]

2. Not from the area but I have a very liberal cousin who is a professor

at Ole Miss. I'm not sure what department but probably chemistry. You wouldn't be alone at least. I guess if I had to live in Mississippi, I would probably be looking for a college town too.

[Rowdyboy]

3. Conservative for a college town but some nice aspects....

There's a DUer named Melodybe who (I believe) lives nearby-you might try to pm her for an updated view on the area.

I can tell you this much, anywhere in Mississippi is tough on a liberal. I've lived here my whole life and outspoken liberals are few and far between.

I think the Pol Sci dept is very well respected-I believe its part of the Stennis Center.

Good luck and if you do settle there, drop me a line and I'll buy you a drink when you come to Jackson (Believe me, you WILL want to go to a larger city occasionally-Starkville is SMALL-town.

[AverageJoe]

6. Er, Starkville is the home of Mississippi State

and a fine town in its own right, but Ole Miss is in Oxford.

[Phil214]

4. Don't Forget Memphis and Jackson too!

I've lived in both cities for some time, and so can tell you a bit about both. Check out Mr Switter's post about Memphis on the Tennessee board. Also check out my susbsquent post under his for additional context.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=179x322#329

In short, the two areas of that city you should focus on are
(a)Midtown (between downtown and the University of Memphis, this is the city's artsy/bohemian area. Cooper-Young especially is the center of it all).
(b)The University of Memphis area. This is the secondary such area of the city. In merciful contrast to Ole Miss excessive Greek dominance (the student body is literally 1/3 Greek), the University of Memphis is about (1/3 bohemian-looking). Perhaps the yin-yang concept is true after all <grins>! Plus, the city is only an hour's drive away from Oxford, so it's close enough to run to if you need respite from relentless conservatism.

Jackson's liberal community, though much smaller, has become increasingly active in the last three or so years thanks to the newly established alternative newspaper there (The Jackson Free Press). They have a great discussion board too - always active. The city's emerging non-conservative (if not outright liberal) neighborhoods are Fondren and Belhaven, the area around Millsaps College. If you do choose Ole Miss, odds are fairly good that you will find yourself in Jackson at some point, so this tidbit is good to file away in your mind. Read my Jackson comments for more about Mississippi's capital city.

Wherever you choose to go to school, good luck and be happy with your choice.

[AverageJoe]

5. I loved Oxford and Ole Miss

The vast majority of graduate students and professors --98%, maybe-- that I met there were liberal. Even the conservatives were nice people, by and large.

There are some great bars in Oxford, if you like bars. And one of the best bookstores in America, Square Books, is right downtown.

I found Oxford to be a lovely, welcoming town.

I urge you to give Ole Miss a good look.

[Dylan Garcia]

7. Oxford is a great town!

I love Oxford. I didn't go to school there, but my kid sister did and ended up staying there for about 15 years after graduation. I always enjoyed my visits. It's a quirky little place, but one of the coolest in the South. Square Books, The City Grocery, The Bottle Tree Cafe'...nice place...

[Sgent]

8. I am an Olemiss Grad, and live in Tupelo

And there are some inklings of progressives on campus. There is an active Young Democrats chapter, Lambda, etc.

The town has been repeatedly rated as one of the top 10 college towns in the country, and the campus as one of the top ten most beautiful. I know nothing of the reputation of the poly sci graduate program...

The university has one of the top 10 largest endowments per capita of any public university, you have the grove and sports that go with being an SEC school. Finally, the Oxford campus is only about 8000 students, so it is a relatively small school where you have a chance to know most everyone if you make an effort.

Memphis Airport is about 60 minutes away, and the heart of Memphis another 10-15 minutes. In addition, Tupelo, a fairly large small town, is about 40 minutes away. Tupelo has shopping, movie theaters, etc.

You can fly into either place, but Tupelo maybe cheaper depending on when you go.

[MattNC]

9. thanks for the info

I'd been meaning to reply back to this thread, I've just been a bit busy lately. All my application material's been sent in, just have the long wait to look forward to now.

[spunky]

10. I've lived here my whole life

Oxford kinda goes both ways. There are a lot of crazy conservative Christians, but because of the University, there are a lot of very intelligent liberal people.

Not a bad school either, just finished getting my Masters degree there. The college paper is a conservative piece of turd though.

Good luck I hope you get in!

[MattNC]

11. I got in!

But on the waiting list for financial aid. Looks I may have to dive in to debt if I want go there.