Depends on the major, on the professors, and...on who the student associates with, within his or her peer group, at the school.
Smart kid was conservative until college.
I was a raging Big Government neocon Bushbot/McCainiac when I got to UVA. [Hell, I would have agreed wholeheartedly with McCain's positions on amnesty, bailouts, wars, etc. at that time.]
I am not sure if it was solely due to college ethics coursework, but after getting my first paycheck (replete with line items for taxes withheld) and running into a few financial bumps along the road, I didn't swing just "conservative"...I swung libertarian.
As for the rest of this thread, I am a tad disheartened by some Freepers' attitude towards formal education. Going to college can be a good thing, so long as you recognize that it's just a means towards achieving your life goals and that taking out loans to the tune of $30K+/year for a Vanderbilt music degree is just plain silly. [Several of my friends are cases in point on that last one.] Of course, if you've got the cash to burn, by all means, go for it.
(Chuckles to self) I remember the look of stunned dismay on the face of one of my step sons as he received his first paycheck. "What are all these deductions for?," he asked.
"Well you know those social programs you are always telling us that people need so badly? Guess who gets to pay for them?"
Reality dawned, bright and cold as a January morning in Michigan. "They take money out of MY check to pay for that?"
Yep.
As for the indoctrination part, I agree that this very much depends on the major and the profs. I was fortunate to have had a few older history instructors who made absolutely no apologies for their more conservative statements.
I know a younger guy who has a house’s worth of debt for a Vandy Law degree, and even he is having a tough time of it. Starting out with that much debt is no fun, even with a well-paying job.