<p>Hey guys! It feels as if though everyone is rushing except me,mostly because all of my friends are doing it. I'm not going to rush mainly because I'd rather spent the money on something else and I'd rather just make different friends on my own.Does GREEK life really run the social life at UF? And will us NON-GREEK kids be able to party just as much and have the same social life or are most parties Frat parties?</p>
<p>I ain’t rushing. Its a waste of time and energy. People can party just as much if they aren’t in a frat. There is no reason whatsoever to rush.</p>
<p>There’s a lot of people involved in Greek life and I would say it is a big deal here (it is the SEC, after all), but there’s actually a lot more people NOT involved in Greek life than there are people involved. Remember, there are 50,000 students at UF. That’s a lot. And I’d say the majority of them do not get involved with Greek life. You can still go out to the clubs, bars, parties, and tailgate before football games - you won’t have a problem finding things to do on the weekend, just because you aren’t Greek. I promise. And frat parties are pretty much to open to anyone for the most part, but I think that they prefer mainly girls to guys. I also do not think that the frats or sororities run the social life around here, either. You will certainly see Greeks out a lot, but it’s not a huge deal. Anyone can go out as long as they are 18 and up (21 and up for some places like Balls, Salty Dog, etc). Anyways, your social life will NOT suffer at all. Just because you won’t have dumb socials and philanthropy events to attend every day doesn’t mean you won’t find other things to do.</p>
<p>So while Greek life is a big deal here, and it has a big presence, I would say that your social life will NOT suffer, you will find lots of friends who did not go Greek, and you will not feel like the only one who isn’t Greek after the first few weeks at school.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help :)</p>
<p>Most people I know are rushing. My best friend isn’t though and I think he’ll be fine, as will you.</p>
<p>the actual portion of the student body involved in greek life is very small.</p>
<p>There is no obligation to join a frat when you rush. I’m rushing but I probably won’t accept any bids at least during my first semester</p>
<p>You do whatever you feel you should do and dont worry about the rest. But keep an open mind when I went to UF 3 decades ago. I was against joining a frat. But my best friend from HS transfered from Stetson and he was a Pike. So I rushed Pike and joined during the spring quarter of 1977. Yes that is correct we were on the quarter system way back when.</p>
<p>Back to the frat. Joining PiKA was the best I ever did. Made great friends that have last a life time. My son wants to rush this fall. I hope he finds Greek Life as rewarding as I did?</p>
<p>Ehh… My impression is that Greek is king. I didn’t think I’d be interested… but this summer was a blast. And the fall is going to be so much better. At least go to a party or two. You won’t regret it!</p>
<p>nevermind*</p>
<p>I think I’ll make great friends on my own…without having to pay thousands of dollars 
Thanks again UFhopeful24 !</p>
<p>Only 15% of Guys and 20% of girls are Greek anyways</p>
<p>Go Greek or go home. From summer session, I can tell that Greeks have way more fun than GDI’s.</p>
<p>@nks123… I just looked it up and the percentage is even smaller than that. Out of 50,000 students, currently there are only 4,266 greek students, which brings it to only 8.5% of the total student body involved in some type of greek organization. So, to the OP I’d say is up to you whether you want to join or not, 90% of the students aren’t part of it anyway. You won’t be missing out on anything, you can still party all you want without having to come up with 1.8K every year</p>
<p>That 50,000 estimate includes graduate students; there are only 32,000 undergrads</p>
<p>^OK Ok… 32,000 students, brings it up to 13%… I don 't have anything against greeks (my dad is Pi Kappa Psi) I’m just trying to cheer up this guy so he doesn’t feel like he’s weird because he isn’t rushing. There’s more people that don’t join than the ones that do, so there will always be parties for everybody. ^_^</p>
<p>I am 55 years old, and went to Cornell.</p>
<p>Even though in my opinion rushing is silly, and is indeed a waste of time, like some people have written here, I would strongly advise you to do it.</p>
<p>If you join a frat or sorority, you will 50 ready made friends.</p>
<p>Also, you will have entre’ into parties.</p>
<p>I did not join a frat, and it was a big mistake.</p>
<p>My friends who joined a frat had a much better social life.</p>
<p>So even if you think it is stupid, join a frat or sorority.</p>
<p>There is certain to be one where you fit in.</p>
<p>I’m 63 and was a Fiji at Northwestern. We took the books
real seriously having one of the highest group GPA’s on campus.</p>
<p>“Frats” can be academically supportive and not just about the
social element of college life. Ask a few juniors and seniors what
they think of the academic side of houses you are considering.</p>
<p>If I was matriculating this August at UF, I’d rush again. Hey, I’d
really like to be in your place!! Good luck and be selective.</p>
<p>.02 David</p>
<p>There are plenty of reasons to rush, and there are lots of good things about being involved in Greek life, of course, but I really wouldn’t say that it’s necessary to be involved. Think about what you really want out of your college experience, and if you’d get it out of Greek life. If it’s parties and friends you are looking for, I promise, you WILL get these without joining a frat or sorority. I do encourage you to get involved in something on campus, but it does not need to be something that costs anywhere from $500-$2000 a semester. Opportunities to network and meet people with similar majors to you? Sure, you’ll find that in Greek life, but you’ll also find that in clubs for people with your major, clubs for people in your college, pre-med clubs, etc. You can, and WILL succeed and have a great college experience without being a part of a fraternity or sorority. This is not to say that I have anything against Greek life - I absolutely do not, and I do think it is great for those who are interested. However, I do get upset when people think that they won’t have an active social life without being a part of it. You definitely can. This is not like Ole Miss, with a small undergrad population and large greek population. You will be fine.</p>
<p>Yep— Like I say, “be selective.” If you don’t find a house
that fits you-- nothing wrong with being a GDI.</p>
<p>.02 David</p>