So I’ve been accepted to ASU and It’s probably one of my top schools, but I’ve heard from a lot of people that it’s a very active school in terms of greek life, sports, etc., things I really have not interest in, and some of my older friends said that a lot of the people that they know that went there transferred in their first year. While I love getting involved, I’m concerned that the larger communities at ASU might overshadow my efforts. Essentially, my question for any current or former ASU students is, will I be a total outcast if I’m not into the whole “traditional sports/fraternity experience”? I’m probably overthinking this, but it’s something that my parents have really told me to consider before making a choice here.
There is a Greek presence at ASU but it is not a large fraction of the students who are involved (8% of men, 16% of women). My daughter is at ASU and not at all interested in greek life or sports but there are tons of other clubs and it has never been an issue.
And while there are parties, ASU is officially a dry campus so the alcohol is generally at off-campus parties according to my daughter. She has never felt like she doesn’t fit just because she is not interested in sports or parties.
I don’t at all think you would be a “total outcast” at ASU because you dislike (…or perhaps, “don’t love”) those activities. With that said, as a freshman, Greek life does feel like a HUGE deal. You will undoubtedly encounter it everywhere in your residence hall, and at times, feel pressured and/or disconnected. Everyone likes to say that its only a small percentage, but its far more visible than that. ASU is a gigantic school, with almost 90,000 students. Among “traditional” undergraduate students, I’d estimate that greek life is a far larger percentage. Given all of our students (online, graduate, part-time, certificate-seeking, non-traditional, adult, traditional…you name it) of course greeks are the minority.
As for clubs, activities and people, at ASU you will be able to find anything and everything you want. It’s the biggest school in the country. My personal experience has been that it’s a little challenging at first. A lot of clubs are pretty elusive, a handful of them do large weekly seminars, etc… So, I’d say that scene is a little weaker than you’d expect from ASU – but overall it’s a good place.