Villanova? Case? Lehigh?
Good to know. I’ll pass it on. Thank you
It’s on our list…thanks!
Thank you for your input. I’ll check them out.
Consider trying to parse through what it is about greek life she isn’t interested in. As others noted, greek life can vary, and I would add, non-greek life can vary as well. We’ve known many ND students over the years, and the residence hall functions as a big part of student identity and social life, much like greek life at some schools. Each residence hall has traditions, reputations, intramural sports teams, formals, community service projects etc. and students have tremendous loyalty to their residence hall. Throw in 80,000 people on campus for home football games, and the fact that there are not greek letters on the halls may not make that much difference for an individual student’s experience. Can a student who doesn’t want to tailgate, play intramural sports, or go to formals with a men’s hall be happy and find their people at ND? Of course, they can. But the lack of official greek life may not be the marker that someone might otherwise think.
Big vs. small, urban vs. suburban/rural, lots of gen eds vs. open curriculum, those can have as big or bigger impact on student experience. 25% greek life is around the range where it can be avoided and doesn’t necessarily dominate the social experience. And some schools have very high greek life participation, I believe (though didn’t confirm) around 80% – W&L, Depauw in Indiana – and folks who know those schools well say that there is a “greek life” home for everyone who wants it on campus, and that greek life is inclusive and welcoming.
A long way of saying, I totally get trying to find ways to shrink the list. Just be mindful as the list progresses of drilling down to get a deeper sense of campus culture.
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Perhaps College of New Jersey, Tufts (MA), and seconding Villanova (PA ).
I apologize if I came off a bit snarky, that was not my intent.
You have received quite a few good suggestions, especially Rice and Fordham.
I agree with the poster who suggested that in addition to searching for colleges with limited Greek Life, also search for colleges with strong “residential college life” like Rice. You may find a college that does have some Greek life, but when you look closer, the residential college life successfully balances the influence of Greek life.
Honestly Rice would be perfect for your daughter - but obviously it is very competitive to gain admission and it is in a hot climate (and you mentioned your daughter may prefer it a little colder).
Maybe some posters can chime in with college suggestions in the northeast and central/upper Midwest where strong residential college life balances the influence of Greek life?
UChicago, NYU and Brown are a couple other universities that come to mind with limited Greek life, but like Rice, they are also very competitive.
Good luck to your family in your daughter’s college search!
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Maybe I’m wrong…but I thought this school was very greek dominated.
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Yes, Lehigh has ~45% Greek participation- and a campus culture that reflects that.
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She could also consider when rush is. At some schools it’s second semester or sophomore year so there is time to form friendships first. It also gives them more time to see if Greek life might be a good fit.
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Some don’t have houses. Like Miami Ohio houses sororities in the dorms.
My daughters school - Charleston - has tiny houses. My son’s - Alabama are mansions. I think the involvement runs similar. At Charleston it’s not over bearing at all. At Bama it’s Greek heaven although still ok for those not in.
So you almost have to measure school by school.
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I was a painfully shy kid in high school, and the prospect of a sorority rush, where I would be judged (and probably found wanting) would have sent me running for the hills! So I understand not wanting Greek life.
That said, you have been given good advice. There are permutations of greek life, from the competitive, blond, stereotype to more egalitarian, inclusive models.
I’ve had sons in fraternities at SMU and Washington and Lee, and their experiences are very different. Paradoxically, even though W&L has 75% Greek participation, it means that everyone who wants to join can. My son there has said that the fraternity exposes him to a much wider cross section of students than he’d otherwise meet – he is on the soccer team, and has good friends there, but at his fraternity he has a wider range of friends, including a brother who took him to a Drag Ball.
Not that the OP’s daughter should consider W&L, but that the Greek Culture at different schools can be VERY different, and it’s a good idea to dig deeper. SMU, with something like 25% (maybe it’s 30%) felt much more dominated by its Greek life.
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I think I heard Lehigh is very Greek. Very unique, beautiful campus though. I’ll check out the others, thank you
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Thank you for your thoughtful and thorough response. I’ll talk with her. But yes, it is one aspect that may help shrink the list.
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Very kind, thank you!
Lehigh is at 31% and it’s been lower. Not as Greek as it used to be. Sounds like they’re trying to rein in the Greek system. Great for STEM.
Sounds a lot like the residential college systems at places like Yale and Rice.
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Wow! We drove through recently and it seemed that Greek life was a decent presence. Greek row was at the top of the hill and couldn’t be missed. I don’t think that will be a good fit though she thought the historic buildings were beautiful, from the outside anyway.
Northeastern University
Boston University
Any Canadian university
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I think it is true at a lot of schools that the Greek housing is prominent but not all students participate. My daughter’s school has a Greek Row (really a horseshoe) right in the middle of campus. The dorms are actually outside the horseshoe and farther from the classroom buildings and student union and gym. But only about 10% are Greeks. The Greeks do participate in a lot of activities on campus and wear their sweatshirts and form sports teams with their names so you just see Greek letters around campus a lot more than say the math club or a dorm group.
It was less expensive for my daughter to live in her Greek house than in the dorm (including meals and her dues for membership). She wasn’t that involved in the house activities and most of her friends were not Greek (her boyfriends included).
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