Can someone speak to the role of fraternities and sororities in the social life among Tulane undergrads? I actually attended there as a grad student, but was not on the main campus, so I didn’t have much exposure to undergrads. I was surprised to see the high proportion (30% of males, 50% of females, according to the College Board) of Greek-affiliated undergrads for a school in such a large metropolitan area. DD didn’t like what she felt to be a very prominent Greek presence at some other schools she visited (e.g., Gettysburg, Bucknell, Richmond), all of which had similar or lower participation rates than those cited for Tulane. Would she likely get the same “vibe” at Tulane?
My son will be a sophmore and decided to rush for a business franternity instead of the traditional fraternities as there weren’t many males joining fraternities (or at least none of his friends were joining). It seems like it is a bigger draw for females then males. There is so much to do at Tulane that she can get involved as much or as little as she wants but I wouldn’t say it is a “very prominent presence” like at some other schools.
I think @dbcbs5 sums it up well. While Greek life is significant at Tulane, especially for the young women, it does not dominate social life. From everything I hear, Greeks and non-Greeks are close friends all the time and do a lot together. I think being in NOLA is a big reason for that, there is no reason for Greek life to be the lynchpin for having a good time. I would also point out that there has been a very recent surge in Greek participation among the women. In just a few years it has gone from about 1/3 to nearly half. Not sure why that is, but I have heard there has been an increase in sorority participation nationally, although not quite that dramatic. I don’t follow it very closely, but I think there have been a couple of new chapters open at Tulane in the last few years while I think a fraternity chapter or two have been suspended or even closed.
Thank you both. I think her concern is less about parties than about more low-key activities with friends. In high school, when her soccer schedule permits, her favorite social outlet is to spend a weekend afternoon studying with friends and then heading out with them to dinner and/or a movie. If she makes friends with classmates, I guess the fear is that for half of them, sorority activities will be their main social focus, and so they would be classroom friends but not girls with whom she’d likely be able to hang out outside of class. Certainly if there are, say 2,500 girls in sororities, that means there are about 2,500 who are not, but I and she do fear that she’d find it frustrating.
So far, that and the unpleasant weather at the beginning and end of the school year are the only things keeping Tulane from the #1 spot on her list!
I think those are legitimate concerns when comparing to other schools. I also think for the social question the best way to settle it in her mind is to visit campus and then just randomly find 4 or 5 students that are Greek and a similar number that are non-Greek, all of whom are at least sophomores. I know that seems difficult and a little intimidating to a lot of high school students that are just visiting, but trust me when I tell you that Tulane students are extremely friendly and willing to talk to visiting prospects. She could catch them between classes and in the University Center eating. Also if she visits she could sit in on a class or two, which would also allow her to strike up some conversations.
I would also point out that Tulane, like a lot of schools these days, doesn’t rush until 2nd semester. So friendships are established before going Greek (or not) and many of those survive making different decisions regarding that issue. And another thing I should have pointed out. Tulane doesn’t have Greek houses for women that allow live-in arrangements, and Tulane requires on campus residency for the first 2 years anyway. So it is VERY common for Greek and non-Greek friends to continue being roommates and/or suitemates. All of which leads to the kind of “hanging out” you describe, even on the weekends. Of course for the Greek women there are obligations from time to time for certain activities on the weekends, but I don’t get the impression there are so many that it is obtrusive to other relationships. Again, that would be something she could ask about.
As far as the weather, it is the early fall semester that is most brutal. No question that for about the first 6 weeks, it can be quite warm, especially the first 4. But remember that is compensated by a lot of extremely pleasant weather in the winter instead of bitter cold and snow and ice. The warm weather at the end is usually much less of an issue, sometimes not really kicking in until the week of finals. Lots of short afternoon rain showers along with it. But of course everything is extremely well air conditioned.
So given her high consideration for Tulane overall, it might be worth the trip during the fall semester while students are there and classes are in session, if you can swing it.
I think those are legitimate concerns when comparing to other schools. I also think for the social question the best way to settle it in her mind is to visit campus and then just randomly find 4 or 5 students that are Greek and a similar number that are non-Greek, all of whom are at least sophomores. I know that seems difficult and a little intimidating to a lot of high school students that are just visiting, but trust me when I tell you that Tulane students are extremely friendly and willing to talk to visiting prospects. She could catch them between classes and in the University Center eating. Also if she visits she could sit in on a class or two, which would also allow her to strike up some conversations.
I would also point out that Tulane, like a lot of schools these days, doesn’t rush until 2nd semester. So friendships are established before going Greek (or not) and many of those survive making different decisions regarding that issue. And another thing I should have pointed out. Tulane doesn’t have Greek houses for women that allow live-in arrangements, and Tulane requires on campus residency for the first 2 years anyway. So it is VERY common for Greek and non-Greek friends to continue being roommates and/or suitemates. All of which leads to the kind of “hanging out” you describe, even on the weekends. Of course for the Greek women there are obligations from time to time for certain activities on the weekends, but I don’t get the impression there are so many that it is obtrusive to other relationships. Again, that would be something she could ask about.
As far as the weather, it is the early fall semester that is most brutal. No question that for about the first 6 weeks, it can be quite warm, especially the first 4. But remember that is compensated by a lot of extremely pleasant weather in the winter instead of bitter cold and snow and ice. The warm weather at the end is usually much less of an issue, sometimes not really kicking in until the week of finals. Lots of short afternoon rain showers along with it. But of course everything is extremely well air conditioned.
So given her high consideration for Tulane overall, it might be worth the trip during the fall semester while students are there and classes are in session, if you can swing it.
My daughter just finished her freshman year and rushed in January. She says her sorority is just one of her activities on campus, it is not her life. Her friends and suite mates are in all different sororities and some did not go Greek. It does not have to totally take over your life but it does add an additional social outlet. She had looked at some of the other schools that you listed and it appeared that the sorority life was more a lifestyle than at Tulane. As fallenchemist said, the sororities have houses but the girls do not live in the houses.
I just graduated and I was in a fraternity at Tulane and greek life is definitely not a limiting factor in terms of who you can and cant hang out with. Some of my best friends were in other fraternities, and mine was really just one group of friends. Also had a lot of GDI friends as well. However, I will say that greek life is on the decline at Tulane. My fraternity was suspended and one was kicked off while I was there. They also got rid of some of the long standing traditions that used to be at Tulane that made greek life there really special. Our serenade day for example was a great tradition that was taken away. In conclusion, I would say the best thing about greek life at Tulane is that it allows you to cement friendships second semester and also plugs you into the greek community where you can become friends with people in many different fraternities. I will say that those not in greek life who consistently hang out with other greeks are few. Being in greek life isn’t a must at Tulane for having a social life, but the lack of participation in greek life definitely will diminish your social experience while at school here.