<p>I was wondering what folks these days think of the pros and cons of Greek life. For the colleges on my D's [current] interest list, the range of sororities across schools is from dominant to non-existent. Back when I was in college (along with, oh, Teddy Roosevelt and Susan B Anthony) my stereotype was fraternities=keggers and sororities=cliques. Animal House, anyone?</p>
<p>Educate me. What are the pros and cons of a campus where Greek life plays a major role?</p>
<p>ohhhhh good question! I want to know too.</p>
<p>This is very important, so excuse the capitals - GREEK LIFE VARIES FROM CAMPUS TO CAMPUS. Some campuses do have the stereotyped clique-and-kegger Greeks. But there are others that have more open, service-oriented Greeks.</p>
<p>Some questions to ask -
When is membership recruitment? (If recruitment occurs later in the year, this gives students the opportunity to determine if this is something they want to do) Are fraternity/sorority parties open? (This can help reduce the cliquishness) What percent of students are members? Does the campus offer enough events that it does not rely on Greeks to provide entertainment? Do the fraternities/sororities have houses? (Living in houses can increase cliquishness) Do the fraternities/sororities have a diverse membership? How much does it cost to join? Is recruitment competitive or relaxed? </p>
<p>Just a few of the questions to ask in order to evaluate what a particular college's Greek life is really like.</p>
<p>In addition Greek organizations vary from campus to campus. Greek greek greek at the south, west, midest and east coast while all part of the same national organization will have different cultures at podunk u, joe and willie U and whatsamatta u.</p>
<p>They also vary within a campus. Some are more social, some service oriented, and some academic. I think it also depends on the student. Some could benefit from the social structure making a large university into a small community. Some don't need any more excuse to party. I certainly don't think you can generalize and call them all an animal house atmosphere.</p>
<p>CO-SIGN with fireflyscout...the campus really matters.</p>
<p>The other thing is that cliques and parties aren't exclusive to greeks. There are lots of people out there (including plenty on this website) that wish to have nothing to do with Greeks - even after they've graduated. There have been several posters who have said they would never hire someone who had been a member of a fraternity or sorority. Somehow that sort of discrimination is okay, but it's not if a bunch of 18 - 22 year old kids don't offer membership to a kid who doesn't fit in with any of the group...</p>
<p>But again, I can't underscore the importance of how every campus is different. I'm an extremely proud member of my fraternity, and it's a decision I consider the best choice I've ever made. But, there are many schools, that had I attended, I wouldn't have given Greeks the time of day and never joined.</p>
<p>I just keep thinking about the sorority at DePauw, where they kicked out everyone who wasn't "cute" enough. Remember? And at DePauw, the fraternities and sororities are a major part of campus; over 70% of the students participate; this is a Greek, Greek, Greek school.</p>
<p>From March 5 2007 The New Republic, column by Alexandra Robbins on the CBS News site: </p>
<p>Delta Zeta had evicted 23 members of its DePauw chapter, forcing them to give up their active sorority membership and scramble to find new housing mid-year. The reason? The sisters, reportedly model students with no behavioral problems or alcohol violations, said it was their looks. All of the overweight, Vietnamese, and Korean sisters were told to leave. The remaining girls — half of whom resigned in protest — were slender and attractive. </p>
<p>Naturally, this caused an uproar. "Are you skinny or white enough for this sorority?" wondered Salon. "In sororities, no bad hair days — or doughnuts — allowed," mused USNews.com. At worst, the shakedown was seen as an act of thinly veiled racism intended to purge girls the national office deemed unworthy of the Delta Zeta letters; at best, it was seen as an astoundingly insensitive (and, apparently, misguided) attempt to boost the chapter's desirability — one that reinforced age-old clich</p>
<p>Alexandra Robbins, the reporter mentioned in MidwestMom's post, wrote a book called "Pledged: the Secret Life of Sororities". I read it last year sometime and I came away with some real concerns for the daughter of a friend of mine who seemed very interested in joining a sorority at one of the schools highlighted (dare I say, exposed) by Ms. Robbins. Ms. Robbins has some pretty dreadful stories to share about her experiences passing as a sister. At this point, I don't remember what I thought of her reportorial skills, or how sensationalized the contents seemed. All I really remember are the dreadful stories (which I guess is testament to the fact that the human mind, or at least MY mind, tends to hang on to the lurid stories it hears). </p>
<p>However, as fireflyscout says, greek life varies enormously from campus to campus and the important thing is to find out what it's like on the campuses your daughter is interested in.</p>
<p>Absolutely true ... greek life varies from campus to campus ... AND from group to group on a particular campus. </p>
<p>My H & I were both president of our respective greek organizations back in the dark ages. We have only wonderful memories of our groups, and our brothers/sisters are still our very close friends so many years later. However, I seriously doubt either of us would have joined greek organizations at just any school ... certainly not at our state flagship U!! Our D is not interested in greek life at her current school. At first, she considered rushing just to see if she might like it. Rush is second term at her school, though, and by the time it rolled around she was no longer interested. </p>
<p>Please don't rush to judgment (no pun intended!) ... let your son/daughter get to campus & make his/her own decision. Please be sure to talk to your kid BEFORE school begins about the financial aspect of greek life --- some greek groups are very expensive, and if it will be out of the question for your family, your child should understand this upfront.</p>
<p>Oh goodness, that book Pledged. It's about accurate as saying all Asians are good at math and play the violin. Since its publication, many of the 'secrets' she exposes have been either denounced as fabricated or words taken off of websites with lots, and lots, and lots of elaboration added in. It's sensationalist and not accurate at all - especially parts about ritual.</p>
<p>To me Greek life builds a tight bond between groups of people that may otherwise never have met each other. It provides a network of support, advice, and future connections to the members. Of course there's a social side, but it's not mandatory at all, just the side the media likes to seize on and blow out of proportion. Where's all the coverage on a Greek organization's dedication to a philanthropy? Sisterhood events and bonding? The strong bonds that remain even after college graduation? </p>
<p>Wasn't there a statistic that says out of all the American presidents, only two have not been in fraternities? And out of all the Fortune 500 CEO's, around 23 have not been in a Greek organization?</p>
<p>My personal take on the happenings at DePauw is that DZ's Nationals was feeling the crunch. At this campus Greek life is very competitive and something had to be done in order to survive. How it was handled on all sides was regrettable and could have been done so much better. I remember the article referring to sisters quitting in protest to join those who had been outed -- that's the bond sororities build.</p>
<p>Pros of a large campus with Greek life: There will be all sorts of organizations, and there is bound to be at least one where your d will find a home. The sisterhood, networking, and contacts with other organizations that would be available. </p>
<p>Cons: If she doesn't want to go Greek, it'd probably be irritating to see girls in letters all the time. It is a possibility that Greek life dominates the social scene. However, at say UVA with 30% Greek life, there is still so much more to do on the weekends due to the size of the campus.</p>
<p>Dinner calls and my stomach prods me to answer, I would be happy to offer my opinion on other questions. And yes, Greek life does different drastically from campus to campus. Most of the times even individual chapters of the same sorority differ as well.</p>
<p>My college was only about 15% Greek, both male and female. That being said, the students involved in student government and active in other aspects of campus leadership were all Greek members.</p>
<p>College is not like HS- who cares at all about student government, campus leadership except for those involved in it? That may be why only the greeks were involved, no one else considered it worth their attention... My alma mater is UP to 10% greek, the low %age was during my era (as a major flagship U there were many more ways to enjoy the college experience).</p>
<p>Shame on students for wanting to join Greek organizations, form tight friendships and have fun together with like-minded people. Shame on them for ever wanting to release stress and party. Honestly some of you on here are positively puritanical.</p>
<p>What about the sororities that discriminate based on GPA? YES they do exist. They don't allow members who aren't smart enough. Where is the outrage?</p>
<p>Pros- If your student gets in to a sor/frat they like, its generally because they are with people who are like themselves, and its more than just parties in the good ones. It makes a big school very small quickly. Some frats and sor. really do care about grades, participation in orgs on campus, and charities. It can also be cheaper housing cost to live in the house than a dorm or apt. The calibur of the students can be awesome.</p>
<p>Cons- If your student doesn't get into what they want (i.e., its competitive)or doesn't get in at all. Many schools today have far more students rushing than they have spots, and its not pretty. It can be expensive, depends on the org. </p>
<p>You might want to go to greekchat.com.</p>
<p>The Greek system in some schools serves as support for students who need structured environments focused on socializing. I think it should be renamed "social support system."</p>
<p>I was never a fan of fraternities, but I am now a big supporter. My son suffered an injury that required two surgeries. His "brothers" took care of him around the clock. They even slept in the hospital in a chair next to his bed. I wish I could give them all a big hug. It has been so hard for me to be far away, but I feel a thousand times better knowing that he has such a wonderful network of friends. And I know they will be friends for life!</p>
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Absolutely true ... greek life varies from campus to campus ... AND from group to group on a particular campus.
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<p>Exactly.</p>
<p>I was not interested in the many Greek organizations on my campus myself, but it drives me crazy when people bash them, or make condescending assessments of their members, based on stereotype.</p>
<p>Realize that your GLO membership can extend far beyond your undergraduate years. As an alumna of an NPC GLO, I will say that my all-too-brief years as an active were fabulous. Due to the nature of my H's military career, we have moved a lot since our graduations. As an alumna who has been involved in many of my GLO's alumnae associations over the last couple of decades due to these moves, I have found them all to be welcoming and caring. The associations are reflective of the cities in which they are located. The Louisville AA was comprised mostly of graduates from IU and UK, Boston and Northern VA have alums from chapters all over.</p>
<p>I do belong to officers' wives clubs, but our only thread of commonality is the positions of our husbands. When I join my GLO's alumnae association, no matter where the location, I know I will meet women who share the same core values and have gone through the same experiences despite the different chapters where we initiated.</p>
<p>My bio sister happens to be my GLO sister (albeit from a different chapter). She is moving to the area and she is delighted with the opportunities that our alumnae association has for the members.</p>
<p>Fraternities do have keggers and sororities are cliquey. But they have so much more to offer. As a collegiate Greek, I met my best friends for life, had a tremendous support system that was like family (which is why they are called "sisters"), and was recognized and rewarded for academic achievement by my peers.</p>
<p>The con: If your D is not invited to join the house(s) she wants, it can be a very painful/hurtful experience.</p>
<p>I agree with most of the posts above--mainly that Greek life varies between the individual sor/frats on a given campus and from campus to campus.</p>
<p>My H. and I were GDI's in college and at our large flagship school, we did view them as pretty snobby and elitist. I don't think the partying was any worse in the Greek organizations than it was elsewhere on campus (it was the 70's after all). My older two kids did not go the Greek route, but oldest son had many friends in fraternities, so he did many social things with them. (on his campus they were very inclusive of non-Greek students).</p>
<p>My youngest was very anti-frat his first two years in school. Then he transferred and to our amazement, pledged a fraternity. So far it has been great for him--he has met many more people more quickly than he would have otherwise as a junior transfer. Yes, he says some party too much and their gpa shows it, but others practically live in the library. He has played an intramural sport or two every season with his brothers, has study groups with them, done charitable fundraisers, taken some short trips and over all bonded very closely with several.</p>
<p>His recommendation to students (speaking of guys mainly) is not to rush the first semester even if the school allows it. He feels like he made a better choice doing it later than he would have as an incoming freshman. Not that he recommends waiting till junior year--just give it a semester to get adjusted to college and find out what you want.</p>