<p>i was wondering if a current student (or someone who is familiar with the current Greek system at vandy) could give a list of the top frats and sororities at vandy.</p>
<p>i looked through the older posts and a few years ago i saw something like this, but i think an updated one would be useful. thanks</p>
<p>Your best bet is to wait until you get to Vanderbilt yourself and form your own impressions, rather than be swayed by stereotypes that you might not ultimately agree with. </p>
<p>The very nature of the greek system is that groups fluctuate from year to year as one class graduates and another comes in. With a student body as intelligent and attractive as Vanderbilt's is overall, all of these groups have memberships to be proud of.</p>
<p>ill take that advice, but if anyone who knows the greek hierarchy on campus could also say something that would be great too. like which frats have connections with the good sororities, or things like that</p>
<p>minoafrau is right. You have to make your own choices based on your own experiences. You can check out the individual chapter websites to get some first impressons if you are dying for more information in advance.</p>
<p>I think I’ll write a response to this later, but first thing I’ll say is to silicon valley mom…not everyone uses the Internet as much as people in silicon valley. I don’t even think our chapters have Web sites.</p>
<p>VandySAE, that is a good point, which I do forget living here.
I just looked up what I would guess is your chapter (guessing based on your name). Your chapter does have a website. Among other interesting facts, it reports that your fraternity GPA average in 2007-2008 surpassed both the all men’s and all fraternity GPA average. It says there is a study room in your house with printers and wireless internet available to all brothers.
I just think it’s more useful to learn specific information than for an incoming freshman to start ranking groups in their mind based on other people’s experiences.</p>
<p>Hi all! I am going to be a freshman at Vandy next year (I applied ED1) and I know next to nothing about the sororities there. I am planning on rushing next year and am rather nervous about the whole experience. Any advice on that part?</p>
<p>Also, I would actually be interested in hearing general reputations for each fraternity/sorority because it is such a foreign world to us incoming freshman.
VandySAE, it seems like you know a lot about the school (seeing as you go there). I have a friend who graduated from my high school who is a junior in your frat. Great guy, hilarious also.</p>
<p>Anything current students have to say would be great. And I do realize that my impression of each house most likely will change once I get on campus, I am just looking for a heads up and a general idea. Thanks!</p>
<p>I would be helpful to get a little info besides the “partying” aspect - as that is a given in any house! For example, some claim they do community service, philanthropic stuff - is that really true? I think alot of poeple assume most fraternities are just a place to drink and pick-up girls, I would hope there is more to them that. As a parent, I would like my S to pledge so I hope he is able to find a house with NICE, fun guys who have a wide variety of interests.</p>
<p>Vandy13,
The Panhellenic Council has worked hard in the last year to improve the pre-recruitment process as the freshman class relocated to the Commons by having more involvement with Greek Ambassadors. The Greek Ambassadors is a group of girls who have disassociated from their sorority for the semester in order to assist those girls participating in the rush process. You will have an opportunity early in the fall semester to declare your intentions for rush and to receive all the pertinent information and to be part of a GA group. Even if you decide at some point that you no longer want to participate in the process, I think you will find that is just one more way to meet people.</p>
<p>I am a freshman girl who chose not to rush, although many of the girls on my floor did. I hang out with these girls and I go to a lot of fraternity parties so my opinion is fairly informed. I agree with the people above who advise you to make your own impressions. Yes, different groups have different reputations/stereotypes as “top tier” or “lower tier” but as an observer, other than reputation, they really aren’t all that different. There are attractive girls in every group, and believe it or not, unattractive girls in every group. Some of the coolest girls I know ended up in sororities stereotyped as “lower tier”, so I’m not really sure who it is that’s perpetuating these stereotypes.</p>
<p>The reason it’s important to wait and make your own impressions is this–I saw lots of my friends really crushed and stressed out because they all wanted to end up in a “top” group. But the thing is, if you don’t already know a lot of people at Vanderbilt from high school, if you’re not from Texas or a big Southern city, or a prestigious prep school, or you’re not one of the top 20 most beautiful freshman girls that year, you have no chance at getting into these so-called “top” groups. Vanderbilt is an elitist culture and that’s just how it is. </p>
<p>There are girls on my floor who I don’t consider the least bit attractive and are really annoying who got invited to join all top groups, and really cute normal girls who got cut. You’re better off to keep an open mind so you can be happy where you end up, because except for one that can never attract enough members, they’re all about the same.</p>
<p>lets be honest. there are reasons some frats and sororities are known as top-tier. its the same with colleges, everyone recommends that you go visit for yourself, but in the end, ranking and prestige do matter. i was just looking for someone to list the list of the more prestigious frats, not a lecture on how i should choose.</p>
<p>OK, well it’s now the real Fat Tuesday and the Cajun in me is begging to see the night, so here’s a short list.</p>
<p>Top tier:
SAE, Sigma Chi, DKE, KA</p>
<p>Tri Delt, Theta, Kappa, KD</p>
<p>These differ in some aspects (i.e. church involvement, women, alcohol & drug usage, school, hobbies), you might fit in better at some over the other. Dues probably average $1,100/semester.</p>
<p>Second tier for the record: Beta, Kappa Sig, Pike and then Pi Phi, Chi O</p>
<p>What qualifies a frat as “top tier”? Is is popularity, better parties, etc? Are those pretty much the ones where you have to know someone in order to be invited to pledge? </p>
<p>Maybe a some point someone can give a quick rundown on the type of guys that gravitate to each house. Just a short and sweet informative list.</p>
<p>Just remember that being “prestigious” doesn’t necessarily make something better, or the right thing for you.</p>
<p>^^I agree. I don’t think my S cares one bit about “prestige” I think he would be more interested in the “type” of guys in a house more than anything else. Hopefully, he is able to find a house with guys that have similar interests as he does. If not, I would assume he just wouldn’t pledge.</p>
<p>"Vanderbilt is an elitist culture and that’s just how it is. "</p>
<p>That sums it up rather well. If I am accepted I will not be going greek.<br>
I know there are many others who read these threads and I encourage everyone
to not feel like you have to pledge if you end up at Vandy. Some of us can have a good time without having to go through rush and trying to fit someones idea of a certain image.</p>
<p>I know a girl who was a brilliant student at Vandy that de-pledged after a year or two. I think she found it was simply taking up too much time that she wanted to direct to other clubs and activities.</p>
<p>My D says the situation is completely different between males and females as far as Greek Life goes, but she doesn’t provide much detail. Could someone elaborate on what these differences might be? I know that girls are welcome to frat parties regardless of whether they are in sororities and guys are excluded if they are not members, or something like that. How big a deal is this? Do frats have all the parties? I just get the impression from her that it is far lonelier for a guy not to be in a frat than for a girl not to be in a sorority.</p>
<p>The “top tier” groups are like the “popular” clique in high school–they’re top tier because they say they are, and they mostly just hang out with each other. For what it’s worth, here’s my take on the various groups:</p>
<p>SAE/KA–traditional Southern frats (although most guys in KA right now are from the North), members are good looking guys, many whom are a little too full of themselves</p>
<p>Sigma Chi–have a reputation as really nice guys. I have never been to a party there as they’ve been on probation all year after an off-campus drinking incident this fall where a bunch of guys were arrested</p>
<p>Beta/Pike–have a reputation as sketchy with girls. The kind of place you’d be very careful about taking a drink without seeing it come directly from the source.</p>
<p>Lambda Chi/ZBT–nice, normal guys. Both throw great parties, although ZBT is also on probation.</p>
<p>Don’t know enough about any of the other fraternities to comment.</p>
<p>Theta–very pretty blonde girls, many from Texas</p>
<p>Tri-Delt–pretty blonde girls, not quite as many from Texas. Snobby</p>
<p>Kappa–pretty darker haired girls, mostly from Northern states. Have a reputation as being a little wild (i.e. drugs), and not particularly close knit</p>
<p>KD–wild with reputation as being slutty (sorry)</p>
<p>Alpha Chi/Aopi–cute, fun girls. Normal and unpretentious.</p>
<p>Pi Phi–cute, fun girls who unfortunately seem to live up to their reputation as heavy drinkers who like to party</p>
<p>Chi Omega–Nice girls. Conservative, many from the South, many born again Christians</p>
<p>Adpi–Smart. Highest GPA requirement. Lots of Jewish girls.</p>
<p>I am really hoping my son does not rush next year. The Greek aspect is a concerning negative. We are paying alot for college and I sure hope he does not put alot of energy into this process. His major is going to be tough enough(molecular biology) and i do not imagine a fraternity will make it any easier. I recently asked him if he was interested in fraternitys and he quite confidently said no, so I was very relieved. Let’s hope there will be enough company for him who stay away. Believe me, he is very social and has no problem attracting woman and this is also a concern. I just do not understand why a parent would want a son or daughter to pledge.</p>
<p>Please don’t link SAE with KA that much ever again - completely different fraternities, we’re more comparable to Sigma Chi and KA is probably more comparable to Dke. It’s a little annoying how these freshman live in their own little world. I’m interested to see what is going to happen next year when they can’t hide at the Commons.</p>