<p>I noticed there aren't many boards discussing this, and I'm very interested in joining Greek life at Cal. Can anyone shed some light on this aspect of Cal life? Sororities in particular :) What's the rush process like, is it worth it, etc.?</p>
<p>Bump! I’m really curious!</p>
<p>can’t answer your question directly but this thread might help:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/478207-frat-sorority-tiers.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-california-berkeley/478207-frat-sorority-tiers.html</a></p>
<p>i guess i should know this by now but i dont. what IS greek life? i hear everyone saying how they want to join but i never have gotten a good explanation of what it is. is it just where u decide to lie in a greek house or something and u have common interests with a group? why do ppl want to join it basically?</p>
<p>greek life is an amazing way to meet new people…especially at berkeley. the classes are so big and the campus feels really impersonal sometimes, but with my experience, joining a sorority has made it possible to see so many familiar faces on campus everyday. now, i don’t want to make it sound like this is the only way to get involved, but for me, it was the best. about 10% of the student body is greek, so it’s not huge, but a perfect size. plus, the sororities at berkeley aren’t the typical sororities that you see on tv (well, a few are), but there are 12 diverse ones that are all great in their own way. i definitely recommend it! :)</p>
<p>Thanks, katelyn! What do you know about the rush process? From what I understand you have to rush in the fall, unlike other colleges where you are given the chance to rush in the Spring … can I still make friends outside of Greek Life if i rush in the fall, and will I have time to adjust to college life?</p>
<p>tinselkawa
berkeley actually offers fall AND spring rush. but in my opinion, there’s a pretty big difference.
during fall rush- you have a really really intense rush schedule, which pretty much entails 8AM - 5 PM days for an entire week (and sometimes even 5PM-11PM during school days) and you are required to look at all 12 houses through the mutually selective process.
however, in the spring, only SOME of the sororities participate in spring rush, and there’s a much less intense schedule (usually just a few dinners where the houses either ask you to return for a second/third dinner or give you no response). it’s a lot less stressful, but you don’t exactly get a full variety. i think this year, 9/12 houses participated in spring rush, with the supposed 'top tier" sororities opting out because they usually have full pledge classes. that totally shouldn’t discourage you though because the other houses also have a lot to offer!
for me, rushing in the fall was an incredibly fun, but very tiring process (especially since it happens during the first week of school). but as long as you’re grounded and stay on top of your work, you should be fine adjustment wise. however, you might fall behind with floor bonding and stuff since you will be gone for a majority of the time due to the rush schedule.</p>
<p>are you a current student? do you regret not having that time to bond with your floormates? also, do people ever rush sophomore year, or not really?</p>
<p>im currently a freshman. honestly, you only really majorly miss out during the first week…but you have plenty of weeks to bond with your floormates. plus a lot of girls i know rushed because there floors weren’t social (which is often times the case). i am still just as tight with all my floormates. just because you join a sorority doesn’t mean that you will be spending ALL your times with them. ultimately, the decision is yours. a lot of pledge events are mandatory, but that still leaves plenty of time for other friends and floormates. </p>
<p>and yes, people rush sophomore year. however, according to girls that went through a rush year while being on the other side of the process (people of the sorority that were choosing potential pledges), some houses prefer freshmen and will take a great freshman over a great sophomore. But i guess it’s not super significant for sophomores. if you’re a junior transfer, it’s a different story because the top houses rarely take transfers.</p>
<p>thank you so much for the info, this has been so helpful! are there any certain “reputations” that certain sororities have on campus?</p>
<p>Hey, this message is in response to the question posted earlier concerning greek life at cal. As a current student here at cal and a member of the greek community, I would say that the greek life can be a very beneficial experience. Like everything, there are definitely pros and cons of the greek community and it ultimately depends on how you approach the situation. </p>
<p>Pros:
Networking, partying, meeting a diverse group of people, housing, scholarship opportunities, etc</p>
<p>Cons:
caught up in stereotypical greek drama, too much partying, can affect time management, can be expensive, etc</p>
<p>Here is a tier list for some frats and sororities. I’ll list the top 5 for each, not in any specific ranking…</p>
<p>Frats:
TDX
DKE
DU
TKE
Sig chi</p>
<p>Sororities:
Sigma Kappa
Kappa kappa gamma
Delta Gamma
Adpi
Pi phi</p>
<p>Hope this helps, lemme know if you have any questions!</p>
<p>go bears</p>
<p>you might want to go to one of the earlier threads for reputations. i kinda disagree with the post above (agree with some).</p>
<p>guys- zete, sae, dke, sig chi. i would say tke is kind of in the gray area.
girls- “top 3” are easy- kkg, pi phi, dg. but the middle tier is a little fuzzy. many would argue that SK and adpi aren’t necessarily top tier. if anything, chi o or axo could be considered in top 5 depending on who you’re asking.</p>
<p>Fraternity and Sorority rush are very different and should probably be in their own threads. The latter is some stressful, weird highly regimented system. The former is much more laid back. I wouldn’t worry too much about the “status or reputation” of the fraternity/sorority–what’s way more important is finding a place where you are really comfortable and with people that you can truly connect with.</p>
<p>Also, I wouldn’t pledge in fall of freshman year. Allow yourself to see Berkeley for yourself first, lest you become someone whose social life eventually becomes their fraternity/sorority (this isn’t necessarily bad).</p>
<p>are frats are risque as they are in the movies? Some of those on tv seem crazy…I don’t wanna get drunk or consume any alcohol or other drugs for that matter.</p>
<p>I agree with some of the posts above. Greek life is beneficial and has its positives while also having negatives. To really distinguish if Greek life is right for you, you have to decide whether you are able:
a) to manage time well. Greek life will consume your life with the amount of activities it provides.
and
b) to open up socially and mentally. You will be around tons of people with diverse backgrounds. If you are a self-minded person, Greek life might not be right for you. </p>
<p>Trust me, the stereotype of greek life that you see on tv and movies is inaccurate. We dont party all the time. There is a heavy emphasis on philanthropy + academics. Most houses have study hours + an academic requirement. Also you participate in community service projects almost every week. If you want an accurate portrayal of greek life, check it out for your own. </p>
<p>As for this tier stuff, like I said in the other thread about greek life, you shouldn’t join a fraternity based off of their “tier” ranking. You should join one that you feel most comfortable in. Each house is diverse among its own right.</p>
<p>Greek life is a great option for incoming freshman. During my welcome week, rush allowed me to meet many new cool people as well as have a **** ton of fun. Don’t worry about the ranks, but rather how you fit in. There are so many other houses on campus (Theta Chi, Alpha Sig, AEPi, PiLam, Chi Psi) that aren’t ‘ranked’ but are just as tight and cool. When you rush, just be cognizant of your environment - and think about whether you feel comfortable with the brothers around you. If you put yourself out there, house brothers will take notice and get to know you.</p>
<p>And if you really join a brotherhood that cares about you, they respect you as a pledge, then as a brother, and won’t pressure you to drink or smoke or do anything you don’t want to.</p>
<p>Do sororities treat transfer students differently? or do they care?</p>
<p>Which freaternities are mostly academic and is mostly substance free enviorment?</p>
<p>mostly substance free? not a single one. some do harder drugs, but every house will have plenty of alc/mj/maybe n2o</p>
<p>academically oriented? dchi, tke, ato, sigchi, aepi</p>
<p>this changes all the time. and even within a house there is always variation. sometimes even the notoriously “harder partying” houses have great gpas and be near the top in ranking</p>
<p>Chaosrecon so if I don’t do drugs or alcohol will you still suggest I join a fraternity? If so which will be more clean and less judgemental perhaps?</p>