I’m looking at applying to William and Mary this year. I LOVE everything about the school: beautiful, friendly people, great IR program, good career services. However, my one concern is Greek Life. Is it the main social focus on campus? Does it dominate life like Dartmouth? Is it exclusive and limiting? I’m not opposed to the party scene but don’t want to have the stereotypical Greek scene (drinking, drugs) be the biggest player on campus. Is this an issue?
Hey, Greek Life can be slightly exclusive (tough for guys to get into a frat party if you don’t know a bunch of the brothers), but it definitely doesn’t dominate the social scene. I think about 30-35% are in greek life, so the vast majority of students are not in a frat or sorority. Greek life is there if you want it, but it isn’t overbearing at all.
Current Junior in a Fraternity
I’ve never been one to BS, especially when it comes to something as important as choosing where you want to go to school, so I’ll give it to you straight.
When we talk Greek Life one thing you should understand is that just because WM has a reputation of being “quiet”, “nerdy”, or whatever you want to call it, DOES NOT mean that Greek Life has an insignificant influence on the social lives of most students. In fact, because WM is so isolated, and full of rather introverted kids, who often have their first alcohol/drug experiences early Freshman Fall, Fraternities tend to have overblown influence on campus. They’re the first places you will party at; the first questions your hall mates will start asking each other will be “So are you going to rush?” Don’t let anyone fool you, especially as a Freshman, Greek Life is absolutely huge, and while it does die down by the time you are a Junior or so It will always be in your face and hard to avoid (extra true if you end up living in the more “social” dorms like Yates or Jefferson)
I joined my fraternity during my sophomore Fall. My parents are diplomats and I have lived in 7 different countries before coming to school. I started drinking at clubs when I was 13…safe to say I wasn’t impressed by Greek Life nor Williamsburg at first. I thought Fraternities were something only middle class uncultured suburban kids did. I eventually was FORCED to rush my sophomore year out of fear that I was going psychotic due to the boredom I experienced as a non affiliated male. Literally if you enjoy going out, drinking, partying, drugs (so most “regular” kids), hooking up, or any other social activity of the sort, Greek Life is really the only place your going to find it in abundance. Of course if you’re a GDI TWAMP, and your friday nights involve watching anime, then this doesn’t matter but I’m assuming you’re not.
Now onto your questions. Is Greek Life exclusive? Yes, though frats are getting less hardcore each year (alums during homecoming will scare you I promise) frats are still exclusive. Generally as a guy you are not going to another frats party unless your boys with a few of them, and as a independent dude there is no way your going to be let in the door of any parties that are worth going (open parties are not worth going to). As a girl you can get in anywhere, but being in a sorority lets you know when the better things are happening, are you will probably get treated better by frat guys than if you were independent. Now don’t mistake this and think WM has hardcore greeklife like Dartmouth, Penn, USC, or even Cornell. It doesn’t at all. If you don’t look like you have an extra chromosome, and are moderately normal you can expect to get a bid from most fraternities on campus. With sororities, if you aren’t attractive your chances to get into Theta/Kappa (hot sororities) diminishes but considering they’re are a bunch of ugly girls in both, I wouldn’t be to worried. Greeklife here dominates simply because there is nothing else to do, not because it is of high/exclusive/elite quality.
Ultimately about 1/3 of the students don’t party, and if your in that group Greek Life won’t bother you. If you like to party, then join a Greek Org. If you don’t, then don’t. You’ll make like minded friends so it won’t be in your face if your the type to stay in and not go to bars on a Thursday night, since your friends likely won’t either. It’s what you make of it.
-Cheers
Nice explanation, Olivier34343. Would anyone care to confirm or disagree?