Hi, I’m hoping to attend UA in 2017, and I have a lot of questions about the greek life. If I were to rush my freshmen year,
I would live in the dorms my freshman year? Would I eventually move into the house? I am interested in joining however I am unfamiliar with the process. Also, is there any financial aid offered for greek life? Cost is another concern for me, I’m wondering if there are any scholarships or aid available.
Yes, you’d live in the dorms frosh year. You might live in a sorority house for a semester or year…but probably not for 3 years…not enough room.
FA isn’t available for Greek LIfe as it’s a social thing. Some houses may have a few small schollies, but I don’t know of any. Plan on paying yourself.
OP, while not an expert on UA, both my wife and I were Greek. Bottom line, going Greek can be stunningly expensive. Costs vary by chapter, but living in the house can cost well over $12-13k. That’s just to get in the door. The dues represent a fairly small part of the overall Greek cost. All told to remain social can cost an additional 2-3x the dues.
If money is tight, do yourself a favor and steer clear. I knew a number of folks that really struggled financially, and it was a constant source of frustration.
bwinter2, are you looking at fraternity or sorority? The costs are different.
Sorority!
OK then. Yes, you live in the dorms your freshman year - all freshman are required to live on campus unles their family lives in town. the houses hold roughly 70 residents each, plus a housemother. The rest of the room is for the entire chapter to come together for meals, meetings, and activities. Most houses have more members wanting to live in than not, so they each have some sort of system to decide. Certain officers are required to live in - president, house manager, treasurer etc. The points could be based on grades, or how many sorority events you attend, that sort of thing. One year in the house is common for most, sometimes two. By then most students want more privacy and are ready to experience apartment living. Personally, I lived in all 3 years - hey, I had the rest of my life to cook and clean up after myself!
Costs - it’s not cheap. You will pay for meals, Monday breakfast through Friday lunch, the entire time you’re in college, even if you live in an apartment or dorm. Check the uapanhellenic dot com site and you can find a range of costs, and they always tell people to plan for the high side. Being in a sorority also demands a fair amount of your time. It’s really up to you.
If you decide NOT to pledge a sorority, know that 2/3 of the campus is NOT Greek. There are LOTS of things to do besides Greek life. An option would be to go through recruitment as a sophomore. Lots of sophomores pledge sororities - it’s not a big deal if you wait.
Okay, thank you so much for your help!!