<p>I've been lurking on this board for a while now. I'm trying to decide if W&L is enough of a fit that we should visit. DS is interested in W&L for the following reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li> Sense of tradition.</li>
<li> Honor code.</li>
<li> Strong Academics</li>
<li> Possibility of merit aid</li>
<li> A student body that is regionally and politically different from what he has known</li>
<li> Strong alumni network </li>
</ol>
<p>My son wants to major in History and Theater and focus on writing. I don't know what he ultimately sees himself doing, but we have convinced him that education comes first and that if Theater is in the cards for him, he can pursue it at a graduate level. </p>
<p>So we need an education... We get that the Greek system is very important at W&L and my son has expressed an interest in joining a Frat. However, in our entire extended family, with the exception of a one brother-in-law, no one has ever gone Greek. We don't really know how the whole thing works at a school where the Greek system basically runs the social scene. </p>
<p>If people typically self segregate into different Greek organizations and they all move off campus after Freshman year, then how do students go about meeting and interacting with different people? (I'm assuming here that people join Greek houses where the members are a lot like themselves.)</p>
<p>One of the draws of a school like W&L is that my son would have the chance to interact with students who are politically, socially, religiously and culturally different than the people he grew up with (we live in Boulder, CO). There is of course the opportunity to mix in class, but what about socially? How do different groups socialize if the members of XYZ frat only have functions with members of ABC sorority and PDQ fraternity? Also, it seems like the strong alumni network that people talk about may center around what frat you join. Is that true?</p>
<p>I'm sorry if these questions seem naive. We just don't understand the dynamics of the Greek system.</p>
<p>Washington and Lee has a lot to offer. However, the social strata is very different, one could say 180 degrees away from the culture of Boulder, Colorado. Each person is unique in their ability to adapt to a different environment so I strongly suggest that you and your son visit the school when it is in session.</p>
<p>No…there may be some people there with that attitude but not majority. D has great group of guys friends who are top students who are not in “top” frats.</p>
<p>I’ve been involved in my sorority since college as an advisor, and in other capacities. I have loved this experience and I’m glad my daughter joined a sorority at W&L. It provides a support network, a source of social activity, and lifelong connections. Before she went through recruitment, I told her to look for the chapter where she felt at home – the one that was a good fit. If people join for superficial reasons, like status, I don’t think the experience is the same. Others might disagree, but I say join where you feel most comfortable. </p>
<p>The reality is that every single campus with Greek life has a “tier” structure. It’s just like high school, but more defined. For the minority who join the pretty, rich, athletic, what-have-you groups, this status can be very important. Everyone else is either rolling their eyes, jealous, feels unworthy, chooses to ignore it and has a great time hanging out with the rest of the groups, or experiences some combination of the above. Because W&L has such a high percentage of fraternity/sorority members, this aspect is probably more pronounced. Personally, I don’t think it’s much different than where I went to school, or at the campus where I advise. Kids talked/worried about this back when, and they talk/worry about it now. </p>
<p>A lot of parties at W&L open up to anyone after a certain time (they may start as a mixer between XYZ and DEF), and the big theme parties are open to everyone. During the fall, there are a lot of open parties as all the upperclassmen try to get to know the first years through informal recruiting. If your son goes to W&L, he’ll find his niche.</p>
<p>The alum networking is not confined to fraternity alumni of the same school. The connections I’ve made with other alumnae of my sorority over the years have rarely been members of the same chapter. I’ve connected with sisters from many chapters and none of the professional colleagues I’ve worked with have been chapter sisters.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Not that important of a fact, but the “Big Three” as a concept is dead. It dates back to there being a “Big Four” about 7-8 years ago: Beta, Phi Delt, SAE, and Phi Kapp. Beta was kicked off and it became Big Three, Phi Kapp has been kicked off and their replacement Kappa Sig doesn’t really hold a candle to it.</p></li>
<li><p>There is certainly a social hierarchy, that much is undisputed. It’s relatively straightforward for sororities, a bit more convoluted for fraternities so fraternities are generally grouped in tiers. It is generally easier to make a name for yourself the higher up on the social ladder you go.</p></li>
<li><p>The happiest students are the ones that look for the fraternity that best fits their personality and interests, not the ones that seek to land as high on that social ladder as possible.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>*Most parties are completely open, which means anyone can come. Fall term there is almost always an annual party that one fraternity is throwing that is considered the big party of the night. You’ll meet W&L students from all walks of life there. The politics of going to mixers is more complicated but generally a mixer between abc fraternity and xyz sorority opens up at 10pm.</p>
<p>*Students can choose to be boxed by their own mini social bubble in or they can choose to not and meet more people. I’ve seen students happy doing either.</p>
<p>*The alumni within your fraternity/sorority may be easier to reach out to but generally after graduation alumni just want to look out for each other no matter what. It’s generally irrelevant.</p>