<p>We are totally committed to Bama at this point, but, to be honest, I still have a few misgivings. </p>
<p>During my lunch break today (i.e., now), I perused the reviews at students review dot com. Many of the negative ones emphasized the same point: If you’re not Greek, you’ll have no social life. Even one of the positive reviews made the same point!</p>
<p>My slightly bohemian son is very unlikely to go Greek. But he’s very gregarious and loves making friends. Please reassure me (again!) that GDIs can survive, make friends, and have a social life at Bama.</p>
<p>Don’t worry. Your son will have a social life. He will be able to hang out with tons of people and make lots of friends. There are ~400 student organizations and 30,000 students on campus, so he’ll find his niche. Keep in mind that a lot of Greeks feel that the only way that you can have a social life is to go to fraternity parties on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. This, of course, is not true, but it’s frequently the notion given on ratings and reviews websites.</p>
<p>Oh good grief…most of the school is not Greek. My kids aren’t Greek and they have a full social life. It’s ridiculous to think that a nonGreek can’t have a social life.</p>
<p>that said, if my D was not going to pledge, I wouldn’t put her in Tutwiler. there are a few res halls on the southside of campus that have mostly Greek kids in them. For a non-Greek living in on of those, it would seem like she is missing out if she weren’t Greek.</p>
<p>those sites are stupid…who even knows if a school’s own students are posting.</p>
<p>My son plans to get involved with the student community at Saint Francis Church, so that should help a lot, too. And his prospective roommates sound fantastic. (Thanks again, AL!!)</p>
<p>mom2ck–those are good points. I think students review dot com is one of the better review sites out there – it certainly nails the schools I’m personally familiar with – but yes, it does have its share of disgruntled weirdos and very suspect posters.</p>
<p>I assure you he will be fine. Greeks make up 20% of the student body. The other 24,000 less fortunate kids on campus surely aren’t all sitting at home by themselves wondering why nobody likes them.</p>
<p>Kids say Greeks dominate the social scene because the big parties and performers some fraternities book, get all the pub. But there are 30K kids to make friends with. Plays, movies, concerts, clubs, organizations, parties, bars to attend or hang out at. </p>
<p>My lil bro chose to be a GDI this year against my wishes and he’s having the time of his life. I’ve encouraged him to go Greek next year but not because he’s having any trouble making friends or finding stuff to do socially. It’s just I can’t stand the thought of having a GDI in my family </p>
<p>BTW, that last sentence and “fortunate” comment were JOKES in case anyone doesn’t understand my sense of humor.</p>
<p>I don’t have anything to add about the school but that site really is very negative about all schools. I get depressed reading about different schools and rarely is anything positive posted. I find CC has better insights on the colleges since you can get more real time feedback. Some of the posts on student reviews are old… and even if you read the negatives to get some insight I would also search here for more depth.</p>
<p>LadyD - as you know I have 2 children at Bama. Neither is in a frat or sorority. I have given them the option and opportunity to partake in the greek system or stay independent. They have chosen independent for different , but very valid reasons. I attended Bama and also chose not to join a frat. I didn’t feel the need to. I was involved with a team and I’ll leave it at that. I dislike the term GDI because it smacks of a antagonistic approach to campus life and when I attended Bama, some students used it as a badge of honor to be a GDI. With some being a proclaimed GDI, they limited their opportunities to become open to all parts of camps life. Yes, the greek system (machine) tended to run things on campus (when I attended and still does to a great extent) and can be a bit overbearing on how things get done in student government, etc. But in my humble opinion, having a large greek presence on campus is what makes our university unique in that their houses are beautiful and having that mix of students (Independents and Greeks) can only be a positive in learning how to get along in life. </p>
<p>My son and daughter, while not in a frat or sorority, do attend many of the parties, without paying the dues or membership fees associated with them. </p>
<p>Your son will not have a problem finding a group of friends, clubs to join, athletics, etc. But he should also not limit himself to “GDI’s”.</p>
<p>I understand the concern, we all did the same thing before we sent our students - but honestly, it’s all so much talk. Ratings sites? who knows, but generally happy people don’t post there any more than you see clear-skinned people post on the Accutane forums.</p>
<p>Oh and for the record, my DS started pledging the Engineering fraternity (which is a whole lot less like a social frat) and realized right away that the whole fraternity thing just wasn’t for him. His only mistake was trying to convince himself otherwise and hanging in there too long. Lost a little time, gained some insight, made a few friends.</p>
<p>You don’t have to be Greek to be successful/happy any more than you have to wear certain clothing, get a certain dorm or floor etc. to be successful/happy at Bama. You’ll get the occasional bad schedule, crazy professor, bad meal at Lakeside, flight difficulties… but at least for my son, it all comes together to make the best decision he’s even made. I certainly don’t for a second think it’s any better anywhere else.
Chillax and Roll Tide!</p>
<p>LOL
I just looked at students review dot com
And I really have to wonder how many Auburn students
voted that UA has the “Ugliest Girls” (8743 votes)</p>
<p>I am guessing it’s a little rivalry, maybe a little beer or boredom and internet access.</p>
<p>If you can’t make friends and have a fulfilling social life among the 30,000+ students at Bama, regardless of whether you are Greek, GDI, or something in-between, call a therapist, because it’s your dysfunction, not the environment’s, that’s at the root cause of the problem. </p>
<p>There are plenty of qualified professionals standing by to offer their services in the UA counseling center.</p>
(Thanks again, AL!!)</p>