<p>It seems fraternities dominant the social scene at Washington and Lee. Our S is kind of nerdy, are there any such fraternities there?</p>
<p>Short answer: Yes, Sigma Nu.</p>
<p>Long answer: To some degree our whole school is nerdy. But there is certainly a big range among the fraternities. Sigma Nu always has the highest GPA and nerdy is their reputation, it’s not a bad thing it is just them.</p>
<p>More than one, in fact ;)</p>
<p>Great! Now, does nerdy mean “loser fraternity”? The definition has changed over the years. In the magnet school my son is going to now, the nerdy kids are cool.</p>
<p>Each fraternity has their own personality. I really don’t think kids at W&L give a ■■■■ about who is cool or not cool. You hang out with the kids you like and want to be around. Pretty much end of story.</p>
<p>From my point of view no one looks down on Sigma Nu or any of the other nerdy frats because they are nerdy.</p>
<p>The only kids that my D considers “losers” are the ones who don’t take advantage of the opportunities W&L offers. Kids who are working hard at whatever their passion is and contributing to the life of the community are generally respected. </p>
<p>One thing we love about W&L is that there is a place in Greek life for everyone who wants to participate. Oh, and it’s too small to spend four years with just the guys in your fraternity. If you are involved in extracurriculars (and you probably will be since you applied, were accepted, and enrolled at this university), then you will have friends who are in other frats or independent. </p>
<p>Thanks all, sounds great!</p>
<p>There is definitely a social hierarchy, and the idea that “everyone respects everyone else” is not entirely true. My Greek org. was at or near the bottom of the hierarchy-- I remember a couple instances of feeling the unpleasantness of the hierarchy even during my senior year, a time when I should have been well past that.</p>
<p>However, far outweighing those negatives are the camaraderie, fun social events, and general goods times that the Greek system fosters. I’m glad I had the experience, which I probably would not have had somewhere with the usual ~30% Greek participation.</p>
<p>At UW-Madison, I was in a fraternity (essentially) full of nerds who loved to have fun. Our aggregate GPA was around 3.6. </p>
<p>We threw parties every two weeks or so, but nobody was coerced into drinking or even taking part.</p>
<p>And UW-Madison is well known for its party atmosphere. We did our part in that campuswide endeavor but like I said, our conduct was always positive and fair.</p>
<p>My best friend, probably the nerdiest person in our fraternity while I was there, will be the best man in my wedding next summer. And our gently Leftist friend will stand next in line. So – the idea that fraternities are homogeneous is wrong: there is plenty of diversity; socioeconomically and politically and alcocentric at least.</p>