Questions About Freshman Social Scene

<p>I just finished my freshman year at Cornell. I'm fairly involved in on campus organizations, know a good deal about the different north campus dorms, have a job, and joined a sorority. I'd say I'm among the more social members of the student body. I'd be willing to answer any questions! :)</p>

<p>How did you spend Slope Day?</p>

<p>i wish i could remember</p>

<p>What's your preference? Louie's or Nasties?</p>

<p>Is Greek life really such a focus of social life for underclassmen? I guess what I mean is, is it monolithic? Or are there plenty of other people that like to have fun and party occasionally, but to a less extreme degree, say in Collegetown or west campus?</p>

<p>I've heard multiple things and I was wondering what a couple of you guys's takes were on it.</p>

<p>if id have to choose, louie's...i think that nasties is absolutely disgusting...but, usually, if im hungry i usually order in from campusfood from Pita Pit, DP Dough, or The Connection</p>

<p>frat parties definitely are the main source of social life for freshman in the beginning of the year...i remember going to my first open frat party and thinking it was one of the most amazing things ever- free alcohol, music, tons of people...but towards the end of the semester, they become monotonous...the same thing every weekend...people start drinking in the dorms more often
and once people rush, the underclassman student body becomes more divided into Greek and non-Greek...frat boys are pledging for a great deal of the semester and hardly step into a house other than their own, and sorority girls dont usually go to open parties unless it's the pledge party of one of their good friends because they have mixers, which are infinitely better than open parties (and they get rides to the frats so they dont have to walk to frat houses in freezing weather)
once again, those who dont go Greek second semester, usually drink in the dorms (especially because of the weather) or go to an open party (which are usually packed crowded)</p>

<p>sophomore year, those who are Greek are usually devoted to the house, those who move to Collegetown party in Collegetown (getting a fake helps), and those on West Campus that actually party usually still try finding open parties (it helps that the best frats are on west)</p>

<p>Here's my answer to a similar question from last week:</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/512133-questions-about-cornell-s-social-scene.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/512133-questions-about-cornell-s-social-scene.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>only thing i would add is that i wouldnt count on the dorm being a good party scene. people do manage to drink in the dorms, but cornell is strict about drinking in the dorm and doesn't generally turn a blind eye to it like a lot of schools. so people drink in the dorm to pregame or just to drink, but ive never seen it to the point where its actually a party. sucks too, because dorm parties would be a lot more fun than frat parties.</p>

<p>The greek system pretty much dominates the social scene freshman and sophomore year as puzzlechampion mentioned. I'm in a fraternity and I love it. Junior year is the bar scene and mild involvement in your house as well. The bottom line is this: if you want to party then you will be able to find a party whether your greek or not. There are always parties in Ctown and once you're 21 your greek affiliation won't matter. I personally would encourage everyone to rush though because being in the greek system is a great experience.</p>

<p>Presently, how strict are bars, liquor stores and convince stores on carding?</p>

<p>And restaurants too...</p>

<p>unfortunately, you wont get anywhere without a good fake...one of the cons of going to school in a college town</p>

<p>I know this question has been asked in prior years, but what is the current reputation for sororities? Which sororities mix with which fraternities? Is it hard to manage your workload while rushing? Any tips for rushing?</p>

<p>im a member of the Greek system, but id like to think that i have a pretty unbiased view towards different houses...ill private message you my opinions of the different houses if you want (just to avoid the chaos that ensued after the last thread)...i did well in rush (got cut by only one house, got my top three during the final round), so i definitely recommend it...others say it was the worst experience of their lives</p>

<p>rush week is a week before classes start second semester, so it doesnt cut into school...pledging a sorority during the semester entails going out most nights of the week (usually not sundays and mondays, but tuesdays, wednesdays, thursdays, fridays, and saturdays), so id recommend taking a lighter load...otherwise, my grades second semester were better than my grades first semester</p>

<p>tips for rushing- keep an open mind, treat every house with respect, be yourself, dont get too caught up in the superficiality of it all...out of the three houses that i final rounded, i did not choose the house that was the highest ranked...i chose the house that i felt the most comfortable in and you should definitely do the same</p>

<p>ps- i see that you are ILR...id say that about 50% (at least) of your major joins Greek</p>

<p>I'm in ILR and I highly doubt that 50% of the school is in a house.</p>

<p>hah, well...after a semester of mixers, it sure felt like it...at least a lot of guys in ILR seem to be in a house...and a lot of girls in HD seem to be in sororities...just an observation...dont have any official statistics</p>

<p>i know there are a lot of AEM and communications majors in sororities...which is as surprising as a lot of HD majors</p>

<p><em>note the hint of sarcasm</em></p>

<p>I think the density of fraternity membership in ILR is around 40-45%. Note that if you are in a Greek organization, it may seem like everybody is Greek, and that if you are not in a Greek organization, you will quickly surround yourself by people who aren't Greek.</p>

<p>And I'll note that if you choose not to rush/pledge, the first month or so may seem daunting because the Greek system is disproportionately visible on campus. But remember, it's in a minority, and 70 percent of students quickly find other ways to "make a home" on campus.</p>

<p>hotelies especially make up a good proportion of the greek system because they are social and good-looking (for the most part)</p>

<p>i suggest that everone go through rush. its an annoying process, but its just a good experience (especially for sororities). you meet soooo many people, and not just in the sororities itself. i became friends with a lot of girls as we were walking from house to house. even if you dont end up going greek, youll feel really left out when you come back from winter break and everyone is sharing their stories...</p>