Hi! I’m a high school senior girl, and one of my top choices is Wake Forest. I really love the campus setting, the academics, and the vibes I got during my visit! But one thing that’s really stressing me out is the huge percentage of girls in greek life at WFU (I’m pretty sure its over 50%). I don’t think I’m going to join a sorority (that could change, but at the moment I don’t think it interests me at all). I was wondering, will this make me feel left out or uncomfortable on campus? Will not joining a sorority make my social dynamic awkward? Any advice that current/past students can give me would be super helpful!!!
A very popular question on here. I’m a student, 2nd semester freshman who did not rush. The precentage is more like 80%. Out of 30 girls on my hall (including my RA) about 4 (counting myself) did not rush this semester.
It’s fine first semester, but towards the end of your first semester and the beginning of your second it gets rough. You cannot pledge until second semester here. I was lucky to not lose any of my friends, as we are all GDIs, but there becomes a weird power dynamic between those who are in greek life and those who are not. And all you see are Greek letters, lol.
Most of the talks become frat house this, date function that. i’ve tried to keep a mental “days i have gone without hearing some reference to greek partying” count. I have yet to get that past zero.
It bothered me a lot in the beginning but now I don’t really care. I work closely with greek life so maybe that’s the reason why, but it’s… interesting. Don’t feel pressured to do it if you really aren’t into it.
Is it the same with Fraternities compared to what you wrote about sororities? My son’s first choice is Wake and he was already to apply ED until he heard about the whole Greek life thing. We did not get that vibe when we visited last spring but there again how can you when you are only there for 1/2 a day. He wants to major in Neuroscience and loved the academic vibe he got from Wake. He is not about the greek life at all, maybe an academic greek organization but not a social party thing. Is this the school for him or are we right that maybe he should just apply regular decision and keep his options open.
Hello, @Kona2012. I am a male freshman at Wake, and I am not involved in Greek life. Perhaps I can answer some of your questions by providing my perspective. The questions you ask are some of the same ones that I had coming into Wake.
While we tend to group Greek life in one category, fraternities are very different from sororities at Wake. The biggest difference is the participation rate. 80% of the girls in the class of 2021 rushed. Because rush for fraternities works differently (much more informal), there is no official number of guys who rushed. What I can say, however, is that about 150-170 guys received bids. This factors out to about 25-30% of the total male population of the class of 2021. As a percent of total males involved in Greek life, this is lower than numbers we’ve had in the past. This means that while sororities are growing, fraternities are stagnant in growth, or in many cases, actually getting smaller.
As somebody who is not really into the party scene, I can say there are plenty of rewarding opportunities/experiences at Wake. I have many friends that are not in fraternities and some that are. For the most part, I seldom encounter the “you’re not in a frat” stigma. With that said, academics alone are very much a part of life, as are clubs and organizations. We have a great neuroscience program at Wake, and there are many undergraduate research opportunities in conjunction with our medical school. Additionally, we have so many opportunities for volunteer service. I couldn’t imagine being a fraternity just from a time perspective because I am so busy on my own. The most important thing to remember is that Wake is much broader than the (narrow) experience of joining a fraternity.
If you have any further questions, please send me a DM, and I would be happy to help you out! Best of luck!
@CarriesBakers Thank you so much for your reply! But I thought that when I was researching it said like 50%. Are you sure it’s 80? Is that a statistical number
@collegetalk1010 what college actually puts their correct percentage of those who do anything?
Anyways, the 50% is not counting those who are athletes (who cannot rush) and those in “unofficial” Greek groups (aka the few Divine Nine groups we have on campus and certain service Greek groups that don’t follow the traditional pledging model). So it’s pushing 70-80, especially class of 2021 as wfufan said before. It’s big here as we both have pointed out, but not everyone does it. A good number- but not everyone.
Oh now I understand. So if you were able to go back do you think that dynamic would make you reconsider attending Wake? (Thank you so much for all of your input)
I have one kid in a different school which is also very big on Greek life. He’s in a frat and, frankly, I thin it’s not a good thing. Hoping my D doesn’t pick Wake for the same reason, Greek life will soon be obsolete and in my opinion stunts the growth of our kids. I understand that 80% of women at Wake are in Greek life, that is an insane percentage.
My daughter is a different school but she said almost all of her friends are in fraternities or sororities. She’s perfectly happy not being in a sorority and is having a wonderful time in college.
@collegetalk1010 In hindsight, I probably would have chosen a different school. I’m semi-happy here, I have made good friends and other relationships, the education is fantastic and the resources are helpful when you can get to them, but I would have been much happier somewhere else.
However, I don’t entirely see myself anywhere else, if that makes sense. I chose Wake, I plan to stay at Wake, and I plan to graduate from Wake. I knew that I wasn’t a person for Greek life before I came here. I didn’t know how much of an impact it had on the school but it’s not really the root of my adverse feelings towards Wake. They are all connected, though.
@byeretirement It’s an insane percentage because its wrong! By a long shot. Approx 300 freshman girls went through rush. A fair percentage always drops out for various reasons. So less then 45% of freshman girls went greek. A lot of girls go greek because it’s less intense, (more club like) then other schools. Mostly because they don’t live in traditional greek houses etc. They continue to live with friends from all walks. Makes it substantially more affordable as well when you aren’t paying for the upkeep/insurance on those houses. Again, makes it more inclusive… more girls want to do it and are able to afford it.
@friday28 according to this source it’s 60%. Kids from Wake say it’s closer to 80% when you consider other factors. My son in in a frat in a school where social life is dictated by Greek life, it’s just not great imo. - https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/most-sororities
This is from Wake Forest’s Web site. Hope it clears up the confusion.
What percent of Wake Forest students are members of fraternities and sororities?
In the fall semester (when first year students are not eligible and many juniors are abroad), about 35% of students are Greek. In the spring semester when first year students have been through recruitment, about 49% of students are Greek. For women overall, about 40% are members in the fall semester and 60% in the spring. For men overall, about 31% are members in the fall semester and 34% in the spring.
@friday28, so it peaks at 60% and that, in my opinion, is a remarkably high number. I know about Greek life, my son is in a frat at a school which is the equivalent of Wake but up North. I just don’t like the whole Greek life vibe and how it impacts socialization on campus. This is my primary concern with Wake.
Keep in mind that the statistic, whether it’s 60 or pushing 80, is in a small school.
This 60% is in a school that’s about 5000 undergrad. there’s about 2500 females, and 60% of them are greek.
@CarriesBakers What is hazing like?\
I’m just posting this to let potential incoming students know there are alternatives to social Greek organizations. S is a freshmen. Rushed, received a bid and decided against pledging (he was on the fence the whole time - did it because he thought most of his friends were - which they weren’t)
However, he rushed the business frat (coed, has about 100 members, very active, etc.) and really enjoys it. At first he thought of the business aspects (kind of it’s own career services department) but has found it to be quite social with many of the same types of functions as the regular social frats (formals, date functions, parties, beach weekend, etc.). He calls it “Frat Lite”. He has also joined other clubs and has tons of friends. So know, you don’t need a social frat if that’s not your thing. There are also service orgs and tons of clubs. If you’re into fitness, the gym is a great spot. He plays pick up hoop with frat and non frat kids three nights a week (almost like it’s own club).
Honestly, he thought going Greek was going to be pretty important, and that concerned him. He’s found that it is to those that like that environment, isn’t to those that don’t and nobody really cares which one you are.
If you’re active, Greek or not, it’s hard not to enjoy Wake Forest.
@rickle1 Your son sounds like a very secure kid. Reality can be very different for many other kids. What happens for instance if all your friends get into Greek life but you don’t? what happens if you get in and all your friends don’t? What happens when you spend every minute of every day socializing and partying with the same small group of people? I just don’t see any upside to Greek life and that’s probably why it’s on course for extinction. When a school like WF, or the one my son goes to is completely dependent on Greek life it takes away too much from the college experience imo. Greek life promotes segregation, cliques, and it gives our kids an excuse to not explore anything outside of their comfort zone. ND has no Greek life, Michigan has under 28% participation and Greek housing is far away from campus. Those are two options I personally prefer as a parent.
^^^ I understand your points. The scenario you present regarding friends joining or not joining was part of my son’s dilemma. They were then they weren’t. The point of my post wasn’t pro or against Greek life. It was simply to state that there are many other things to do. Ironically, those other clubs are heavily represented by both Greeks and non Greeks. As an example, there are several Greeks on my son’s Club Baseball team (including the president of the frat he declined to pledge). There are many Greeks (about 1/3) in the business frat (not sure how they have time for everything but they are there). Same for his other clubs. I guess my greater point is that although WF has a large Greek population, it isn’t an exclusive environment. The Greeks and non Greeks mix a lot. My guess is that’s because their is no Greek housing so everyone lives together in the dorms anyway. Seems like the frats and sororities are more like clubs than the exclusive vibe you get elsewhere.