<p>I am a parent and Vanderbilt engineering is on the shorter list of schools my daughter is considering.</p>
<p>However the seemingly big emphasis on the greek scene is giving her pause. She cleans up well and is not afraid to have fun, (dance/music/friends) but sorority life is not her idea of the college experience. </p>
<p>Can smart girls fit in at Vanderbilt if they don't want to pledge or get into the sorority scene.</p>
<p>Yes, they can, and approximately half of them do. I know several bright and socially successful girls who decided against the Greek scene at Vandy and give every impression of being happy there.</p>
<p>And many smart girls who did pledge and are very happy there, as well. I think that almost every student at Vanderbilt would be considered "smart" - male, female, Greek, or otherwise. It's a great school - I hope your daughter will visit before deciding it's not for her just because of the Greek scene. The new freshman Commons will probably become a defining experience for Vanderbilt students.</p>
<p>My D is a junior ChemE major at Vandy. She wanted to join a sorority but had problems with one of her frosh classes and he GPA wasn't overly attractive so she didn't get a bid in to one of the ones she wanted. She was upset at first but has found that it really doesn't matter. I wouldn't let it bother you any. All the kids live in dorms, greek or not. My daughter was in one of the Commons dorms last year it was really nice. Our HS Sr. son is going to apply to vandy next year to study engineering also...</p>
<p>My D just transferred to Vanderbilt. During one of the meetings, students broke out by school. When they called the school of engineering, there were so many girls! It was great to see (especially since I attended an engineering school with very few girls ... and misery loves company). As they walked up the aisle, I overheard one girl telling another how excited she was, as there were "no girls at my last school."</p>
<p>As far as sororities go, don't let the stats on percent greek scare you off. There are still many girls who don't go greek (my D will be one). It's a large enough student body that there are all types of kids. If your D likes the school, she is sure to find plenty of friends with like interests.</p>
<p>We just moved our D in this past weekend and I saw a stat that 30% of the engineering students were female. I would be much more concerned about the numbers of female engineering students than the sorority bit. It's great they have such a high percentage of females (national average is something like 17%).</p>
<p>My daughter is a senior at Vanderbilt and is not in a sorority by choice and has no regrets about it. She is a varsity athlete so that takes up all of her non-academic time. The nice thing about the system at Vandy is that all the students live in the dorms so that dilutes the Greek system and all the frat parties are required to be open to all students so it is not really an issue if you choose not to be in a sorority. My daughters friends are so varied, whether they are in a sorority is not even a factor. She has been very pleased with Vanderbilt overall and so have we. Good luck!</p>
<p>My D is a junior BioMed Engineering major at Vandy. She has absolutely no interest in the Greek life at school and is very happy; socially and academically.</p>
<p>Don't be surprised if you daughter says no to sororities now but then changes her mind once she gets there. A group of her hall friends may go through rush and she might decide to go with them. OTOH, it may not be her thing and that will be fine. D is a junior in A&S, not in a sorority and has all sorts of friends, Greek and non-Greek. As other posters have said on this board, there are many ways to fit in at Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>i think that it will work; vanderbilt has a lot of greek life focus, but if your D is independent, it shouldn't be a problem. there is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much to do in nashville, and there are literally hundreds of clubs that cover everything from media broadcast (both tv and radio), as well as athletics and martial arts, and intellectual endeavours as well. visit before you write it off, it's a wonderful place.</p>
<p>There is also a gay club on campus, I discovered this today.</p>
<p>As a major city, maybe Nash has a gay club or too also, you never know.</p>
<p>And the point of your post is ... ?</p>
<p>okay, so palmettotree uses the term "too" in the stead of "two." this only affirms my post from the other threads...don't hate on everyone else who is different from you; when you break out of the vandy bubble, real people in the real world will eventually make you realize that you can't be bigoted all the time...</p>
<p>haha that one is a little funny I think I was halfway through pregaming when I decided to get on </p>
<p>and the point to my post was there is a niche for everyone at Vandy!!</p>
<p>for all the parents and prospective students, "pregaming" is a term that, while once reserved for actual parties preceeding a game of some sort now extends to include a myriad of things. Namely: classes, church services, seminars, sometimes football games; read: anything that would be too "boring" without alcohol...</p>
<p>you have that type of ignorance at every school.</p>
<p>For all the parents and prospective parents, "pregaming" is a common term and if you are a prospie at least 16 years old and don't know what that means, Vanderbilt is not for you.</p>
<p>GGGOOOO TIGERS</p>
<p>And for those parents & prospective students who have a healthier perspective on the role of alcohol in their lives: There ARE students who do not spend their lives wasted, and they are happy at Vandy.</p>
<p>When I said "gooo tigers", I was referencing the upcoming showdown between Clemson & Alabama (Clemson Tigers). Now, if you follow college football, specifically the SEC, Vanderbilt would of course be for you.</p>
<p>I hate Clemson but I hate Alabama more so I was really rooting for Clemson. Sadly, I had a bad evening with some good looking Vandy girls downtown. God I love this school.</p>
<p>Yikes!<br>
As a parent now, I just wanted to add that Greek life comes in many forms, depending on the student.<br>
I was pre-law and worked 10-20 hours a week throughout undergrad. I was also a sorority member, which I loved for giving me an organized social outlet. I did have sisters who sounded like some partying posters above, but I also had sisters who ended up in law school, medical school and investment banks.</p>
<p>greek is big here, and some people may be a little disgusted by it
but don't let it be the deciding factor. i agree that greek life comes in many forms. there are community service and religious frats/sororities here</p>