<p>hi, it seems like life outside of class is basically all about frat parties. is that true? if you kind of dont want to drink will you feel "alone"? also, is most of the job recruiting done on campus done by companies in the south or throughout the nation?</p>
<p>Ok, I had the same social concerns before coming here. There is plenty to do outside of the frats. Downtown Nashville (which is only about a mile and a half or so away from Vandy) has sooooo much to offer. There are music shows (of all kinds) going on all the time. Campus events are also plentiful. A couple of weekends ago we had The Second City comedy show come to campus, movies are shown in Saratt cinema, and later this month Sheryl Crow is bringing her Stop Global Warming Tour to Vandy. There are events like these going on all the time. Getting involved in campus organizations is also a great way to have fun outside of frat parties. Hope that helps!</p>
<p>I have a daughter who is a freshman at Vanderbilt and I am a graduate of Vanderbilt. There is a social life outside of the classroom that doesn't revolve around the frat parties. In fact my daughter much prefer to socialize with her hall floor mates and the Bux Christian fraternity because she doesn't drink. I agree with silversparkles18 that there is so much to do on and off campus. Even when there is drinking, there are plenty of non-drinkers around. </p>
<p>When I was on the job hunt, companies from around the country recruited from Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>Question for you: Is a car necessary? Most of the schools my D is considering are schools where a car is almost a necessity. What about Vandy?</p>
<p>It's not necessary at all. We can purchase cab cash with our meal money (freshman get $150 a semester with the 19 meal plan) to use for travel, and there are several Nashville bus stops around campus. It's pretty easy to go downtown or to the Green Hills area. It takes a while to get to Opry Mills, but it isn't impossible. Nashville is only about a mile 1/2 or 2 miles from downtown (I've walked it!!), and there are plenty of fun things to do. There are also plenty of activities on campus, as well as restaurants, drugstores, etc just off campus. A car might be a nice luxury, but it is certainly not a necessity.</p>
<p>The Greek system is very strong on the Vanderbilt campus. They boast that over 42% of the student body is Greek and over 80% of the females are in sororities. Needless to say if you are a male it will not have a major impact on you socially if you do not join a fraternity, but if you are female it will impact your social circle since most of these groups tend to socialize together. In addition, there tends to be a limited minority involvement in the Greek system (go online and check out the group photos of fraternities & sororities at Vanderbilt on their individual web sites), but some groups do have their own fraternities, but it seems to be a flaw in the social aspect of the school. My opinion is that a Greek system on campus is okay, but at Vanderbilt it seems to become your identity as how you rate socially. Its something I think the school needs to address if it wants to compete with northern and ivy league schools. Who wants to go through high school again?</p>
<p>I think your numbers on sorority membership are off a little:
Membership in fraternities and sororities comprised 42% of the undergraduate population for a total of 2,696 undergraduate students. 32% of the men are Greek, and 52% of the women are members of sororities.
<a href="http://www.vanderbilt.edu/greek_life/documents/OGLAnnualReport05-06.doc%5B/url%5D">http://www.vanderbilt.edu/greek_life/documents/OGLAnnualReport05-06.doc</a></p>
<p>Just to add the 2VU's corrections on the greek life #s... those are just 2005-2006. The numbers are continuing to go down... I believe in this year's freshman class, just over 30% of men go greek, and for women, it was about 45%. </p>
<p>Greek life is DEFINITELY not everything there is to Vandy's social scene. I did not go greek my freshman year, but did rush last year, so I can kind of speak from both perspectives.</p>
<p>I have never had the "high school" feel at Vanderbilt at all. There are so many different types of people here, you can pick and choose your social circles nad your identity.</p>
<p>can anyone talk more about what it feels like if you don't pledge. I am not sure that I want to belong to a sorority, but I am afraid that I will feel really out of it. Will all of my friends be going to the parties, the formals, etc. while I am left to find other things to do?</p>
<p>well... i don't go to vandy... but my bf and a lot of other friends do...
on the hand... you might change your mind... i know a lot of awesome girls in sororities who lovveeee it. it's a great way to forge a smaller community within the larger one...
on the other hand... i have a friend who is NOT in a sorority... and is in love with Vandy... she still goes to frat parties all the time (girls will not get turned away. ever), and has friends both inside and out. i think it' what you make of it. and Nashville is pretty awesome. though a car really helps</p>
<p>I'm not in a sorority and I have plenty of friends and am never at a loss for things to do! You will not be excluded if you don't pledge. There are tons of other clubs and organizations you can get involved in on campus.</p>
<p>Not having a car isn't really that big of a deal. Most of the parties are on campus with lots of stores/restaurants within walking distance. Vanderbilt does a great job bringing concerts, public speakers, and other entertainment on campus. The football stadium/basketball gym/baseball field are also a short walk from most of the dorms. Thursday night is the only night people usually venture downtown and people generally just split a cab with their friends (you can get cab cash on your Vandy card).</p>
<p>Thats true that fraternities always let any girl in for the parties, but its not the same for sororities and compared with fraternities it is not as easy for a girl to choose which house she wants to join. It is very competitive and selective process. They (sororities) choose you, not the other way around (check out the rush process on their web site, each house has quotas, etc. and they decide who returns). Thats my only problem with it, that it is not open to everyone, (yes there are people who are cut and not asked to a house, Ive heard that some girls have actually left school and transferred because they were so devastated) if it was open to all interested then it would just be another club on campus. But because it is selective, Im not comfortable with it as a campus activity. I dont understand how any college can approve of this, since its not made public what the criteria/ selection process is for each house. Can anyone respond to this?</p>
<p>Regarding hopinV question, there are times when you may feel excluded (Monday nights are usual meeting times for all sororities and the dorms feel like they clear out) and other activities which are members only, but if it is your wish not to join you shouldnt care, youre still made to feel invited to the party youre just not asked to dinner.</p>
<p>^^
Anyone who wants to join a sorority is able to. You may not get into your first choice, but if there wasn't a standard what would seperate the houses from each other.</p>
<p>I think you answered my question, "standard" and "separate"</p>
<p>yea i echo college2332's sentiments... if you rush a sorority, u will definitely get a bid at one of them at least. it is kinda competitive compared to the fraternity rush process, but sororities want girls that are like them... you'll probably find a sorority of girls that u'd like to be around if u rush. but the girls that dont get bids on bid days are girls that have said, "no i dont want a bid from x,y,z.. i only want a bid from a,b,and c." if you leave all your options open, u will get a bid.</p>
<p>and just to clarify on north's statement, yes the sororities select you, but u have your voice in who u'd like as well. the ideal is that you guys would both select each other, but most girls get 1 of their top 3 choices cuz that's naturally girls that are like them.</p>
<p>north123 - great post. I laughed. You belong at Yale. Or Berkeley.</p>
<p>Hello Everyone,</p>
<p>Just a quick note to correct your stats. North's guess that 80% of women are Greek is highly inflated. The real figure is 51%.</p>
<p>These numbers are published all over the Vanderbilt website, but an easy route is: </p>
<p>Thanks for keeping it real,
Brad</p>
<p>North this is the way it is at all schools. I went to UGa and it was that way at every single sorority. My wife was an AOPi at Vandy and she went thru the process and she got her first choice so it can happen.
My brother was an Sigma Chi at Vandy and he had a blast for his first couple of years and then got tired of it. Moved on to friends in his major and played d'town.</p>