<p>Hello! I'm going to be a freshman in the school of comm next year, and I have no plans to join a sorority. I'm worried that social life/night life will really revolve around Greek life, especially for underclassmen. Thoughts? Are there parties that are not affiliated with frats? Are frat parties open to non Greeks?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Obviously you are seeking, and need, a student’s perspective. But if I might be allowed to offer a parent’s suggestion, it would be that - though you might have “no plans to join a sorority” - you check them out during rush (or whatever they call it). You might find that sorority life at NU is different from what you might imagine from tales of other schools or what you see in the media, and that it is really appealing.
Should you decide, having exposed yourself to it with an open mind, that it’s just not for you, that’s fine. Many people at NU (I think a majority) do NOT go Greek, and they still find it to be a wonderfully social environment. But even though I originally had my own misgivings about my daughter going Greek at NU, she did and she has loved it. It has truly enhanced her college experience.</p>
<p>It generally happens that the types of people who are your typical college partiers (or at least the Northwestern grade of that) tend to be friends with other people like them, which a lot of the time means Greek. Most of the big parties are either through fraternities or a sports team, varsity or club. Theatre/Film, certain ethnic student organizations, and a few other social groups have their parties too, but generally on smaller scales. Like WCAS mom said, I’m sure you will find Greek life to be different than you thought (as I did – I didnt think I’d be Greek), but absolutely dont freak out or feel pressured to go into it if it isn’t for you. There’s still lots of ways to meet people and find ways to spend your weekend nights.</p>
<p>As for your second question, fraternity parties are open to non-Greeks, and because you are female, it will almost never be a problem as long as you know someone in the house or are with someone who is. Non-Greek guys have it tougher.</p>
<p>My daughter is a SoC freshman and began the term going to Greek parties and hated them. Very quickly she found a very large group of friends who had much better things to do with their nights than go to Greek parties. Sometimes they went to other parties, sometimes to one of the very many 11PM shows and then went out. There’s so much to do at Northwestern, no need to worry about lacking a social life because you’re not Greek, especially in the SoC.</p>
<p>BTW, my daughter found the whole sorority thing exactly as she had expected - a superficial hierarchy. She went to support her roommate who was rushing and was momentarily caught up in it which made her very unhappy. But it definitely works for many and sororities also do service to the community so it’s not all bad!</p>
<p>I’m worried that social life/night life will really revolve around Greek life. Only if a very wide social network is important to you. If you are the kind of person who only needs a few good friends, you’ll be fine</p>
<p>Are there parties that are not affiliated with frats? Yes. Intramural sports, random house/apartment parties</p>
<p>Are frat parties open to non Greeks? Yes</p>
<p>I knew lots of girls who didn’t join sororities who had fun and productive undergraduate experiences. To be honest, in the end, I think most of them wish they had done it, even if at first the idea made them uncomfortable. Give yourself a chance to at least get on campus and check it out before you decide not to do it, there are all sorts of different sororities with all sorts of different people, each with their own unique qualities.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I would take this statement with a grain of salt. People who “don’t like” the greek system can often be more pretentious than the greek system itself. Like I said, there are many different sororities, and it’s unfair to label them all the same: different ones can appeal to very different types of people. I’m not saying it’s for everyone, but I would tell you to try to go in without any preconceived notions, because you might be surprised how many different, engaging, accepting, and interesting people choose greek life for a very wide range of reasons.</p>
<p>Also, statistics show that members of the greek system are more likely to donate to the school as alumni, and perform better academically. Greek life can be a facet of a well-rounded experience for many different types of people, not just the types you see stereotyped on TV, and at Northwestern this is particularly true.</p>
<p>As I would take the comment “I think most of them wish they had done it” with a grain of salt. </p>
<p>As you can see, OP, some swear by the Greek system, others not. In the end, it makes little difference in your social life or academics. It does seem overwhelmingly popular the winter term of freshman year when friends are rushing, but after that, it’s pretty insignificant. I think it also depends on your major and dorm; some are very close knit keeping you extremely engaged in many aspects of college life.</p>
<p>Don’t anticipate the impact of Greek life on your college life, it can be what you want it to be.</p>