<p>I love a lot about Stanford: The location is fantastic for the activities that I enjoy (whitewater kayaking, mountaineering, road + mountain bike racing) and Stanford has active clubs for all of them where other colleges don't.</p>
<p>The one thing that would turn me off of the school is the fraternity presence. US News & World lists it as 24% of all males in a fraternity, which is a lot.</p>
<p>I don't foresee myself being someone in a fraternity. I don't party, I don't drink, I don't glorify partying, sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. In high school, I can hardly stand being around the jocks, partiers who act superior over everyone else.</p>
<p>Maybe it'd be a good thing to be in close contact with all these people, but my first instinct is to not want to go anywhere near these people b/c I find them so annoying. For that reason, I've been looking at frat-free schools i.e. CMC, Pomona, etc.</p>
<p>My question: Are frat members at Stanford stereotypical frat boys as the modern world perceives them? I'd like to think that, because it's a high-level college, they are more in touch with reality, but I want a personal opinion. </p>
<p>@HSAnon1997 - Actually 24% isn’t as high as one might think. At that percentage the campus culture is extremely unlikely to be defined by Greek life. Now the partying is a separate issue from Greek life. All schools have a lot of that, and Stanford is no exception. But it is also very easy to find the group of people that are like yourself; those that don’t want to drink and go wild. So I think you are kidding yourself if you think a non-Greek school won’t have some of the same issues. But again, no matter where you go to school, especially if you are focusing on schools where the average student is among the top scholars in the country for their age, you will have no trouble finding your niche.</p>
<p>My advice is to put that issue out of your mind and decide on Stanford vs. Pomona vs. CMC based on overall fit of the school for you. If you are lucky enough to get into Stanford and you really like all those other aspects about it that much, then I would choose Stanford if I were you. Full disclosure, my D is starting grad school there in the fall.</p>
<p>Agree with @fallenchemist. Our K2 notes that the “Greek scene” is pretty innocuous…for most students who are too busy studying and involved in their extracurricular activities…they are basically “nonexistent” in their lives…
…you can basically ignore the Greek scene for all 4 years if you want to and still be with the “cool” crowd…</p>
<p>…and, contrary to popular belief, at Stanford, unlike most of the other top programs “only” known for athletics…the athletes are just as smart and academically ambitious as non-athlete students…</p>
<p>…so, please, don’t generalize about “jocks”…the ones attending Stanford (girls and boys) would strongly disagree!</p>
<p>*Stanford has 28 Greek organizations, including five chapters in the African American Fraternal and Sororal Association and six chapters belonging to the Multicultural Greek Council. About 13 percent of Stanford students choose to join a fraternity or sorority, and ten of the chapters are housed. Greeks host campus-wide events like the 5K/10K Theta Breakers Run for the Children, the Sigma Nu Arts and Poetry Slam (SNAPS) and Snowchella, a benefit concert for Support for International Change. Community is formed through a variety of events such as step shows, karaoke nights, community service, barbeques and discussion groups. *</p>
<p>
Note that there are many types of fraternities that differ from your stereotype. For example, Stanford has professional business frat whose mission is to, “develop well-trained, ethical, skilled, resourceful business leaders in finance, marketing, investing, entrepreneurship, law, and other business-related fields.” Stanford also has a chemistry interest fraternity that hosts faculty dinners with members of the chemistry department and provides professional development events for resume building and interviews. Neither are housed. </p>
<p>You also are going to find students who are big on partying at nearly all colleges, including ones that don’t have frats, as well as students who are not big on partying. I was in the latter group and only attended parties when essentially dragged by my roommate (once I was literally dragged). The times I heard something about a fraternity usually either related to hosting/sponsoring an event, often a party, or a member accomplishing something impressive, such as a hugely successful startup. I never looked into or felt any pressure into joining one or attending their events, although I’m definitely not a fraternity type person. Instead I favored living in the more private apt/townhouse-like housing, such as Mirrielees and Escondido Village.</p>
<p>@HSAnon1997 - Looking at the list @3togo references just reinforces my statement. First of all, 24% still means 3 out of 4 students are not Greek. That’s a lot more than are by almost any standard I am familiar with. Second and what was most interesting to me, is that right around Stanford on that list were a few schools I know very well. Tulane is obviously one of them, and I can tell you quite definitely that Greeks do not dictate the atmosphere at Tulane. They throw parties that are usually open to all and have a few events from time to time, but virtually all the time you have no idea who is Greek and who isn’t. There is no segregation between Greeks and non-Greeks. The students talk all the time here on CC about having Greek and non-Greek friends.</p>
<p>I also see WUSTL there, another school I know very well, and you would hardly know there are frats a lot of the time. Finally there is Truman State, where my son went undergrad. You cannot find a more rural school than this, and usually that is where Greek tends to dominate. But once again, while it was a little more apparent than at Tulane or WUSTL, there was no issue between Greeks and non-Greeks. My son was not Greek and he says probably about 1/3 his friends were. The biggest difference between Tulane/WUSTL and Truman is that the frats were much more responsible for the parties on the weekends at Truman, because the school is so rural.</p>
<p>All of which is to say, once again, that your worries about Greeks at a school like Stanford are most likely exaggerated. Best of luck going forward.</p>
<p>Certainly not for every frat, nor for every frat member. </p>
<p>But you are talking about not liking a place because 3/4 of the males are not in a frat? That really makes no sense.</p>
<p>Stanford, like all larger institutions, has so much going on and so many different groups that you have no trouble finding non-drinking, non-partying, outdoorsy, mountain biking people to hang out with. My DS is one of them and he is having a great time.</p>