<p>I've heard such bad things about the people at Elon and how they're superficial, cliquey, judgemental, snobby, all upperclass rich kids who party a lot and think you're a nobody if you're not in Greek life. Elon is perfect for me in every other way, but Greek life isn't for me, I'm middle class, a little shy at first, and I don't like to drink or party so I'm really concerned about the social fit for me. Does anyone have anything different so say about the people they've met there, or is this all very true?</p>
<p>aaronashley: That is absolutely not my experience at Elon. Both of my children (who tend to be a bit shy at first) attended Elon and found it to be a very supportive community with friendly people who truly care about one another. They made friends easily. The majority of students do NOT take part in Greek Life, and many love to be involved in the hundreds of campus organizations. Like any university, there are all types of students at Elon. You just have to find your group of friends who share your values and interests. I’m confident you’d thrive at Elon, and that you’d get a great education. </p>
<p>The current Elon student we know is hard-working, kind, and down-to-earth. Have you been able to visit the campus?</p>
<p>My S is a junior. He is a unique individual that marches to his own drummer, does not follow the crowd just because everyone else is. Yes, there kids at Elon from well-to-do families, yes there are kids that love the greek life, yes there are kids that wear designer clothes to class and to parties. Doesn’t mean they are not nice kids! And my S is none of these, but he is thriving at Elon. He found his peeps from a club he joined, and they are the kids he almost always socializes with. None of them (or very very few) are greek, and my S has no interest in attending fraternity parties. He does however now have a lovely girlfriend who is in a sorority; she enjoys the bond with her sisters but is anything but a “greek party girl”. As mentioned above, Elon has hundreds of organizations, and the students are really involved - so if someone is not involved in any extracurriculars and has not really found a circle of friends, then I would say that the campus could perhaps feel a bit “cliquey”, as the bond with others in your EC(s) can be quite strong. My’s S’s club is a really tight group - but S (who is also a bit of an introvert) has plenty of friends outside of the club as well. Elon has close to 6000 students. If you are attracted to Elon because of what it has to offer both inside and outside the classroom, and you take initiative to explore opportunities and get involved, then you too will find your niche. </p>
<p>Kind of ironic how you have heard complaints that Elon kids are “judgmental” - from people who are themselves putting their own judgements on Elon! 
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<p>@yaupon I have, but it was over the summer when school was not in session so it was hard to get a feel for the type of students there. I also live in Massachusetts, which makes it hard to visit during the school year.</p>
<p>@Embracethemess @danfargo thanks for the replies, you’ve eased my mind about Elon quite a bit, thank you!</p>
<p>Nah, that’s the stereotype that I heard before coming to Elon, as well. I am currently a freshman, and although maybe half of the student population fits that mold, there is still is a whole other half that is nothing like that.
I am not rushing, nor do I drink, so we have that in common. I still love Elon socially! There’s a student organization called SUB that holds alternative events Thursday-Saturday, like comedians, a cappella groups, magicians etc. so those are fun to go to. Even if a lot of people around you are going out to parties, it’s all about finding your own friend group that has the same perspective on that as you. A lot of people on my floor go out on the weekends, but I made a few good friends that aren’t crazy partiers, and we stay in and go to the SUB events, and have our own movie and game nights pretty often.
In terms of just the typical Elon student, I’d say there are a lot of down to earth, outgoing, friendly people. There have been very few times someone hasn’t held the door for me, and I think that’s so nice, coming from up north where people let doors just slam closed in your face. Most people care about their grades, and work really hard, striving towards As.
I think if you go around looking for people that meet the Elon stereotype, you can definitely find them. There 's definitely a handful of people who go around, in their fancy name brand Hunter or Tori Burch boots and who show how much money they have. But there are also some really amazing people that I’ve come to meet that don’t meet that Elon mold at all. I have met some diverse international students that are really cool, and other people from all over the country that aren’t pretentious at all. And the Elon environment itself is pretty accepting. I’ve not felt the need to change who I am at all, and have made friends just fine. All the people I have met are very accepting of other races, those of other socioeconomic statuses, gender affiliations etc. </p>
<p>@danceNprance Thanks so much! I think I do too much searching around on College Niche where no one ever has anything nice to say hahaha</p>
<p>@aaronashley yeah haha I did the same thing!! I was really scared about Elon since some of the negative things I’d read on Niche, but upon coming to Elon realized that most of the reviews are just generalizations and aren’t even that true. Try not to let the reviews sway you too much, since I knocked Elon off my list originally due to all the things I’d read. SO glad I changed my mind and chose Elon, though; definitely only take the reviews with a grain of salt. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions! </p>
My daughter is a sophomore at Elon. I was initially worried about that stereotype as well, as we are Midwestern, from a small town and very middle class. Don’t worry, there is room for all types at Elon. Our daughter is extremely happy there and says she would choose it again a hundred times over.
There is no question that there is a lot of money at Elon (more than most campuses I think), but it’s not everyone, students are friendly & happy, and she has made so many friends, none of whom seem to care that she doesn’t wear designer brands or conform to the social “norms” of drinking, hooking up etc. They are very willing to accept her for who she is. My daughter’s group consists of girls who drink, and those who don’t. They all have a great time and she has never felt pressured or ostracized because of it.
Like any college campus, the culture there is a party culture. The only way I’ve seen to really avoid that is at a Christian campus (of which there are many good ones). You can either find alternatives to the parties, or you can go as a way to meet people without partying yourself. My advice would be to get involved in campus organizations early so that you meet a lot of different people and find your niche; it’s definitely there, though it might not jump out at you.
As far as Greek life goes, my daughter rushed but chose not to pledge. She just didn’t think Greek life was for her, but she has friends in every sorority (who also, by the way, all have friends in other sororities too). She has never regretted the decision not to go Greek and is active in several campus organizations that she loves.
I highly recommend an extended visit – overnight if you can. Go to dining halls, student union and the library and just see what the “vibe” is. Hang out there, talk to students. That will give you a pretty good idea.
Feel free to PM me if you want some more details or have any questions. I’ll try to answer them as honestly as I can.
Good luck!
thank you so much for the reply @Supruwoman and evryone else, you’ve been so helpful!