UC Berkeley Greek Life

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

I was waitlisted by Cal; however, I found myself enjoying passing the time by looking at courses, student organizations and just overall student life at Cal (I know, I’m getting my hopes up through this, but I have to admit that I am thoroughly enjoying and am very excited at the prospect of joining the Cal class of 2021!)

Anyways, because I know that Cal is a very large school with many people, and because I am a rather introverted person (I only have like 1 close friend in high school), I really want to step outside of my comfort zone and socialized and meet with many different people. I know that Cal has many different clubs and student organizations, but I thought that rushing for a greek sorority may be a nice option to meet and befriend many new people, as well as attend many social events throughout the years.

Since there were not many threads on CC about Cal’s Greek Life, I wanted to learn more about Cal’s Greek Life (ie. Rushing Process, Pricing, Pros/Cons, Reputation, General Thoughts on the different sororities or people who join sororities/Greek life). Also, i know that Greek life is really big at UCLA, but I wasn’t sure if it’s the same at Cal.

Finally, I just want to say that I am a rather progressive person; however, I am not a big drinker nor would I like to experiment or use drugs. If I were to join Greek life, would I be peer pressured into doing such activities?

Sorry for the long post in advance. & Thank you for any responses :slight_smile:

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I think taking the leap from having one close friend in HS to going full Greek will be like being a non-swimmer throwing yourself into the North Sea. You will meet people:

  • in your dorm (roommates, floormates, organized activities)
  • in your classes (it could happen!)
  • in study groups (smaller)
  • in clubs, DeCals, etc.

Also, if you aren’t a big partier, you may not be pressured but will most likely feel a bit alienated in many traditional Greek organizations. D (an introvert herself) was a witness to the first week of Greek life as it unfolded near her unit - drunk girls falling down in the streets and ambulances, daily. Also, as a self-described introvert, a lot of socializing can probably be exhausting for you. You will want to have some measure of control over how much of that you do; it may be tough to do with the expectations of a sorority.