UIUC or University of Michigan? decision.

[lesdiablesbleus]

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@Alexandre

LDB, I went to Michigan, so I obviously know what I am talking about. Michigan does not have a Greek-centric social structure, even for freshmen seeking an active party life. Like I said, only 15% of students are greek. There are many alternatives to fraternities, from bars and clubs to house parties and pre-game parties (such as tailgating etc…). Some universities have a much heavier reliance on the greek scene. Schools like Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Northwestern and UVa, where over 25% of the students belong to a fraternity or sorority. That is not the case at Michigan.

Great, I went to a top public high school in Michigan, have over a hundred current friends at UofM and have been to AA dozens of times in the past couple of years so I have a pretty good idea of what I’m talking about. Even if 15% of students are Greek, that doesn’t mean a much larger number than that don’t actually attend fraternity parties, sorority mixers, Greek philanthropy events, tailgates, etc. etc. There isn’t some sort of magical divide that separates the people that attend apartment/house parties and frat parties. People who are social and go out on the weekends will end up going to a good mix of both during their 4 years of college. Freshmen can’t get into clubs or bars typically because they are underage and don’t really know any upperclassmen at first so they’re not going to be able to go to smaller gatherings that happen in apartments. Especially in the Fall starting with Welcome Week, most extroverted freshmen will head out to the frats on State Street with their friends.</p>

<p>There isn’t a perfect correlation between the strength of Greek Life at a university and the prominence of its party/social life. Georgetown doesn’t have fraternities, for instance, but it still has a pretty good social scene.</p>

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@Alexandre

But typically, those concerned about a Greek-heavy campus are seeking a social culture that does not involve too much partying, and that is where Michigan excels.

Students would be ill-advised to turn down Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Northwestern, etc. because they have a high percentage of students involved in Greek Life. The Greek system carries a strong stigma among those who were never involved it but studies show that Greeks in college are more academically successful, social and loyal to their alma mater than non-Greeks. At schools like Dartmouth and Duke, the Greek scene is very open and there is an organization that fits almost any type of individual’s personality.</p>

<p>I think that current students would object to your description of Michigan as not being “too much partying” focused in comparison to higher ranked private schools. Most Wolverines revel in the fact that their school has a better party scene than the Ivies and other good private schools. In fact, a classmate of mine from high school who turned down MIT for Michigan did so for that exact reason so I don’t think you should be downplaying that aspect of the institution.;)</p>

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@Alexandre

I never belonged to a fraternity while in college and I had fun from the moment I arrived on campus.

Sure, I don’t doubt that. Although like I said, the vast majority students will attend fraternity parties with some regularity at one point or another so Greek Life impacts the school in a much larger manner than you indicate which is not a bad thing.</p>