<p>So, I've been accepted to UVA for fall 2012. I'm strongly considering coming, mostly because it seems to offer a really well-rounded experince with the academics and social life and what not. But here's my dilemma: I have always gone to super small schools (my high school graduating class is 80) and I'm not sure how I would fare in an environment with 4000 freshman. I thought maybe I would like to rush/pledge to meet more people. But I'm a fairly low maintenance person, care deeply about school, accepted as an Echols Scholar and maybe a little off-kilter. So, basically my question is:
Are there some pretty 'relaxed' sororities at UVA and how open minded and accepting are they?
Thanks!</p>
<p>My D sounds similar to you. She’s also an Echols scholar and very focused on academics. She, too, chose UVA (OOS) because of the balance, school spirit, and overall vibe. She had always wanted to be in a sorority which actually tipped UVa over others that didn’t have sororities or where the Greek system was small. She went through recruitment last winter (UVa has deferred rush). There are 16 sororities, and the process lasts about 9 days. the process can be intense for some but not for others. She ultimately preffed a more laid back group that is very, very involved on a philanthropic level and has a close sisterhood. It’s been a fun experience but has been somewhat time-consuming. I think sororities are really what the girls make of them. If you invest time and energy, you’ll probably find it fulfilling. If you go sporadically to events, it may not seem like it’s worth the money. Bear in mind, you can always drop out of recruitment if you discover it’s not your thing or deactivate for a term if it becomes too much. BTW…She went to a K-12 private prep and her senior class had 86 graduates. She was concerned about the size as well. In fact, she cut UNC honors because it was the largest of the schools she had been accepted to. Thus far, the size of UVA has not been an issue. Good luck!</p>
<p>I’ve found that for the most part, the sorority reputations don’t mean much, because every single one has different types of girls. Rush is a great opportunity to find out where you best fit, but I have no doubt that at least one will have what you’re looking for.</p>
<p>Fraternities and sororities are one way to forge a smaller, more intimate community within a larger one, but there are other avenues as well. Check out UVA’s several residential colleges, each of which has a distinctive mission and reputation. Clubs and activities will introduce you to people who share your extracurricular interests.</p>
<p>EP, if you step back I think you’ll see your post made a very unfair generalization. My student is considering Greek life and would pay for it from summer jobs, as many of his friends do.</p>
<p>okay, maybe it’s a little unfair; still for that to happen it means the parents are rich enough to pay for the kid’s rent and tuition such that $1200 from summer jobs can be freely spent on admission to a single organisation. $1200 is a lot of money. Think of how much capital could be injected to fledgling but innovative student projects.</p>
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<p>it’s smaller than you think, really, especially once you settle into your niche. Intramural sports, close-knit volunteering, and residential colleges can forge very close circles.</p>
<p>btw, I think according to legislation it’ll be 4000+ once you graduate. It isn’t shooting from 3200 to 4200 overnight.</p>
<p>H1~ As I am sure you have heard before you can make a large school feel smaller but not a small feel bigger. I believe that UVa has enough to offer for you to make your own niche.The groups whether Greek or not are many and varied. Congratulations on the Echols!
EP~The way people decide to spend their money is no one’s concern as long as you do not have to pay their bills.</p>
<p>H1- let me also offer my congratulations on your admission. D1 is a member of a sorority at UVA and I can honestly say as a parent who encouraged her to rush and full supports the Greek system, it has been a wonderful experience. D2 has also been accepted UVA and is looking forward to having a similar experience. Each sorority is different and if you go into the process with an open mind you will find a house full of girls who will “fit” with.
Don’t get hung up on cost and prejudge the process (and no EP we didn’t and certainly couldn’t fathom sending our children to a 40k/yr nursery school). Each sorority has a different cost some are expensive others such as D1’s are not (it’s less than 1200 BTW). If you go to UVA get involved first semester on grounds in some student run groups meet sorority girls in those organizations and then determine if participating in rush and perhaps pledging is right for you. Good Luck!</p>
<p>It is of public concern if it creates a culture of privilege on Grounds hostile to low-income students.</p>
<p>That said I do have Greek friends/acquaintances, but I only know one out of dozens who impressed me with a sense of intellectual passion, camaraderie, warmth/candor, genuinity and the like; the rest are – how shall I put it – “fronters” or “fakers”. In contrast, I can ascribe all those values to many many friends outside the Greek system across a variety of organisations.</p>
<p>Of course this is only my experience, it may not be representative.</p>
<p>Then there are the secret societies, which have strong ties to the Greek system. One friend I knew was embittered against them, but that was before he was invited to one. Some members’ memberships are “open secrets”, especially when said secret society barges into a cultural org’s rehearsal and ceremonially inducts their new member in front of everyone and makes her chug a strong hard mix of some sort.</p>
<p>Of course if you rush and you really think going Greek is your cup of tea, then by all means do it. But there are many alternatives!</p>
<p>H1- best advice you can get here is go to UVA meet students in lots of organizations and you will find the right group of friends for you both in and out of the Greek system. They are not mutually exclusive.</p>
<p>EP- sorry you are so cynical about people who are Greek </p>
<p>And again I feel the need to point out do not assume EVERY Greek organization is expensive and every “non-Greek” organization is inexpensive and that EVERYONE who is Greek is wealthy and everyone else isn’t that’s just not true.</p>
<p>Blanket generalizations do no one any good.</p>
<p>The Greek system really isn’t hostile to low-income students. Sororities have different payment plans available to students who may not be able to pay dues in one payment, and there are scholarships available to high achieving sorority members. My parents aren’t paying for my tuition because they simply can’t afford to, I’m paying my way and I pay my dues too.</p>
<p>There are “alternatives” to Greek life in the way that there are alternatives to sports and honor societies. Each one appeals to a different person. I don’t really consider my sorority an alternative to playing a sport because it’s not the same thing. I wanted to shrink the school and meet girls in different programs with different interests - people I wouldn’t necessarily have met otherwise, but who now have our philanthropy and our sisterhood in common.</p>
<p>As a past greek, frat not sorority, I can tell you that college offers a vastly different experience than high school. My experience is that in college, family money means little to the relationships forged in college, or to anyone for that matter. Reason is…no one knows who your parents are and they do not exert any influence on campus (very rare celebrity kid being the one exception). </p>
<p>Everyone is kind of on the same level. Of course, there is a big difference between frats and sororities in terms of the interpersonal relationships…but that is a guy/girl thing.</p>
<p>hi h1lbert~
my daughter is a very happy and successful graduate of UVA. she now excels in her PhD program. she sounds very much like you, and after some “rushing” decided against it, in part by the huge cost(which they never answered her about when asked) and in part because she didn’t like the “image” of being a sorority member. she had many friends and many , many great times(ha, maybe too many from a mom?) and had all the fun of fraternity parties as well. she is now with one of those “frat” guys.</p>
<p>As far as costs, the average cost of a non-1% fraternity is offset by the lower costs of food and housing. In addition the activities provided by the fraternity have market value. I have no idea what the costs of a sorority are like. My guess is, for few sororities, if you have to ask the cost, they may disqualify you.</p>
<p>At a certain point in the recruitment rounds costs are provided, in writing, to each PNM. You know exactly what you are responsible for and what the fees cover. Every sorority is required as part of the recruitment process to disclose this information. In the fall, the ISC will have some informational events about the recruitment process and that would be a good place to obtain some information. Each house has a different character; go into recruitment with an open mind and you may be surprised at what you find.</p>
But there are many alternatives!</p>