I was just accepted to Ole Miss as a Psychology major for the fall of 2018. I would just like to hear some feedback from current students, alums, or anyone for that matter concerning what Ole Miss is actually like. And what I should expect upon enrolling. I am an African-American female from Wisconsin, and I’ve obviously done some prior research and came across the racist stereotypes as well as the stereotype of northerners not fitting in. I’m aware that there are race issues at any and every college, but I would just like some further clarification. I do have roots in Mississippi being that my family is originally from there, and my Dad even attended college in Holly Springs. I plan on joining a panhellenic sorority, and in that category I would also like to know what to expect. I can say that I’m very outgoing, and open to anyone that I come into contact with. I also have a very diverse friend group. I would appreciate any feedback that I receive, because it could potentially determine whether or not I will commit.
So, as you state, there are issues with race at many colleges and universities. I wouldn’t allow that to stop me from exploring. I’ve said this on here many times, you should visit the campus for yourself to get the best sense. During the 2016-2017 academic year, the Ole Miss student body president was an African-American male. Miss Ole Miss was an African American, non greek female in the engineering school, and our Miss University pageant winner was an African American female who represented the university at Miss Mississippi. I say these things to let you know that there is space for black students on campus.
If you are outgoing and interested in getting involved, you will have a good experience as students who become active in campus life tend to have better experiences. I would encourage you to research the greek organizations you are interested in. Currently, Phi Mu has an African American president, but the population of black students in IFC and NPC organizations is small. By the same token, the percentage of non-black students is very small.
As you probably know, Ole Miss has students from all over the country. For the past few years, the freshman classes have been nearly 50/50 in-state out of state.
https://news.olemiss.edu/um-welcomes-accomplished-freshmen-class-ever/
Hope this helps. Again, set up a visit when you can to see the campus and interact with its people for yourself!
Thank you! Your feedback was really helpful. I plan on doing more research as well as visiting the campus to get a better feel of what student life is actually like.
" I plan on joining a panhellenic sorority, and in that category I would also like to know what to expect."
Rush at Old Miss has been described as one of the most brutal in the country. My daughter just went through rush at a Big Ten school, and it was very competitive even at her school. I went to a Big Ten school where Greek did not dominate the social scene and I did not pursue that avenue. Watching my daughter go through rush was a complete eye-opener for me. And just to give you a heads-up- that phrase- “its a mutual selection process” is not really true. The rushee has very little say; they pick you.
Even at Big Ten schools, I think there is racial discrimination inherent in the Greek organization. Sometimes it can be unintended. They look for people that will be a good fit in their sorority/ frat. “Good fit” tends to mean they are just like the person who is interviewing them. So, I think racism occurs at minimum as an unintended and institutionalized by-product. My daughter is 1/2 Asian and i do think she faced a little bit of racism. She has some very good-looking minority friends that dropped out because they were cut from all houses except the very bottom two. I am not a big fan of the concept Greek life due to its exclusivity. And although I am white, my opinion is that the selection process emphasizes the very opposite of diversity.
But that’s just my opinion. If you want to proceed with trying Rush, please note that you need letters of recommendation for every sorority chapter at that school. Without these, you will get cut at any of the SEC schools after the first day. I know someone who rushed successfully at Alabama and she posted on her facebook that she needed letters and specified what chapters she needed letters from. The letters should be turned in early or may get over-looked. It seemed to work for her. My understanding is that sororities cost approx $4K per year at Mississippi for the mandatory dues and meal plan. Living-in would be extra. You will need to find out what type of outfit to wear each day of rush and get your wardrobe together ahead of time. Sororities like to recruit good-looking, well-dressed, well-spoken young women who have GOOD GPAs. GPA and activities are really important. Check pinterest under search terms “Panhellenic, Sorority. University of Mississippi” linked with each rush day (for example- “Values Day”) to get an idea of what you need to wear for each day. The Greekchat website people might be able to give you more advice (but I think they are rude over there). Greekrank website will give you an idea of what (some pretty immature) people think of the different chapters.
IF you decide Panhellenic Greek is not for you, you can try the other sororities and/ or professional fraternities. At such a large school, there must be tons of clubs and activities. Research these before you start and try to figure out a schedule of when their first meetings are. My daughter joined pre-professional club, dance team (club), running club, and did a short study abroad. She met and made friends with a lot of people with these activities. She also intends to take a class teaching how to sail and looks forward to the end of the semester weekend sailing retreat. Ski Club is very popular and they keep the cost down by sharing rooms during ski trips.
I think finding an environment that you like is important and will increase the chances of success in college.
You are already taking measures to ensure that things go well for you- so kudos to you for thinking things out and planning in advance. I am sure you will do well in college. Although nothing is ideal, I would encourage you to keep doing research and then rank attributes of the colleges you are looking at to see what attributes are most important to you.