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I'm looking at a couple of schools where the guidebooks say about 20% of the students belong to a fraternity or sorority. (I'm a guy.) Anyone know how that percent translates into how dominant frats are as far as having a social life? I'm not opposed to frats, I just want to be sure I have non-frat options if I end up at one of those schools.

By Dave Berry on Monday, September 03, 2001 - 01:31 pm: Edit

In looking at the numbers, Hoopster, I'd say that GDIs (Gull-Darned Independents) have the upper hand over frat types on these campuses. (Or is that "campi"? I can never remember.) There are plenty of other schools where the percentage of frat-sorority participation is much higher.

Another way of looking at those numbers is that only one out of five students is involved in frat-sorority activities. That is, four out of five are independents--80%. That's impressive.

I don't think you're going to have a hard time finding non-frat-related stuff to do at any of these places. Besides, if the independent life ever gets a little dull, you can always drop in on a frat party to liven things up a bit. Bottom line: It appears that your potential candidate schools aren't Animal House role models, by any stretch.

By Hoopster on Wednesday, September 05, 2001 - 10:24 pm: Edit

Thanks, Dave. What would a percentage be at a campus where frats DO dominate social life? Is there any kind of rule of thumb?

By Dave Berry on Thursday, September 06, 2001 - 07:42 am: Edit

I'm not aware of any "hard" data on those percentages, but my educated guess would be that as you near the 40-50% range, things could become pretty "fratty," to coin a weird word. In math terms, once you pass the 33% mark for student-body Greek participation, "frattiness" increases exponentially. If the rate passes 50%, I'd say frat domination would become VERY clear.

Bottom line (as always for these kinds of student-life issues): Ask some students who go to these schools. Go to the student pages of the schools' Web sites (if they have student pages) and e-mail some likely suspects. I'd be surprised of you didn't hear back from all of them.

By Hoopster on Friday, September 07, 2001 - 01:18 pm: Edit

Good suggestions, thanks!

By Hoopster on Monday, September 10, 2001 - 09:25 am: Edit

By the way, did Dartmouth decide to dump frats? I heard they were considering that. Would the alumni let them?

By Dave Berry on Monday, September 10, 2001 - 07:26 pm: Edit

Apparently, frats still live at Big Green, but they need some improved PR. Read all about it here.

By Dave Berry on Saturday, September 22, 2001 - 05:52 pm: Edit

If you're into statistics, Hoopster, you may be interested in seeing which college student bodies have the highest percentages of students belonging to frats and soroities. Check U.S. News stats for fraternity membership and sorority membership. This is very handy information.

By Hoopster on Sunday, September 23, 2001 - 01:57 pm: Edit

Great links, Dave, thanks! Pretty amazing that some schools are almost 80% Greek! I guess that would be an example of "Greek-dominated social scene". I was kind of surprised to see a heavy-duty tech school like Rose Hulman on the top 50 list. Greek geeks, I guess. :-)

By Dadster on Tuesday, October 02, 2001 - 06:26 pm: Edit

The percentage is a pretty good indicator of Greek domination of the social scene, but probably not the only one. This subject would be a good one to discuss while visiting the campus and talking to students. While on campus, the bulletin boards may give some indications, too - if you are approaching a weekend, look for announcements of social activities and try to get a flavor for what options might be available.

By anonomom on Wednesday, October 10, 2001 - 04:51 pm: Edit

We were at a friend's house last weekend and someone in another room was watching a video of the movie Animal House. I paused in the doorway and watched the scene where Otis Day and the Knights were playing at the Toga Party. I had to wonder if that's really the way fraternity parties are. Do any of you have first-hand experience with that--not Otis Day but the wild partying?

By Dadster on Thursday, October 11, 2001 - 09:17 am: Edit

Hi, anonamom. Certainly SOME parties at SOME frats on SOME campuses can get pretty wild. Increasingly, schools are trying to establish a bit more control over frats to avoid unpleasantness like sexual assault charges, alcohol-related injuries and deaths, etc. This is far more true at some campuses than others.

I wouldn't generalize - you need to check on both the campus Greek environment and the individual house reputation to know where it lands on the Animal House scale.

By Domer97 on Friday, October 19, 2001 - 10:12 am: Edit

I couldn't tell from your post, anonomom, do you think wild partying is a good thing or a bad thing?

By G. Dolianis on Saturday, December 08, 2001 - 08:04 pm: Edit

I got a chuckle from the Princeton Review parents board today. There's one thread entitled "Quality colleges where is life not dominated by Greeks?" Someone then posted a second thread, "Quality colleges where is life not dominated by Romans?" Ya gotta love what registration has done for those PR forums.

By Dadster on Monday, December 10, 2001 - 10:05 am: Edit

"Quality colleges where life is not dominated by Greeks?" Seems like that would be a longer list than "Quality colleges where life IS dominated by Greeks..."

By collegelooker on Monday, June 24, 2002 - 02:39 pm: Edit

what exactly is Greek Life? isn't it just another word for drinking?

By Dadster on Tuesday, July 09, 2002 - 09:15 pm: Edit

I suppose some fraternity and sorority members might disagree with the "just drinking" part, CL. While some frats still may follow the Animal House model, lots have plenty of other activities and some are even trying to de-emphasize the drinking part.

By justamom on Tuesday, October 01, 2002 - 01:56 am: Edit

The problem is that MOST of the frats and sororities in this country are all about drinking and loose sex. That's just a fact. Take a look at the party scene they put on tv over the spring breaks. That's what is going on at most schools in most of the Greek organizations. No matter how hard they try to say they don't, it's the truth. Believe me, I know. It's been a problem for years, but now with all the drugs on campuses-the problem is out of control.

By Iggy on Wednesday, October 02, 2002 - 08:47 pm: Edit

Justamom, I think you may be overstating the situation a bit. Sure, there are animal house type frats, but the greek orgs do a lot of good, too - service, study help, etc.

By aga on Saturday, October 05, 2002 - 01:54 am: Edit

frats scare me because im afraid ill be stuck with a bunch of weirdos who dont want to do anything except drink.....

maybe it's my imagination...

By JoMamma on Thursday, October 24, 2002 - 12:43 pm: Edit

That's exactly why you go and meet the members of the FRATERNITY (not "frat") or sorority. When you decide to make new friends, you don't just randomly pick them. You find people who's interests are similiar to yours. If you do get "stuck with a bunch of weirdos who dont want to do anything except drink..." that's your own fault for not considering how each group is.

By SigEp Brother on Saturday, December 14, 2002 - 07:44 pm: Edit

You know what, most of you have no idea what you're talking about, and those of you who do are only focussing on the bad side of greek like. And, NO, greek life is not a synonym for drinking. I've been a SigEp for a while now, and I have never made a better decision in my life. Sure, we like to have a good time every now and then, but our lives are certainly not dominated by drinking. And what's wrong with having more than one sexual partner, as long as you're safe and get tested regularly, I don't see it being a problem. I love sex, and greeks aren't the only ones who do.

By Anna Banana on Wednesday, December 25, 2002 - 12:07 am: Edit

I was recently accepted to the University of Pennsylvania, but I've heard that in order to have a social life, you need to be a part of the greek life. Should i consider pledging for a sorority?

By josh barns on Thursday, December 26, 2002 - 03:34 am: Edit

i go to jmu which is about 15% greek or so. i am not involved in greek life, nor do i feel it dominates my school at all. at first i was skeptical myself about greek life, and while i still will not join, i think justamom is way off. frats and sororities do far more than throw parties and have orgies. i've had nothing but pleasant experiences with those involved in greek life

By GreekGoddess on Friday, January 03, 2003 - 02:33 pm: Edit

--Anna Banana... If your school has a Formal Recruitment program (most do) go to that, and meet members of many organizations. In the end, though, it is all up to you. I never thought I would end up in a Sorority, but I've been a sister for almost a year now, and I love it. Just make sure the group you pledge is a recognized sorority. otherwise, the school isnt responsible for them, and you may encounter hazing. Good Luck!

By Greekgoddess (Greekgoddess) on Friday, January 03, 2003 - 03:20 pm: Edit

Greek Life was not what I expected it to be when I first came to school. It was so much BETTER!

By iamgod on Saturday, January 04, 2003 - 02:37 am: Edit

percentages dont really tell the full story, so dont focus on them. for example, alabama doesnt have a huge percentage going greek, but the social life is dominated by the greek system. many schools that have higher percentages for greeks are not as dominated by the greek system, as ppl who are in frats/sororities still associate with those not in them, etc. so you cant really judge these things based on stats. the best thing to do is visit the school and survey students on the effect they believe greek has on the schools social scene

By Sonicbill1 (Sonicbill1) on Thursday, January 09, 2003 - 02:00 am: Edit

I believe the Barron's Guide to Colleges list frat percentages. They used to at least when I went to college.

By gcjustamom on Friday, January 10, 2003 - 08:51 am: Edit

Just to keep things clear-I am an active member on Greek Chat. My sig is justamom. This forum was mentioned to me and I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not the same person as the previous poster. I do NOT hold the same point of view. We have people from GC who visit this site. I would hate for them to get the wrong impression. I appreciate the opportunity to post this.

By Lonewolf (Lonewolf) on Thursday, February 06, 2003 - 06:43 pm: Edit

"The problem is that MOST of the frats and sororities in this country are all about drinking and loose sex." NO, they are not. In fact, most of them DISCOURAGE the wild parties and the loose sex. Sure, they throw parties every now and then, and sure, there may be sex involved, but most "frats" are not about the sex and booze. Instead, they have other alternatives to the parties, if you do not wish to attend. Another thing, why do you refer to them as "frats?" That kind of gives a negative connotation to the whole Greek life system. (I am using the experiences I have encountered at the colleges I have visited, which was a great number, just to clarify.)

By Nick on Saturday, February 15, 2003 - 05:32 am: Edit

I go to school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign which has one of the highest percentages of the student body in the greek system. Personally I can't tell the difference between an alpha from my elbow...they all seem the same to me. Never understood what bonded people like that together. I think it was one offered a kegger of heineken over guiness. Oh yeah one question why the •••• do frats have sweathearts?

By Sigepserg (Sigepserg) on Sunday, March 23, 2003 - 02:29 pm: Edit

I've read a few of the postings on this page, and I must say, people have some interesting opinions of Greek Life having never been in it. I, like "SigEp Brother", am also a SigEp, and I, like him, feel its the best decision I made in my whole college career. My grades improved exponentially since joining, I've met some of the best people in my life while a brother, and I've never felt as much direction and purpose in my endeavors. Granted, we are SOCIAL groups, and by nature, we do a lot of SOCIAL events, but that isnt a euphemism for orgies and drinking til you puke. We aim at making ourselves better men, and that is what our experience is supposed to help us do. It's difficult sometimes to look beyond the hype and media propoganda that gives fraternitites the reputation which they suffer from, but if you're really curious, go out and rush. You may find yourself suprised as to how many misconceptions you have had about Greek Life. Again, my experience is with my Fraternity alone. We are the biggest in the nation, and I consider us the best. But for the most part, Fraternities are constructive groups, and our members have been the backbone of Business, Politics, Media, and several other areas of life. Oh yeah, in my chapter of SigEp, we never refer to ourselves as a "frat", or as "frat boys". That term refers to the type of organization that some of you describe...irresponsible, reckless, and without purpose. We dont call our Fraternity a "frat", just as you would not call your country a "cont"(replace "o" with "u"). Thats all I got.

By Kappablonde (Kappablonde) on Sunday, February 01, 2004 - 03:18 am: Edit

As a member of a very prestigious national sorority. I am saddened to see that many people still base their decisions on greek life by stereotypes set by movies.

I have been a sister now for almost a year, and like the SigEps on this message board. I wouldn't trade my sisterhood for the world. The university I attend has a very strong greek life which promotes strong character not drinking and "loose sex." I admit, when I had talked to my mother about pledging she was concerned about the same issues because she was never involved in greek life....

All of the sorority houses at our school are dry (aka. no alcohol containers, empty or full, are allowed on the premises)and a few of the fraternity houses are as well. Each chapter is actively involved in their community, many hosting an annual philanthropic event that the other sororities and fraternities on campus participate in. We ARE social groups and we do participate in many social events but this by NO means equals endless nights of booze and "loose sex."

The only way to decide if greek life is right for you is to go through rush, meet the brothers and sisters of these fine oranizations and make a decision for yourself.

By Senatorjeffhill (Senatorjeffhill) on Sunday, February 08, 2004 - 02:29 pm: Edit

Thanks Kappablonde and others that defended greek life here. I can't believe the silliness of some of the people and their misconceptions. Sure you hear stuff on the news occasionally of a hazing or a party that went out of control or whatever but its not the norm by any means. Greeks do so much--like philantrhopy! I bet none of the nay-sayers knew that! How about school spirit? My last school was UH where the ONLY TRUE school spirit came from fraternities, sororities, student government, and dedicated alumni groups. My current school is about to get a big boost of school spirit when a greek system goes into place here, hopefully by fall. The friendships and camaraderie are great. When I pledged, we had mandatory study sessions. I sure am tired of all the sterotyping.

a D-Chi

By Kantgitrite101 (Kantgitrite101) on Thursday, July 15, 2004 - 12:07 am: Edit

The main problem is that many of the things that make a fraternity different from non greeks are the things that are only done and known about by the brotherhood. That's why a lot of people only know about the parties, because that's all that they are invited to. We had a huge debate within my frat recently because of things that were being said about us on campus. It turned out that the people that we saying "all they ever do is sit around and drink and smoke pot" were the people that we would NEVER invite to one of our parties or really ever speak to. But these people got to some of our brothers and really started a lot of junk basically becasue they were jealous.