Secret Societies - Eating Clubs, Finals Clubs etc. at Elite Universities.?

[Anonymous]

An anonymous forum seems the perfect place to ask this question. What is their purpose? What is their future? How do other students not selected feel about their presence on campus?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An anonymous forum seems the perfect place to ask this question. What is their purpose? What is their future? How do other students not selected feel about their presence on campus?

In bad places and times, they do bad things.

In good times, they exist to be fun and help people network. I think they come off as sort of cute but silly. As long as the people in them are pleasant.

[Anonymous]

They cost extra money to join. That may be common knowledge but as an immigrant I wasn’t aware that frats/sororities costed extra either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:An anonymous forum seems the perfect place to ask this question. What is their purpose? What is their future? How do other students not selected feel about their presence on campus?

Eating clubs at Princeton and finals clubs at Harvard are social clubs similar to Greek life. Secret societies seem more old money.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations if you got into Princeton, Harvard and UVA. If you are trying to make a decision, these clubs are trivial, go to Harvard or Princeton.

[Anonymous]

The tattooing, branding and other hazing-like stuff in secret societies is really freaky… not in a good way.

[Anonymous]

There were secret societies at Duke. Their initiations were weird, silent processions around campus. It was the wealthy kids who were the obvious members, and since I was on 95% financial aid, I wasn't part of it. Without the public initiations, I wouldn't have known they existed, and it made no difference to me.

[Anonymous]

Do they use Mary Poppins umbrellas?

[Anonymous]

we heard there is one at w&m too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:we heard there is one at w&m too

Several.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:An anonymous forum seems the perfect place to ask this question. What is their purpose? What is their future? How do other students not selected feel about their presence on campus?

Eating clubs at Princeton and finals clubs at Harvard are social clubs similar to Greek life. Secret societies seem more old money.

The eating clubs at Harvard and UVA are exactly that - social -and date back to a time when young men arrived to campus and had to find lodgings and eating clubs because there were no dorms yet. The Secret Societies at UVA are mostly philanthropic. It is an honor to be tapped for one but expect a lifetime if philanthropic giving to the University and Charlottesville. Read Secret Societies at the University of Virginia in wiki. They are to be distinguished fro. The data. You don’t ask to belong -they pick you. And you never disclose you are a member which is the point of philanthropy. They are a cherished and unique part of UVA history.

[Anonymous]

“To be distinguished from the frats”

[Anonymous]

From Brown's Naked Donut Run and Princeton's Nude Olympics there is some weird association between nudity and the Ivies. Can someone explain?

[Anonymous]

I went to a high school with secret societies and connections to Yale’s secret societies in particular. I’m not from a rich enough family to have been recruited into it and it made zero difference for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a high school with secret societies and connections to Yale’s secret societies in particular. I’m not from a rich enough family to have been recruited into it and it made zero difference for me.

And?