Schools without Fraternities

[Anonymous]

My son is looking for schools anywhere in the U.S. without fraternities. He is very bright but said the drinking culture makes him feel uncomfortable (that's a good thing since he comes with a family history of alcoholism). He is looking for a school with a residential system where he can meet and make friends with lots of people from different cultures/places. He is thinking of engineering or computer science as a major. He is a sophomore but gets excellent grades (all As and one B thus far in HS). Need based financial aid is a huge consideration since I'm a single parent and don't make much $$ (around $70K/year). TIA!

[Anonymous]

USNA

[Anonymous]

University of Chicago. The Citadel.

Don't necessarily equate the mere existence of fraternities with a drinking-heavy college culture. In some schools with fraternities, the fraternities are a very small part of the college social scene and DS would be able to avoid them quite easily. It is a college-by-college thing. All that aside, I was in a fraternity in college and we drank like fish.

[Anonymous]

Most big state schools have frats, but you can easily ignore them.

I went to a big football school, hung out with like-minded nerdy/creative types and graduated without giving the Greeks any thought.

[Anonymous]

You can do a Super Search on Naviance and eliminate schools with Greek life. Many LACs have little or no Greeks - ie: Williams, Amherst, Carleton, Swarthmore. Caltech & Franklin Olin are 2 STEM schools.

[Anonymous]

Jesuit schools.
Clemson's frat scene isn't that big, and engineering students aren't typically a part of it.

[Anonymous]

Bates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can do a Super Search on Naviance and eliminate schools with Greek life. Many LACs have little or no Greeks - ie: Williams, Amherst, Carleton, Swarthmore. Caltech & Franklin Olin are 2 STEM schools.

Most LACs have plenty of booze flowing. As with any college search, visits and talks with current students are very important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bates

But I'm imagining there's a lot of drinking? Maine winters are cold, dark, and long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can do a Super Search on Naviance and eliminate schools with Greek life. Many LACs have little or no Greeks - ie: Williams, Amherst, Carleton, Swarthmore. Caltech & Franklin Olin are 2 STEM schools.

Most LACs have plenty of booze flowing. As with any college search, visits and talks with current students are very important.

Correct. He won't avoid a drinking culture just by avoiding a school with a Greek system.

[Anonymous]

Connecticut College

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can do a Super Search on Naviance and eliminate schools with Greek life. Many LACs have little or no Greeks - ie: Williams, Amherst, Carleton, Swarthmore. Caltech & Franklin Olin are 2 STEM schools.

Most LACs have plenty of booze flowing. As with any college search, visits and talks with current students are very important.

Correct. He won't avoid a drinking culture just by avoiding a school with a Greek system.

Very true. I went to Boston College, no Greek system and in a very fun and happening city (so the "they drink because there's nothing else to do" that's often used for the LACs doesn't apply), and there was still a pretty darn big drinking/party culture...

[Anonymous]

How about Rice? My neighbor's nephew goes there but she doesn't know much about it. She did say there were no fraternities but other than that, she doesn't know much about it.

[Anonymous]

University of Chicago has frats and sororities but most students don't join them. From what I've heard, CS is heavily theoretical and their only engineering program is molecular.

[Anonymous]

Bates, not dry by any means but a place for everyone.