Does Greek life scare you? Is it better off in a greek-free college?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For parents having daughters, what's their experience in a heavy greek life campus? How did they avoid frat boys?

If Aliens invaded Earth, they would have a hard time understanding the idiocy of pay to play affinity groups for 18 yr olds. As an European who has lived in Asia for a while before moving to the US 4 years ago, the American Greek system is a baffling spectacle.

The rest of the world sends their kids to university for an education. Here, it seems a certain class of parents pays a premium for what amounts to a four-year networking seminar with beer. This is the great aspiration of the parvenu, the social climber who believes access can be bought.

You are not just paying dues, you are investing in the hope that your children will acquire what Bourdieu called "habitus".

The whole idea of Greek for us non Americans it that it is simply an enterprise sold to middle income americans as a sort of middle-management incubator, a place for those who need a pre-built structure to succeed. Americans have bought into this dream…..

“Conformity is the last refuge of the unimaginitive”

Yet the US higher education system is the envy of the world. And you’ve decided to move here. Interesting.

[Anonymous]

Greek or no - any parent is naive to think sexual assault doesn’t happen on campus. There is drinking. There is assault. Whether the student goes Greek or not. The posters here insisting it doesn’t happen are delusional. We have to teach our daughters to do their best not to get into compromising situations. It’s incredibly unfortunate, but that’s reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Greek haters are jealous. I'm sorry, they just are. This forum is full of posters who are jealous of things they can't have. This is just another.

Dp that’s not necessarily it. I went to an academic elite SLAC with no Greek life. But my college friends had siblings who went to other schools with Greek life and occasionally we’d go to a party. We’d laugh our asses off at how dumb and shallow the girls were and how drunk and handsy the guys were. As an adult, I’m a little more open minded, but I’m certainly not jealous

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Greek haters are jealous. I'm sorry, they just are. This forum is full of posters who are jealous of things they can't have. This is just another.

Dp that’s not necessarily it. I went to an academic elite SLAC with no Greek life. But my college friends had siblings who went to other schools with Greek life and occasionally we’d go to a party. We’d laugh our asses off at how dumb and shallow the girls were and how drunk and handsy the guys were. As an adult, I’m a little more open minded, but I’m certainly not jealous

Are you still that judgmental?

I was Greek. I certainly didn’t “laugh my ass off” at others on campus. I knew better. I wasn’t a bully.

And you attended the same parties, it seems. I don’t see how you are so much more refined than those “shallow” and “dumb” sorority girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Greek haters are jealous. I'm sorry, they just are. This forum is full of posters who are jealous of things they can't have. This is just another.

Dp that’s not necessarily it. I went to an academic elite SLAC with no Greek life. But my college friends had siblings who went to other schools with Greek life and occasionally we’d go to a party. We’d laugh our asses off at how dumb and shallow the girls were and how drunk and handsy the guys were. As an adult, I’m a little more open minded, but I’m certainly not jealous

Are you still that judgmental?

I was Greek. I certainly didn’t “laugh my ass off” at others on campus. I knew better. I wasn’t a bully.

And you attended the same parties, it seems. I don’t see how you are so much more refined than those “shallow” and “dumb” sorority girls.

The poster from the “elite SLAC” was insecure in college. That’s all. Forgive her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Greek haters are jealous. I'm sorry, they just are. This forum is full of posters who are jealous of things they can't have. This is just another.

Dp that’s not necessarily it. I went to an academic elite SLAC with no Greek life. But my college friends had siblings who went to other schools with Greek life and occasionally we’d go to a party. We’d laugh our asses off at how dumb and shallow the girls were and how drunk and handsy the guys were. As an adult, I’m a little more open minded, but I’m certainly not jealous

Are you still that judgmental?

I was Greek. I certainly didn’t “laugh my ass off” at others on campus. I knew better. I wasn’t a bully.

And you attended the same parties, it seems. I don’t see how you are so much more refined than those “shallow” and “dumb” sorority girls.

Sigh. Pretty sure my story made clear I realize I was being close minded. But the point remains, I wasn’t jealous. I thought the sorority girls looked like idiots, drunk and sloppy and so very focused on their looks. And the frat guys were not impressive. No one was bullying them, but sure, we had our opinions.

And no, I wasn’t going to the same parties regularly, this was occasional, eg when a college friend would visit a sibling and ask friends to go with her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Greek haters are jealous. I'm sorry, they just are. This forum is full of posters who are jealous of things they can't have. This is just another.

Dp that’s not necessarily it. I went to an academic elite SLAC with no Greek life. But my college friends had siblings who went to other schools with Greek life and occasionally we’d go to a party. We’d laugh our asses off at how dumb and shallow the girls were and how drunk and handsy the guys were. As an adult, I’m a little more open minded, but I’m certainly not jealous

Are you still that judgmental?

I was Greek. I certainly didn’t “laugh my ass off” at others on campus. I knew better. I wasn’t a bully.

And you attended the same parties, it seems. I don’t see how you are so much more refined than those “shallow” and “dumb” sorority girls.

The poster from the “elite SLAC” was insecure in college. That’s all. Forgive her.

Eyeroll. Look, do your Greek thing with your sisters or whatever. But know that some people think it’s dumb. If YOU are not insecure, you shouldn’t care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Greek haters are jealous. I'm sorry, they just are. This forum is full of posters who are jealous of things they can't have. This is just another.

Dp that’s not necessarily it. I went to an academic elite SLAC with no Greek life. But my college friends had siblings who went to other schools with Greek life and occasionally we’d go to a party. We’d laugh our asses off at how dumb and shallow the girls were and how drunk and handsy the guys were. As an adult, I’m a little more open minded, but I’m certainly not jealous

Are you still that judgmental?

I was Greek. I certainly didn’t “laugh my ass off” at others on campus. I knew better. I wasn’t a bully.

And you attended the same parties, it seems. I don’t see how you are so much more refined than those “shallow” and “dumb” sorority girls.

The poster from the “elite SLAC” was insecure in college. That’s all. Forgive her.

Eyeroll. Look, do your Greek thing with your sisters or whatever. But know that some people think it’s dumb. If YOU are not insecure, you shouldn’t care.

I don’t care at all. I’m just telling you that that’s clearly how you were in college and that laughing at and judging other kids your own age was a clear sign of it. My kids never did that. Not the Greek ones and not the non-Greek. They never judged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Greek haters are jealous. I'm sorry, they just are. This forum is full of posters who are jealous of things they can't have. This is just another.

Dp that’s not necessarily it. I went to an academic elite SLAC with no Greek life. But my college friends had siblings who went to other schools with Greek life and occasionally we’d go to a party. We’d laugh our asses off at how dumb and shallow the girls were and how drunk and handsy the guys were. As an adult, I’m a little more open minded, but I’m certainly not jealous

Are you still that judgmental?

I was Greek. I certainly didn’t “laugh my ass off” at others on campus. I knew better. I wasn’t a bully.

And you attended the same parties, it seems. I don’t see how you are so much more refined than those “shallow” and “dumb” sorority girls.

The poster from the “elite SLAC” was insecure in college. That’s all. Forgive her.

Eyeroll. Look, do your Greek thing with your sisters or whatever. But know that some people think it’s dumb. If YOU are not insecure, you shouldn’t care.

I don’t care at all. I’m just telling you that that’s clearly how you were in college and that laughing at and judging other kids your own age was a clear sign of it. My kids never did that. Not the Greek ones and not the non-Greek. They never judged.

DP and I agree. “Elite SLAC” poster, you don’t come across as great as you think you do. That post reads very insecure.

[Anonymous]

Good lord. Trollmania here.

[Anonymous]

My kids attend schools where Greek life is 20% or less - so the vast majority of students are not involved in it. That seems to be the best of both worlds. Neither of them were interested in rushing and most of their friends aren't Greek either.

[Anonymous]

Mine attend ivies where greek is there but not at all a majority, yet most parties are open to all and fun if you want to partake. It does not divide nor rule the campuses and academics come first. It does not have to be an issue.

[Anonymous]

I would send mine to someplace with a residential college system or house system that applied to all ugrad students. UToronto, Oxbridge, Yale, and UCSD are examples.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Greek or no - any parent is naive to think sexual assault doesn’t happen on campus. There is drinking. There is assault. Whether the student goes Greek or not. The posters here insisting it doesn’t happen are delusional. We have to teach our daughters to do their best not to get into compromising situations. It’s incredibly unfortunate, but that’s reality.

The worst guys my DD came across in college were the athletes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For parents having daughters, what's their experience in a heavy greek life campus? How did they avoid frat boys?

If Aliens invaded Earth, they would have a hard time understanding the idiocy of pay to play affinity groups for 18 yr olds. As an European who has lived in Asia for a while before moving to the US 4 years ago, the American Greek system is a baffling spectacle.

The rest of the world sends their kids to university for an education. Here, it seems a certain class of parents pays a premium for what amounts to a four-year networking seminar with beer. This is the great aspiration of the parvenu, the social climber who believes access can be bought.

You are not just paying dues, you are investing in the hope that your children will acquire what Bourdieu called "habitus".

The whole idea of Greek for us non Americans it that it is simply an enterprise sold to middle income americans as a sort of middle-management incubator, a place for those who need a pre-built structure to succeed. Americans have bought into this dream…..

“Conformity is the last refuge of the unimaginitive”

Thank you! Post of the week!