Wow - amazing how many people have such a strong opinion and don't have any direct experience.

And I thought all GDIs were open-minded. Guess I shouldn't generalize.

Being in a sorority (late 80's) was a great experience for me...
I made Greek friends AND non-Greek friends...
Lived in a beautiful sorority house my senior year...
Loved the parties & events (I.e. dance marathon to raise $ for charity.)....
An opportunity to feel part of something exciting...
Great way to meet guys ...
And- was part of the college experience that I wanted...
Grades did not suffer (in fact- you needed to maintain a specific GPA to stay in....
I have wonderful memories!

In college I had two hispanic friends who joined a sorority that was majority caucasian women. One is pale with red hair, the other is dark skinned with black hair. They look and act completely different. The girls in their sorority were constantly mixing them up for all of sophomore year. They literally could not figure out who was who. One of them got the message and left lol.

I also sort of found it disturbing how young women in a prestigious college were parading around in their best outfits and being classified by their looks, as opposed to their intelligence or character. Like, some girls were definitely Delta delta delta "material" because they had the looks, and the hierarchy went down from there. It was just so... weird and disconcerting for me as a spectator.

Anonymous wrote:Greek life was the best part of college for me. It was the 80s at a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) and I have maintained close relationships with my sorority sisters. My daughter pledged last semester and we will attend national conventions together starting next spring. I am very active on the graduate/national level. My husband is active in his fraternity. I highly recommend Greek life for undergraduates and graduates.

I posted upthread about binge drinking and date rape, and I think that Greek life for African-American students can be different. Black sororities and fraternities, at HBCUs and otherwise, have historically created networks for professionals to get jobs, have mentors, buy homes, and experience other types of social access during periods (up until very recently) when job discrimination and residential segregation was rampant. I'm not saying that people don't party or assaults don't happen in Black fraternities, but for the people I knew in grad school (perhaps not a typical sample) they were much more of a professional and cultural space than a party one.

Hazing=oppression=stupidity if you join a group willingly that does this

As a parent with two students in college, I didn't mind if a college had Greek Life just as long as it was a low percentage ~ that way my kids could make their own decision, and not feel it was necessary to join one for an active social life on-campus.

Anonymous wrote:I find this an odd question for a parenting board.

I haven't given much thought to "Greek Life" in many, many years - since I left college.

Well this is the college forum. And we are parents. Some of us are having these very discussions with our rising seniors as we hammer out the pros and cons of prospective colleges.

You people do realize that binge drinking and date rapes occur in people who aren't in greek life correct?

I was in a sorority for 2 years. It was very casual at my school because no one was allowed to live in their houses. It was basically a way to make friends your freshman year (although I'm only still friends with one girl from my sorority) and to have places to go/things to do.

I got out my junior year because I became involved in a lot more activities and didn't have time to keep up with all of them. My best friends were either not in my sorority, or they were but they were also involved in another activity of mine. It just wasn't worth it to keep membership up.

I feel like some people like to hate on Greek life for the stereotype of it. It varies from school to school. Down south, yes they take it more seriously. But you go to a school like mine where the Greeks don't live in their houses and it is a pretty laid back environment and far from exclusionary.

I find this an odd question for a parenting board.

I haven't given much thought to "Greek Life" in many, many years - since I left college.

Greek life is for people who are desperate to fit in and can't think for themselves.

Rushing, hazing, binge drinking, group think. Why would you think this is a positive step to adulthood? It seems to stunt people. Who would pay to go to college to be treated like crap to be approved by a group. There are so many good colleges where the Greek system does not exist or is on the fringe.

DC is actively looking for a college with no Greek system whatsoever. I went to one myself (no Greek) and loved it. No exclusionary practices, parties open to everyone. Greek life seems incredibly silly and shallow. Like one endless pep rally.

My school (also an Ivy, so maybe not typical Greek life) wasn't like the stereotypes at all. I loved my sorority, made great friends through it, and we all kept it in perspective.

Not every sorority/fraternity/Greek system lives up to the generalization. Not all are about hazing/drinking. I met some truly amazing women in my sorority and I'd imagine that was true for most houses on my campus. Then again, the whole campus was full of nerds (Ivy League).

And most of my "sisters" (looks so weird to write that now) had plenty of friends outside of the house. No one took it too seriously. It was just one way to unwind after class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't commented before, but as a foreign it seems extremely cliquish and unpleasant.

It is...very American.

You go to parties for a week. Then people treat you like shit for a week (called hazing). Then you pay a fee and are "best friends" and brothers and sisters forever.

You get hazed for a lot longer than a week!