Greek scene--a Dartmouth pro or con?

kelsey08 · 12-27-2004, 09:09 PM

There's been a recent debate on the parents forum about Greek life. PROS/CONS of a Fraternity . Most parents found a lot more cons than pros...While for some Greek scenes I might agree, I think at Dartmouth the pros of the Greek scene heavily outweigh the cons (although I didn't think that until I actually attended the school.) I was just if the prospees/admittees/current students think Dartmouth's large Greek scene is a pro or a con for the college, and why.

Xanatos · 12-27-2004, 09:13 PM

Yeah I agree, it's definitely a pro. I can't speak for the frats of other schools, but the ones at Dartmouth really are non-exclusive. There's no lists for parties, so even if you aren't a member of the frat and don't know people there you can still go to parties and be welcomed. I am friends with a lot of upperclassmen that are in frats and sororities, and they are really cool people.

12-27-2004, 09:17 PM

The frats at dartmouth are really inclusive and they add so much to the party seen

12-27-2004, 09:19 PM

scene, my bad

babybird87 · 12-27-2004, 10:57 PM

read Pledged by Alexandra Robbins

then talk to real frat/soror members and see what they have to say

my interviewer was a member of a coed soror, and she said it was great. she didn't mind the frats either, saying they provided most of the party scene at Dartmouth. however, she did seem really bitter toward the sororities...said they were like high school cliques

lindseylujh · 12-28-2004, 01:38 PM

I second the suggestion to read Pledged.

I personally think the Greek Scene at Dartmouth is a negative. I actually removed it from my initial list because of it. Upon second review, I decided to add it back on, but I came VERY close to not applying because I find a prevalent (50%?!) Greek scene on a college campus to be such a negative aspect.

To each his own.

babybird87 · 12-28-2004, 01:47 PM

i don't think it's 50%, a current student said the statistic is around 33% of the students belong to a frat/sor

lindseylujh · 12-28-2004, 02:03 PM

I'm not sure where I heard the 50% statistic, but 1/3 is still a lot.

wisconsinguy · 12-28-2004, 04:08 PM

It's 50% of the eligible students, since freshmen are not allowed to join. Counting the freshmen, it's 33%.

athenaNY · 12-28-2004, 06:15 PM

Pro Pro Pro Pro Pro

Babybird, I wonder why she was bitter toward the sororities. I think the system of sorority rush (while tedious and annoying) is pretty fair. And the "hierarchy" of the sororities is established by guys, not by the girls themselves.
My sorority has been one of the best experiences of my Dartmouth career thus far.

kelsey08 · 12-28-2004, 06:24 PM

Athena, I'm an '08 but I don't know much about the sororities, since they don't throw parties. I've only heard the "guy stereotypes" (ie Tri-delts are hot, bake, and wear pearls, kappas eat salad and look like barbies, sigma delts party and streak a lot, etc. No offense if you are in one of those! I know those are just stereotypes.) What one are you in? If you and all your friends list the same sorority as your number one during rush, is there a chance you all could join? Does it matter that much? (meaning, if some of your friends are in a different sorority, will you establish a different group of friends and spend less time with them?) I would assume since Dartmouth is laid back and friendly it wouldn't be a huge issue, and I don't even know if I'm going to rush yet, but I just wanted to hear about it from someone who knows. Sorry to bombard you with questions.

athenaNY · 12-28-2004, 06:38 PM

Haha no worries. I'll take it one question at a time.

1) I am in Theta. (EKT) The stereotype for Theta is constantly evolving. I think it varies from one pledge class to another. My pledge class was known for large amounts of drinking! (People can decide for themselves if that is positive or negative.)

2) What you described is called "block rushing", where a bunch of friends all pref the same house. It doesn't really alter your chance of getting in, and I wouldn't recommend doing it. Your friends will be your friends no matter what, but joining a sorority is a great chance to meet new people. If you rush with a close friend or group of friends, you run the risk of only associating with them. That is how cliques form in sororities, and those cliques can get VERY CATTY. It also makes rush a pain, because the different groups have different agendas. This has not been a problem at Theta. I can't speak for other houses.

3) Several of my close friends rushed Alpha Xi, and it hasn't impacted our friendship at all. If anything, it's nice because it gives you another place you can play pong/hang out.

4) Ultimately, I would offer this advice: Don't base your decision on whether or not to rush on whether your friends do it. And don't decide which house to join based on either stereotypes, or where your friends are pledging. Your friendships won't be hurt unless you allow it to happen. Sororities are what you make of them. I know people who throw themselves into it, and it becomes their life. I don't think that is healthy. And those are the people whose outside friendships are damaged. You can invite your non-Greek friends (or friends from other houses) to most social events, pong tournaments, or even just to play pong on a random night.

I hope this is clear! If you have any other questions about sororities or rush, please let me know!

I am SO excited! 5 more days!!

athenaNY · 12-28-2004, 06:41 PM

Alternatively, you can blitz me at amm06, if you have questions that won't matter much for the prospies

kelsey08 · 12-28-2004, 06:42 PM

I know, I can't wait to go back...and I was only gone for winter break. I seem to remember you saying a while back that you'd been off for a term. Your advice on sororities was very helpful, and really lay a lot of my doubts to rest. One more quick thing...is winter rush much different than fall rush?

kelsey08 · 12-28-2004, 06:43 PM

Oh, cool...I'll IM you sometime for sure.