votebarackobama

My older brother was accepted to Hamilton off of the waitlist today and plans to attend.
Is Greek Life a huge part of Hamilton's social scene?
Would joining a frat be a good idea for my brother if he likes to party but also enjoys an intellectual living environment and does not want his WHOLE school life to be compromised of drinking and partying?

stretch

I'm a freshman at Hamilton this year who pledged a fraternity. The extent to which the Greek scene dominates the social scene depends mainly on what you're interested in. If you want huge, all campus parties, then yes, the Greeks dominate, as they throw 95% of the open (all campus) parties in the social spaces. There are, of course, other non-Greek sponsored activities, but the large parties are almost exclusively thrown by Greeks.

I would personally recommend joining a fraternity--I am 100% satisfied with my decision. There are a wide variety of fraternities, ranging from more intellectual to more Animal House, so there should be no problem for your brother to find something he fits in with.

With regards to a possible over-emphasis on partying...nearly everyone here goes to class and does a substantial amount of work during the week. Those who don't quickly fall behind, and usually don't last the semester. There is definitely fun to be had here, but not without a suitable balance with school-work.

M's Mom

According to "328 Most Interesting Colleges" (2005 edition), 34% of the men and 20% of the women are in frats and sororities respectively. Are these numbers still accurate? Are they going up or down over time?