ASK a current Greek USC Student Anything!

GreekTrojan · 06-02-2009, 03:53 PM

A little background on me. I was a one year transfer student from a four year school. I am in what the previous poster regarding "fraternity breakdowns" referred to as a "top house" I am willing to answer basically any questions regarding USC or fraternity and sorority life. Keep in mind that my viewpoints are obviously based on my own interactions/experiences and that they mind be somewhat biased as a result of that. However, I will try to keep my answers as unbiased as possible. Congrats to everyone who is coming in the fall! I look forward to helping you discover some parts of Greek Life.

candy45 · 06-02-2009, 05:14 PM

Hey! This is exactly what I was waiting for! I really want to get a brief breakdown of the sororities. Like, which one have the best/worst reputations and why?

Georgia Girl · 06-02-2009, 06:03 PM

Candy,
A suggestion would be to look through the individual websites posted on the Panhellenic site: University of Southern California Panhellenic . See the photos, awards, philanthropies, social activities and scholarship standing.
The best sorority is the one that fits YOU. It is a mutual selection. Chapters at SC are very large, over 100 women. Last year the quota was 64 for a pledge class. With that number of new members each year a house can change drastically in one or two years.
Try to make your own decision after looking at the websites, meeting sorority women at orientation and visiting each chapter during the recruitment week. Try to go through with an open mind and find a chapter where you feel the strongest feeling of sisterhood.

AMX · 06-02-2009, 06:08 PM

The top sororities are DG and KKG.

kollegkid · 06-02-2009, 09:30 PM

Is there a 10th associate sorority?

Georgia Girl · 06-02-2009, 11:25 PM

At SC there are now ten NPC social sororities. All ten have chapter houses with a housemother who lives in the house. This August all of these ten will participate in formal recruitment.
There are also service groups and honoraries with Greek letter names, but I have never heard of an associate sorority. If this is something new, please post the information.

ellebud · 06-02-2009, 11:42 PM

If I were to hazard a guess I think that she means a colony, not an "associate". There are no colonies. Sigma Delta Tau is the newest sorority on the row. They have a brand new house as well.

I believe that GeorgiaGirl is correct. The "best" house is the one that fits you the best. I will also add that these women are women that you will, hopefully, be friends with for life. And, even knowing the reputations (and reputations vary by the person) there is no guarantee that you will be offered a bid to the "best" house. And, even if you receive a bid to the house, hopefully you will mesh with the women...not the reputation.

kollegkid · 06-03-2009, 12:02 PM

What are the residence requirements for sororities? Do you have to live in the house for two years?

sfgiants · 06-03-2009, 01:59 PM

There are no residence requirements for sororities, and you do not have to live in the house if you don't want to. However, many choose to do so because it is usually cheaper than finding an apartment elsewhere and many enjoy the environment. One caveat though, a sorority like SDT might be different (but I don't know either way) because they are new and need to start filling up their chapter house with members.

kollegkid · 06-03-2009, 02:04 PM

Does the USC escort system extend to the row?

sfgiants · 06-03-2009, 02:06 PM

Do you mean Campus Cruiser? If so, the answer is yes. Just be prepared for high wait-times (although they are trying to do something about that by adding more cars). There is also a tram route to and from the row.