<p>Significant financial aid.</p>
<p>Greek scenes do not mean that you are partying with large groups of strangers; if anything, for most people it means that you are partying with a more consistent group of people and you know them. I have seen both pros and cons to Greek life. It varies VERY widely from campus to campus and even from house to house, and you should keep an open mind and investigate the differences before making any decisions about school selection and/or possible pledging.</p>
<p>It’s all part of keeping your options open, which I agree is an excellent goal. :)</p>
<p>BTW, you might want to look into Clark in Massachusetts, too. They have a 3/2 engineering program with Columbia, and it seems like a school that might suit you. I think they would be a safety for you, unless the 3/2 program has separate admissions.</p>