If you could send your daughter anywhere...
 

I was enjoying looking at all the retro pictures in the epic thread. I started thinking about how neat it would be if my daughter (who is only four) ended up at a school with a really interesting Greek life.

I know we all want our daughters to go where they would be happy. But if you could choose to send her to a particular school and she would be successful in Greek life, where would you send her? And let's pretend you aren't going to send her to your alma mater. Where would you like to be a sorority mom and get to live vicariously through your daughter's experiences?

The one that really got me thinking about this is USC. The pictures of the USC Presents always catch my attention.

Obviously one of the bigger southern schools would be interesting although I can't say I'm drawn to any particular one off the top of my head...

What comes to your mind and why?

Seven Sisters
 

My daughter is only 11 but I recently started investigating the Seven Sisters schools for her. (Yes, I'm a planner.) I haven't lived in that part of the country and have very little exposure to them, but I think the environment and academics would be a good fit for her. However... I'm not sure if they have much of a Greek life at all. At one (Wellesley?) there were a few local societies that looked very much like sororities but I didn't see any other signs of Greek life at the other schools I looked at briefly.

Well, I would definitely want her to go to my alma mater but given your premise, I would say either Ole Miss or LSU simply because I would want her to have a similar SEC Greek experience as I did.

my daughter went to samford university. it was her top choice, and i can't think of another school that would have suited her so well. great greek life on a small campus, good academics, professors who know their students and want them to succeed, so i would choose samford.

if you are talking big school experience, i would say georgia or texas.

I would choose for my youngest 3 daughters to go to some incredible university that has a *Pi Phi* chapter because it looks like none of their current choices have Pi Phi. I should bring that up to them.

I want to put my pin on someone. :(

It pains me to say this, but I would NOT send my daughter to my alma mater. Gypsyboots is currently a senior there, but between my chapter not being there, the philosophy department being gutted (all professors are being made part-time), cutting my daughter's bus service, and the throwing away of massive amounts of money on a football team that will NEVER be able to compete with UT and A & M ( they are currently expanding the football stadium, which they currently can't fill - obviously, building more capacity is the answer) and the lack of panhellenic spirit I just wouldn't do it.

Looking ahead for my boys, I'd love them to go to A & M. They have an AMAZING Catholic community, and a good chapter of Sigma Chi . . . :)

Seven Sisters
 

My mom went to Smith and for a time I considered going there myself so I do know a bit about them. They are the Five Sisters now as Vassar went coed and Radcliffe merged with Harvard. Barnard is the most normal of the five as it is affiliated with Columbia and a lot of girls go there as back door admission into Columbia. Smith, Bryn Maur and Wellesley have great academics. Don't know that much about Mt Holyoke. You just have to accept there is a big lesbian, bi and very liberal culture at these schools so they are not for everyone. No greek life so far as I know. An Ole Miss sorority girl would vomit and flee in terror if they ever visited any of these schools.

Assuming my daughter sticks with her plan of being a veterinarian, I would like to see her at one of the following:

Purdue
Clemson
Auburn
UPenn (only if a healthy scholarship is given)

Or stay close to home and go to Kentucky as they have a great pre-vet program.

Theta has chapters at all! :)

My girls went where I went: USC. We feel that it has incredible choices of high quality majors, big city but home and athletics. Yes, Greek life is strong, but one daughter didn't pledge and she loves SC and had a good time. Excellent alum networking. Extremely expensive however.

UCLA, if it recoups financially, is a possibility. And husband went to UPenn which he enjoyed.

.......but I'm sort of thinking for my grandchildren.......my last one is in college!

I'd love my future child (children?) to go to my alma mater--they will be a 4th generation Illini! My fiance's grandparents went there, his parents went there, we went there...:)

I LOVED going to Ohio State. I am a big-school other-than-liberal-arts big-sports kind of girl. I am thrilled one of my daughters is a very happy student at OSU. Great school, city, major/academics, friendly students, great athletics and school spirit. That being said, I would be more than happy if my next (imaginary) daughter went to (Oh Lord this so pains me to say this but) Michigan. Great school, academics, college town, friendly, great athletic tradition and school spirit. I would also take Boston College. Great school, academics, school spirit and athletics (especially ice hockey), Jesuit tradition, and I love Boston.

I know there are fabulous schools on the West Coast, it would just be too far for this mother's heart to have a child so far away. I already envy my friends whose kids are a couple of hours away. They go down for a quick overnight or even day trip. Hate' em.

I would probably stick with what my parents (and their parents) did, and have my kid go somewhere out of state. I think it's a really good experience to have, and it definitely made me more willing to come back to my hometown after college.

I would LOVE for my kid to go to my alma mater, as it would make her a 3rd generation student, but I want her to be happy. And ideally, at a school with Pi Phi, although I could never pin her since I lost my badge sophomore year (oops).

Wow...interesting question. If had to disqualifying my two alma maters, I would have to go with Stanford (...as much as it pains me, being a Cal alum) given the academic excellence, the ideal climate, the beautiful campus, and the strong intellectual atmosphere. Granted, they don't have my chapter there (anymore, at least). I guess if she were to apply and get accepted, I could start working a second job, get a second mortgage, and start collecting aluminum cans to pay for that adventure...

My daughter is a HS Jr and we are currently considering her college choices. Greek life is a must have for her based on her own choice. Also she strongly prefers campus' with Sorority housing and is interested in Graphic or Interior Design. This has limited our options and so far I find that my alma mater is the best match, but I'm not pleased with that. It is too close, my chapter is gone and was not selected in a recent expansion, and it is too urban. However, my oldest son is there and I am thrilled with that.
So does anyone know of a medium sized school, with good Graphic Design program and a strong greek life that is east of the Mississippi?

Madoug- I will say Arkansas has an excellent interior design program (unsure of graphic design), but it's west of the Mississippi.

Back on topic-

Since I'm not sure I would have joined a sorority at a very Greek university, I probably wouldn't choose to send my future daughter to a very old, Southern school. I'd probably head in a more liberal arts direction- maybe some place with old, established locals like Otterbein or Cornell College. That would be neat to see their culture.

:D @ the bolded!

If my (never going to happen) children went to my alma mater (Otterbein!) I would love it if she went Greek. I'd be absolutely over the moon. Plus, I hope it would still have a community feel. That's what made me go there. I went on this massive college tour with my mom where we drove to Ball State in Indiana and I had a terrible visit. We stopped at Otterbein on the way home and it immediately felt like putting on a pair of slippers, like I had always BEEN there. And it still feels like that today. I can't wait to visit next weekend and to spend time with my Tau Delta sisters :). Yes, I'm getting a little misty!

Where my brother went, Bethany (West Virginia), I'd be happy because it is a really small school that gives individual attention, and it is a really safe environment, and that kid would be a third gen Bethany kid (grandfather went there, and my bro and sister-in-law). While there are only three sororities (Alpha Xi, ZTA and Phi Mu), there's a very strong Greek Tradition amongst the women AND the men. Plus my brother and SIL were both Greek.

Other schools I'd like them to consider: Smith (if they were women), Carnegie Mellon, Kenyon, Dennison, etc. But I'd hope that wherever they decide to go, they're HAPPY.

Also, I'd encourage them to look to Britain as well. I'm a University of Glasgow alum, and the curriculum is extremely rigorous, there's lots of tradition, and a very international student body. No Greek life, but lots of activities.

My (imaginary) children must all go to Penn State. Must. All. Go. !!!

Just kidding. I would want my kids to go wherever they felt the most comfortable and had the best program for their major. I am a little too far away from parenthood to know whether I'd want them close or far from me, it would also depend greatly on their personalities/interests/how freaking expensive college will be by the time it's time for me to send my own kids off there. But I would love it if they went Greek at Penn State. They would be 4th generation Penn Staters (my grandmother went there) but it's up to them. To me, they should go where they'll grow best, and if that's at State, then excellent, if not, then I wouldn't want them there.

no plans for kids but playing the what if game-they must go to A&M :) must keep the cult alive :p

Made me laugh so hard.

I would hope my imaginary daughter would attend a school that is very challenging and liberal like Oberlin, Vassar or Brown. I would also encourage her to go somewhere far away, which is something my mother did not want.

I wouldn't be upset if she went to my alma mater, but I would want her to have her own individual experience.

Loved this - it's THE reason I didn't go to PSU!

I would want my daughter to go to a school that she would enjoy, really learn a career, and have a shot at greek life. My first choice would be William and Mary (since I blew off my own scholarship there), but it would depend on her interests.

I never thought my alma mater would be a good fit for my daughter. She wanted to study some sort of gov't related field and there are many schools with better programs than mine or her dad's. Almost everyone in our family studied math/science/engineering and went to schools in the northeast that were strong in those disciplines.

D went to a nationally-ranked southern LAC and majored in Politics. She did 2 different intercollegiate sports all 4 years, became a Pi Phi, lived in the dorms and the house, and in short, enjoyed her 4 years there Her school is rampant with legacies. Lots of current students there have relatives who are alums. It will be interesting to see if her kiddos (none yet!) will end up following in their mother's footsteps. My brother and father graduated from MIT but I think my brother's choice was based on the reputation of the school rather than the lure of going where Dad went.

Based on her intended major at the time, I think either Georgetown or George Washington would have been a good fit as well. If GW had been higher in the rankings or if G'town had had Greek Life, they would have been serious contenders for her.

The younger one is entering his last years of high school. He wants to major in cs and business but doesn't want to go up North to college. Ironically, he has become enamored with a tiny LAC as well despite their emphasis on liberal arts majors vs tech ones.

Carnegie Mellon. Greek life is not a must there, but is strong. Graphic design program is very challenging.

It might be too urban (depending on what madoug means by that).

madoug - if your alma mater is the best match, please don't shoot it down just because YOUR chapter is gone. Your daughter can still participate in Greek life there, and it may be less stressful for the both of you to not worry if her legacy chapter is truly the best fit.

Thank you DGTess, Carnegie Mellon is now on the visit list.

33girl, Greek Life at Cincy is only 7% of FT Undergraduates which is probably more of a draw back than my chapter being closed. However, my niece is a sophomore in ChemEng, a CHI-O (which would make hearing my recruitment story interesting) and it is a perfect match for her.
I advise at Miami and wish it was a good match for one of my three kids, but so far it has not been. Second Son is starting at Syracuse this fall.

Lol. I seriously think all Penn Staters think like this at some point or another. It is the most awesome experience. Although I might need to start saving now for that....

That said, I would want my (imaginary) daughter, if she couldn't/didn't want to (shh) go to Penn State, to go somewhere that has a great program for her major. My major at Penn State is one of the top in the country and I have found that to be nothing but beneficial.
It also should be a good name school with a good alumni network. I would prefer that people recognize her school. (AKA...PENN STATE)

But, I would love for her to check out Vanderbilt, any large SEC school, or UNC. Definitely east coast & southern unless she goes to Penn State.... but really I would want her to be happy.

I do NOT want her to go to a school with no greek life, no real "college town" environment, bad reputation, or anything that is closer to home than 2 hrs. College is a time to branch out and grow up away from your parents.

I realize I'll be branded for life on GC for writing this, but I would love for my daughter to consider Hillsdale College in Michigan. I don't think it will be her cup of tea as she is more of the artsy, dreamer type. But she would get a great education there.

I did the Big Ten thing and loved it. I was so ready to get onto a large campus and carve my own niche after being in a smaller high school. However, I do find the smaller liberal arts colleges really intriguing and would want her to explore both options. Big schools and smaller schools both have a lot to offer. It just depends on what you want.

She's an only child so I would really like to see her find a sorority home and sisters through that experience. Unfortunately there is only one Tri Delta chapter in our state and the university falls into the "over my dead body" category. I've already resigned myself to the fact that it's pretty unlikely she will be a Tri Delta someday. :(

I was going to recommend Iowa State, but it's *just* west of the Mississippi. Otherwise, it has all the other requirements: student body is around 25,000 (but feels smaller), the campus is beautiful, it has a great Greek community with lovely chapter houses, and its Graphic Design program is very well regarded.

As far as my own kids go, I'm already working on guiding them towards Iowa State. :D My son seems very interested in engineering (like my husband) and loves going to visit campus. I would also be okay with them going to my husband's alma mater (Rose Hulman Institute of Technology) even though I'd probably have to start selling off major organs in order to afford the tuition by the time he gets to college.

Colleges -- Miami of Ohio or Ohio University, Monmouth (IL) (Pi Phi was founded there), Marquette (WI)

Universities -- UTexas- Austin, UWisconsin-Madison.

If I had a daughter, those would be my choices. But if you actually have a child, you have to consider what is best for your child and I feel that every child needs to make his or her own decision on where to go to college. My niece wants to go to Duke (she is obviously influenced by my one brother) and my nephew's dream school is Notre Dame. Another consideration of course, is economics, so they may end up going to a state college. Gulp- even Illinois.:)

My cousin is a Pi Phi from Hillsdale. :)

We would have loved any of our kids to go to Nebraska, and our second daughter considered it, but honestly....I'm not sure how they would've fit in. I loved every single minute of it, but I was from a town of 200 people in Nebraska and Lincoln felt like heaven every day compared to that. My kids grew up in metro Atlanta, in Southern culture raised by Midwestern parents. Not sure if that would've worked for them. And they're all a bunch of hothouse flowers, so I don't see them lasting a week in a Nebraska winter.

The girls went to GT and are glad they did, but will be the first ones to tell you that the first word you think of when you think Tech is not FUN. It's hard and demanding everybody is pretty driven.

On the other hand, my son is at Ole Miss. That's some kind of fun. I'd go there in a minute if I could!

My mom was sort of like this when I was in HS. She backed off a little toward junior year though, which made me start to think about it more seriously, and then I applied and got in and the rest in history. Honestly it was just a great fit for me-- I wanted to big school experience (coming from a smaller high school) with lots of tradition and a lot of majors in case I changed my mind (which I did). But in all honestly any Big 10 type school would have given me this experience, I just need blue and white in my life.

I'd love to see my hypothetical daughter go to my alma mater. But since that option was expressly prohibited, and she may not want to study science/engineering anyway, I'd be happy seeing her at any Ivy+ school except Harvard - even if the school had no AEPhi chapter or no greek life at all. What would matter is her happiness.

Any of her dream schools are fine with me.

I'd love for my (hypothetical) daughter to study abroad for at least a year. I did and I loved it.
As for my Alma Mater, if she really wants to go there, I'd love that, but it's not for everyone, as it's a Tech.

I would love for my hypothetical daughter to go beyond what I am capable of and excel in a tech field. I would absolutely adore to send a daughter to MIT or Caltech.

Jumping on the hypothetical band wagon, I would pick Howard, Spelman, one of the Ivy's or Seven Sisters. That is all. :)

I learned something new today. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sisters_(colleges)

Michigan State:D I'm a huge State fan & would love it if my kids went there.

University of North Carolina (this is assuming my future kids do not inherit my hair). My church choir went to Chapel Hill my senior year of high school and I fell in love! If we had sang there during my freshman-junior years, I would have gone there for undergrad. I even toyed with the idea of transferring there, but I was too in love with some of the traditions I was involved with at the school I did attend.

I don't know if I'd want my kids to go to the University of South Carolina, but I'd love for them to go Greek there! I almost went there for grad school and every time I visited the campus I would drive through Greek Row in awe.

I loved the traditions I was involved in in college and would love it if I could share those with my own kids (depending what year they are) and since I joined a local sorority, my daughters would only be legacies there. But tuition was so expensive, I can't imagine what it will be 25-30 years from now!