New Top 10 Greek Schools
 

Found this on MSN I think I've seen it on here -- it is the Princeton Review list... Maybe it's new:

1. Clemson University

Fraternities play a huge part of the social scene at Clemson. The students describe themselves as "friendly and outgoing," and that's sure to be the case at the many frat parties on campus. In fact, students say that only the storied Tigers football team could claim a more devoted following than the Clemson Greek scene.


2. Elon University

Greek parties dominate the late-night social scene in the "very small" town of Elon. Students boast that they live the good life in a "country-club kind of place." They're proud of their "good southern hospitality," and welcome students from a variety of backgrounds. But most students are from the mid-Atlantic and Southern states, and are, without question, "very Greek-oriented."


3. Washington and Lee University

The W&L social universe revolves around the Greek scene. Comments one student, "We have the greatest fraternity scene in the country. Period." Because "fraternity parties are open to everyone, except for special functions," W&L suffers less from Greek/independent antagonism than do many other Greek-dominated campuses.

4. Dartmouth College

The Greek life dominates at Dartmouth, where "frats are the entire social scene," as one student claims. But while fraternities play a big role in having fun, there are many other weekend options. Outdoor activities are a popular recreational alternative in this "beautiful, intimate, and friendly environment."

5. Indiana University--Bloomington

Students note that the Greek system has a very strong presence at Indiana, perhaps even as strong as the famous IU basketball team. While some students crow about the wonderfully diverse student body, others complain that while "the majority of people here are very friendly," the population "is very divided [by] race, Greeks/non-Greeks, and majors."

6. University of Alabama

Fraternities and sororities are extremely popular (about 20 percent of students pledge), and their parties are all the rage. Independent parties are another alternative, but rooting for the Crimson Tide's football program may be the most popular social activity.

7. Drexel University

Because Drexel is right in the heart of Philadelphia, students can take advantage of a wide array of cultural activities. But frat parties remain a popular draw, either on campus or at the neighboring University of Pennsylvania.

8. Centre College

Students say that social life here is, "as a rule, Greek," and it tends to be cyclical. "Everybody studies during the week," but the weekends are reserved for letting off steam. One student observes that "Danville is a dry city but Centre is a drowning campus on weekends." It's possible to party "every weekend at frat parties" here.

9. George Mason University

With a high proportion of students who commute to George Mason rather than live on campus, many complain that they feel isolated from one another. The Greek system offers a popular solution. One student writes, "To get involved (socially) you pretty much need to go Greek. If you aren't in a fraternity or sorority you don't have the opportunity to meet many people outside of your classes."

10. Pennsylvania State University

With a student population the size of many American towns, Penn State can offer a wide variety of social options. Fraternities and sororities offer some of the more popular social diversions, however. Most students agree that "Penn State is a party school no matter what anyone says. We throw a party for any reason."

Where in the world is Centre College? Also, how could they leave out DePauw - the school is like 80% Greek!

Centre College is in Danville, Ky. A very small town west of Lexington.

Elon
 

I can def attest to the fact that Elon has got some great greek socializing. The other thing about Elon is that everyone was so nice! I have only visited once, but I had an AWESOME time!

One of Kappa's field reps who visited our chapter this year is from Centre. She rules!

Yeah, my campus'll never make it on there. We're barely a speck of dust on the proverbial radar screen.

Yay DePauw! I only know one Greek from there, but I love her dearly. She's an Alpha Chi. She and I formed our own mini-sorority when we were studying in Italy without any of our sisters.

Indiana University... diverse? No they are sadly mistaken. They only have 8% minorities and that is with ALL of the minorities combined. I applied there for grad and instead of them sending me the proper documents first, they sent me a big brochure on how diverse they are b/c I checked the minority box on my app. I was like, if you have to convince me how diverse you are, you're not. I hate it when schools do that, knowing full well they wouldn't do that if I checked white.

My friend's little sister is going to be going to U of MN this fall. She went to orientation and they were talking about how diverse they are. The speaker actually said, "We pride ourselves on the fact that we are 10% diverse." Beth said, "You mean, you're 90% white."

And don't forget my lovely hometown school of UW Madison who got in huge trouble for digitally inserting the photo of a black guy into a crowd shot of the student section at a Badger Football game. Puh-leeze.

OMG!!! That's terrible!! :eek: I can't believe she said that and they did that!!! Sad, sad, sad!!
---------------------------------------

My school wouldn't make that list in a million years. Practically all of our greek societies operate "underground." We're working very hard to change that, though. :)

I don't think a school should pretend it's diverse if it's not. There's no excuse for that. But a lot of state schools do draw mostly from local students ... so their diversity will only reflect the local population. If there aren't a lot of African Americans, or a lot of Jews, or a lot of Basques in the state, there aren't going to be a lot at the school, either, especially at the undergraduate level. I don't see that this is something they should be apologizing for or trying to hide.

Not to say that schools shouldn't strive for more diversity - but according to the 2000 US census, 87.5% of Indiana's population is white. So it would be better if 12.5% of the student body was non-white, rather than 8%, but that still wouldn't exactly be radically diverse, and it probably never will be, as long as Indiana isn't.

Anyway ... trying to decide the "top Greek schools" seems a little futile. If you just measure the percentage of students that are Greek, you would not come up with that list. If you base it on schools where Greek life is practically the only campus life, you'll come up with a totally different list. If you look at schools where there are harmonious Greek-non-Greek relations, that's a different list entirely. Or if you measure where the biggest parties are thrown, that's another different set of results.

Drexel??? That list is ODD :) Drexel's frat parties aren't that great!

hmmmm, i was very suprised UT Austin wasn't on that list. INTERSTING.......

KappaKitty -- I was just about to mention the thing about Wisconsin digitally pasting the black guy into the sea of white faces. And yes, as an ex student at Minnesota, I can assure that they are big on pretending they're racially diverse too.

I think most of the Big Ten schools are pretty white, though.

I go Elon, and we are so excited about being in 2nd place!
Everything the mini article said was pretty true...a little exgerated, but true. Besides greek life, there isn't much to do bc you really are in the middle of nowhere.
however, most of the greek orgs get along most of the time, so there is always socializing. (the only time we don't get along is during greek week and rush!)

As for the diversity thing, i am not going to lie. most of elon is caucasion. however, we do have people of all races and ethnicities and religions in all the different national greek orgs. We also hold events and socialize with the NPHC groups. We also include the NPHC women in our recruitment process by asking them to help be rho chis or help with scanning the scantrons in bc they really could care less about who got in what chapter and they give an unbiased opinion of us all the time.

Angelgal--when did you come to elon? what glo are you in?

How did they get their information for something like this? I mean, what would be the criteria to be considered a top-level Greek school? I noticed in everyone elses posts that ya'll think different than the results *nods*

rawr!!!!! i go to washington and lee, the best greek school in the nation!! (well, number 3 is close enough, right?) it so rules! i loooove it! and one of my best friends from high school is a sigkap at elon! hooray greek schools! :D

my guess is, that they based the results on the surveys they conduct. at washington and lee around 80% of men are in fraternities. around 75% of women are in sororities. and 99% of the freshmen class goes through rush, even if they don't intend to pledge.

diversity...it's a good thing.
 

Schools claiming they are diverse with a 8% minority population need to reevaluate their "diversity" claims...maybe they mean they are diverse inasmuch as all the caucasians are from different parts of Europe. The school I went to it massively diverse...and the greek system is too....ahh the joys of living in California!:) It's about 35% white, and 65% everything else, from Black/African-American, to Hispanic, to Guamanian! I didn't know people from Guam even went to CSULB! So when I see schools posting their stuff for diversity, they need to take a look at my school....then they can say they are diverse.

Enough of my rant. :p

I stayed up at Washington & Lee 2 Summers ago for the Sigma Nu College of Chapters (a national convention that focuses on member education, leadership training, etc)... We got to stay in your lovely dorms (and will be back next summer). I can really see why you'd want to go greek there. Those dorms don't even have A/C! Pretty spartan living accomodations.

The Greek houses on the other hand (at least the Sigma Nu one) are very nice (and all of them without exception are huge). A very nice campus ya'll have up there!

thanks! one of my best friends is a sigma nu at W&L... our chapters date a lot...

Re: diversity...it's a good thing.
 

ROTFLMAO!!!!!

I don't think diversity is a prerequisite for being a top greek system. After all, we're talking about sororities and fraternities here, not a microcosm of society.

I would add the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) to the list. Oxford is extremely fratty and Ole Miss is all about greek life.

Agreed...as of this Spring 2006 Ole Miss has 3663 students in Greek organizations (NPC, IFC, NPHC) out of 11,651 undergraduate students. So that would be about 31.4% of undergrads are in Greek orgs. I don't know if that constitutes for a big enough percentage but it sure is a pretty big deal to be Greek at Ole Miss. You could say that 1 out of 3 students at Ole Miss join a Greek organization.

2075 are in 9 NPC groups
1497 are in 15 IFC groups
91 are in 7 NPHC groups

Miami of Ohio, Kansas State?! This list is no good

I completely agree about Ole Miss. However, on a side note, I think that having a large percentage in the greek system isnt necc indicative of a strong system. For example, you have similar schools like Alabama or Auburn who have a lesser number, but the greeks have a large presence. I think a possible quality of a good greek school is when the greeks are quite distinct from the rest of the student body, and also hold a disproportionate amount of campus clout.

That list is a joke. Diversity has nothing to do with a school having a strong greek system. I would say power, presence on campus, how much pull you have with the university, etc. etc. are all strong indicators.

In no particular order:

1.)Alabama
2.)Georgia
3.)Ole Miss
4.)Washington and Lee
5.)Sewanee
6.)Texas
7.)South Carolina
8.)LSU
9.)Auburn
10.)Vanderbilt

any southern bias present?

Not being biased. Sorry, but the strongest greek schools are in the South, as are the strongest and most competitive chapters.

How do you know that? Have you visited the schools on the list? Have you been to Penn State, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Miami of Ohio or any other schools?

There are great chapters/systems in the South. There are great chapters/systems in every other area of the country as well. This "strongest chapters are in the South" thing is out of control. Even if there is a difference in culture in the South, that doesn't necessarily make it better.

I'm not much of a believer in The Princeton Review. A couple of years ago, my alma mater was listed as one of the ten top Greek Schools in the country. There's just no way that's true -- not even close. Although the system there is strong, it's not one of the best. I think their surveys are are highly unscientific and prone to error depending on how many students from any given school choose to respond.

But to say that all of the best Greek schools are in the South is an arrogant slap in the face to a lot of excellent Greek systems in the rest of the country.

Yes actually, I have been to every school on my list more than once. I have also been to enough schools outside of the South to realize that greek life is completely different and doesn't hold a candle to what it is like down here.

Sorry you feel that is "an arrogant slap in the face." Didn't realize you were so easily offended.

It's not a slap to me -- my school isn't on the list and shouldn't be. But you misunderstand -- the question is have you been to every school on the original Princeton Review list -- not yours. I've never been to Centre College, Elon, Dartmouth or Drexel, so I don't feel qualified to comment on who is the best.

As a former division officer, though, and having televised college football and/or basketball on many different campuses, I have been to a lot of schools and chapters all over the country -- including a number of the ones on your list -- and I will stand by my comments. There are great chapters and systems all over -- some in what would seem to be very unlikely places.

To assume that all of the best chapters are at Southern schools is either arrogant or just misinformed.

Hi.

The Original post is Four Years Old.

So it's probably a little out-of-date.

Check the dates, kids, before you reply and get all bent out of shape.

This is the 2006 Princton Review ranking
 

1 University of Wisconsin-Madison
2 Ohio University-Athens
3 Lehigh University
4 University of California-Santa Barbara
5 SUNY at Albany
6 Indiana University - Bloomington
7 University of Mississippi :cool:
8 University of Iowa
9 University of Massachusetts-Amherst
10 Loyola University New Orleans

Damn, there's Ohio University again! I just don't see how that can be true, even though the "new" president (well, he's been there a couple of years now) is a BGLO member.

The last administration was, if not anti-Greek, neutral at best.

The system is good, but I can't see it as one of the best.

Maybe part of it is that O.U. was on both the Princeton and Playboy list of top ten Party Schools(?) That, I can buy at least.

That list isn't correct, Manning. The list you posted were the largest party schools as rated by the PR, which is inherently flawed in its "formula." The list for campuses with a "Major Frat(ernity) & Sorority Scene" is as follows: DePauw U, W&L, Birmingham-Southern, Wofford, Elon, Sewanee, Bucknell, Wasbash, SMU & TCU. U-IL polled at 12; Dartmouth at 13; Vandy at 15; Mississippi at 17. Six out of the top ten are in the South. :)

That being said, as someone who has been to both Northern & Southern schools with fellow Greek friends, the North does not hold a candle to Southern Greek life. They are two completely different animals. Thus it's like comparing apples & oranges. There are pros & cons to both systems, but I'll take a Southern school steeped in Greek life over a Northern one... any weekend and/or party night.

[QUOTE=DeltAlum]How do you know that? Have you visited the schools on the list? Have you been to Penn State, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Miami of Ohio or any other schools?

There are great chapters/systems in the South. There are great chapters/systems in every other area of the country as well. This "strongest chapters are in the South" thing is out of control. Even if there is a difference in culture in the South, that doesn't necessarily make it better.

QUOTE]

I agreed with Delt Alum. I have visit both Illinois and Miami of Ohio. both of their greek system is very solid.

Ok, there is no sense arguing. As sailboatsis said, it is like comparing apples to oranges. Nothing holds a candle to the Southern Greek scene. You can argue it all you want but if you haven't ever been to a huge Southern Greek school and experienced it....then you are missing out. With that said, the list that she posted of schools with a major greek scene is also ridiculous and obviously flawed. Ole Miss and Vandy out of the Top Ten??? No mention of Alabama, Georgia, or Texas? That is beyond comprehension. And I am sorry but SMU and TCU have no business being in the top of that list. TCU has dorms for Greek housing. The atmosphere is great though and there are many fratty individuals. SMU is debatable....but there is far too wide a difference between top and bottom tier there. Also, the party scene there is rather drab.

And DeltAlum, yes, I have been to Illinois, Penn State, and Indiana.

Like many other things in life, what seperates the north and south regarding greek life is simply tradition.

A few years back, UCLA was pretty high up on Playboy's list. No offense to UCLA, people there are nice and all, but it has no right being anywhere on a Playboy list. Even in California, it just can't compare. On another Playboy list regarding bars, I went to a supposedly great one and it blew...all old people that should have stopped drinking and smoking years ago before their skin turned to leather (it would be acceptable if the women were young but they all looked like Bea Arthur). Either the list editors at Playboy have non-functioning penises or someone is paying them off.

-Rudey

OK, Bud. That does it. You've gone too far. I'm turning your butt over to the AARP. I'll tell them you're nearing fifty, and you won't have room in your mailbox (snail mail) because of all the recruitment stuff you'll be getting.

(And Ohio University was on BOTH lists -- so that must make it so!)

I'll have you know I get enough requests for donations from my college and mail from MBNA/Capital One for new credit cards that the AARP won't even be able to get into my mailbox.

-Rudey