[LAblondeGPhi]

I'm also a California Greek, having graduated UCLA a few years ago. To me, the Greek system is decently strong in California, though I could be biased because Gamma Phi Beta has almost twenty chapters throughout the state. I therefore felt that there was a large, strong sisterhood nearby.

I do think that many Greeks in California are less fanatical (fanatical in a good way) about their membership than in other areas of the country. I know I've experienced mixed views on my fanaticism, both from other Greeks and non-Greeks, both in and post-college.

Since I've also participated in pageants, I think there's a good analogy between the perception of pageants and sororities throughout the country. In the South, these two activities are highly encouraged, trained for, and competitive. In California, the system is still robust, but you'll see a lower percentage of eligible women actually participating, and the experience is often more relaxed. When I went through recruitment, I had no recs and no idea what I was doing - I even missed a day of rush because I just didn't know it'd be a big deal!

Back to the main point - there are plenty of schools in Southern California with strong and long-established Greek systems. I'm less familiar with the Northern CA Greek climate, though I have heard that UC-Santa Cruz is one of the less traditional Greek systems in the state. Most of my friends from high school wound up Greek at schools such as USD, Chapman, CSU-Fullerton, CSU-Long Beach, USC, UCLA, UC-Santa Barbara, and UC-Irvine. So to me, that's a pretty strong statement about Greek life if so many men and women, who went to so many different campuses, went Greek.