Hey tulip86, glad I can be the cultural ambassador here!
No, there's not a tiny bit of school spirit here and it's sad. It's really only changing now because schools finally realize they have to compete internationally - now that we have the Bachelor/Master system.
Actually, last year I had a class with a whole lot of International Master students (I am in a program with a German degree called Diplom, we are only changing the system now) and they all were quite shocked by a number of differences. They weren't all from the US but also from Mexico and other countries, and they were very shocked about the following:
- no school spirit
- no friendly/helpful attitude in administrative units, etc (because schools are state owned (98%) and hardly any sponsoring, etc allowed- therefore no 'service' attitude)
- incredibly difficult to get good grades here (depends on the actual school and department, but at my school, you absolutely excel(!) with a B)..doesn't really matter to find work in Germany, because people know what the grades really mean in here, but makes it harder to find work abroad/in your home country
- failing and retake the test is very common- and they're only offered twice a year
...but I feel I am kinda not sticking to the topic here
And yes, I have been wondering if others (at least who have studied abroad) have felt the need for this other kind of sorority. I can't be the only one!
Oh, and thanks for your understanding Tulip
You really can't compare the German sororities/fraternities to the American ones.
I have a friend, 50% of whose male friends are in a "high school" fraternity. I have seen them out and about and they are definitely not the kind of people I'd like to surround myself with.... seems that rich parents, snobby attitude and drinking skills get you in. Only topic to talk about seems to be the latest internship at that oh so elitist consultancy. Not for me.
Even getting involved at school is not "cool" and considered "nerdy", if anything. Can you guys believe this??