Sororities at Columbia

[tunatartare]

SQuack, (LOVE the name by the way), I had a lot of friends who went to Columbia, as well as one friend who was an SDT there. (And I say was not is, because she seemed to forget about the sorority the second that she left college.) From what I understand, Greek Life is not looked down upon it there, one of the biggest party/campus-wide events is thrown by one of the fraternities there. The reason that there are only four NPC sororities is that because the school is in NYC and it's so big, girls who come there see sorority life as a social life thing and feel that they can get the same without being in one. There are girls from all over who join sororities at Columbia, it gives you a sense of a family away from home. If you look at the Delta Gamma website, it lists where all of their sisters are from. There were several sisters from various countries. Best of luck to you. If you have any questions, feel free to pm me!

[kchaptergphib]

squack,
First, congrats on starting at Columbia, it was one of my top choices, so I'm excited for you to just get to go to school there!
I'm also especially happy that you're interested in checking out greek life; yea for northern greeks.
I also find it kind of sad that Columbia only has 4 NPC groups, especially considering that two NPC groups were started at Barnard/Columbia. I'm sure part of the reason is that way, way back (early 1900's) all sororities were closed at Barnard. And with that interesting relationship between Barnard and Columbia, some later recolonized at Barnard, some opened chapters at Columbia, etc.
But enjoy checking out the NPC groups that are there, and keep us updated!

[tunatartare]

Originally Posted by kchaptergphib

squack,
First, congrats on starting at Columbia, it was one of my top choices, so I'm excited for you to just get to go to school there!
I'm also especially happy that you're interested in checking out greek life; yea for northern greeks.
I also find it kind of sad that Columbia only has 4 NPC groups, especially considering that two NPC groups were started at Barnard/Columbia. I'm sure part of the reason is that way, way back (early 1900's) all sororities were closed at Barnard. And with that interesting relationship between Barnard and Columbia, some later recolonized at Barnard, some opened chapters at Columbia, etc.
But enjoy checking out the NPC groups that are there, and keep us updated!

kchaptergphib, Barnard does not allow sororities at all. No sororities recolonized there after they closed. However, because Barnard and Columbia are affiliated and are located across the street from each other, Barnard women are allowed to join the sororities (and any other student organizations) at Columbia.

[IvySpice]

Is being Greek looked down upon or is it that most people aren't that aware?

I'm no expert on sorority life in general, but I do know about Columbia.

The truth is that YES, some non-affiliated people will look down on you for being in a sorority at Barnard/Columbia. It doesn't mean that they are right to do it, or that you should care. But in contrast to some campuses, especially in other parts of the country, going Greek at Columbia is not especially associated with leadership, prominence on campus, or popularity one way or the other. It's just one more thing that some kids do. It doesn't sound like you're interested in a sorority for image-related reasons, anyway, but that's the answer to your question.

Regarding time management, virtually everyone at Columbia will be deeply involved in at least one activity outside of school, and often more. You would not have gotten in if they didn't expect you to do the same and handle the pressure well. You might think about this not in terms of whether you'll be able to handle school plus sorority, but about which activities you want to prioritize in your limited time. So school plus sorority plus intramural basketball is probably doable; school plus sorority plus an a cappella group plus writing for the Spectator plus running a peer health education program might not be (at least not freshman year). When you get to campus in the fall, there will be opportunities for you to learn more about all different kinds of involvement, so just go and check everything out and see what speaks to you the most.