What makes Greek life "hot" in the south?

[ree-Xi]

I think that part of the issue is that in the northeast, we aren't necessarily "bred" to go to the same school as our parents, whereas in the South, several generations of families are affilated with a particular school.

Second, kids around here tend to want to "go away" to school, and end up somewhere brand new, and don't have the Greek connections that many in the south do. For example, I have read that sororities at some southern schools have girls picked out from certain high schools that they want to pledge. Without those connections, students may be less likely to have any insider knowledge into the system, let alone certain chapters or members.

Stories about girls dropping out because they didn't get the right bid are beyond my comprehension. Many kids who go away to school end up living around the area they went to school. Most of my friends never came back after college. Therefore, the roots just aren't planted as deeply as they are in the south.

Third, at many schools (like mine), the curriculum is "college prep" - meaning that they prepare you for college. Ninety-eight percent of my graduating class went to college immediately after graduating. We were encouraged to go to apply to schools with higher academic reputations above anything else; anything else was secondary. Very few people went to state schools; if they did, it was for financial reasons. (I am not saying that state schools lack academically; many private schools usually have a higher percentage of rejections than public universities).

From what I can remember, not too many kids from my HS went Greek. Out of my group of friends, only one other person did, and I remember some people looking down on that.