University of Washington

[UWChica]

Hey! I will be attending UW this fall as a freshman and I was wondering if anyone could fill me in on their Greek life. I've visited UW's Panhellenic Association website so I'm already a little informed; yet, I was wondering if anyone could tell me first-hand what it's like?

Also, I'm planning to be a pre-med and possibly major in physiological psychology. I've heard that there is a huge amount of dedication involved if one decides to join a sorority, but will that get in the way of my dream of becoming a doctor?

Thanks for all your help!

[AlphaXiGirl31]

Hi! I'm in a sorority at the UW, and I love it. The Greek System at UW is pretty active, and it has definitely been a great way to meet people and get involved in a lot of different activities. Recruitment is usually pretty big--about 700 girls went through last year, which set some kind of a record. Unfortunately, not everyone is guaranteed a bid, so it can be a really stressful experience for some people.

Being in a sorority definitely requires committment, not just for three or four years but forever. Still, sororities recognize (and promote!) the fact that we are all in college to get an education. Members of sororities have really diversified majors, from biology, to communcations, to business, to hard-core engineering. I would definitely encourage you to go through recruitment in the fall since it's the best way to get a feel for the houses, and see where you would "fit" the best. All sixteen houses at UW have something really special to offer.

I hope that this helps! Good luck!

[canadajen]

congrats on being admitted to a great school Chica & welcome to our GC community!! ...

my name is Jen & I am an AGD alumna from about 2 hours north at UBC in Vancouver, Canada. Being fairly close, I have the opportunity to visit our Iota chapter down there on a number of different occasions, for road trips, etc. UW's greek system is AMAZING! From the physical houses to the countless numbers of students proudly wearing their letters all over campus, it's definitely a great place to go greek!

I believe that RxyChrldr is also in a sorority there - she pledged Delta Gamma this past year if I remember correctly.

Just my thoughts. Best of luck with your dream of becoming a docter and with rush this fall. Please, please do be sure to keep coming back & sharing your experiences with us ... trust me when I say that we'd ALL absolutely LOVE to hear about them!!

Take care,
Jen

Alpha Gamma Delta
Delta Zeta chapter '97

[RxyChrldr]

Hey there! I just am in between classes on my first day of Spring quarter and thought i'd post...UWChica, i'd definitely suggest going to Greek Weekend coming up here on April 19-20, you can go to the UW Panhellenic website for more information. The link is as follows:

http://students.washington.edu/~panh...ekweekend.html

Going Greek here at UW has been a great decision for me, and I think Greek Weekend could help you determine whether or not it would also be right for you

[Tom Earp]

UWChica, while it may sound silly to you, You go to School to learn correct?

Getting the academic line of it is a part! Getting an education by being a member of a Greek Organization is even bigger!

I learned more by starting a Fraternity than I did in 7 yrs of college! ( Smart how long comments)!

While you learn acadamia in classes, you will learn more when you get in the real world! R H Macys told me and the other new Jr. Execs. you learned to think in college, now we are going to train you about the retail business! We had a year of classes 2 times a week for a year! What helped me the most was what I learned by being in a Fraternity!

I had a fear of getting up in front of people! No S&^#! I held every position with the Local somewhat!

Because of that, and I am sure everyone on site will tell you the same thing, You will interact, have officerships, serve on committees, do grunt work, and anything else for the betterment of your Oranization and the Greek World as a whole!

You will learn how to be stupid, and proper, how to dreass for what, how to not look overly done up but to be subtle!

If you have any siblings, you will have more! They will be your Sisters and your Freinds!

No matter what Greek Organization you join, they are all good! You will become a member of an elite group, not just the Organization with which you affiliate with but people from GC who are as you can tell are all walks of life, organizations, and ages!

Good luck to you in the very near future! Remember, I have undrware in my drawer older than you are!

But remember, on this wite, we are all EQUALS and loved by each other!

[ThetaxiUW]

I guess there are only a couple people from UW here. Thats alright though. I have a lot of experience when it comes to living situations in college. I lived in the dorms here at UW. I lived in an apartment a couple blocks away down by Chi Psi's. And now I live in a fraternity. Theta Xi. Being a Metallurgical Engineering major, I also have a lot of studying that I need to do. I can tell you that you will be busy all the time. But you get used to it. College isn't suppose to be easy. Besides school, I work on campus, I am the House Manager, and I am the Event Chairman. Its funny though, your days get quicker and quicker. My recommendation... Go for it. It will be one of the greatest decisions in your life. At some points you may regret it, but for the most part, you'll enjoy it. Hope to see you at raids and maybe greek weekend. Want to meet some nice guys that weekend stop by Theta Xi and ask for Jay.

If you need a good laugh go to this website:

http://students.washington.edu/thetaxi/movies

then click on piphi.ra. It is hilarious. Its from a philanthropy this spring we just did. This was to benefit illiterate children. Two years in a row now. We have won two years in a row now.

Jay Yedinak
Theta Xi - Upsilon Chapter

"There's no blood in my alcohol stream ocifer!"

[CutiePie2000]

bump!

Thanks CP2000! I forgot this was here!

[PiPhiERDoc]

Hey UWChica,
I'm probably incredibly biased about this topic, but my personal belief is that being in my sorority HELPED me get into medical school -- all houses will emphasize good study habits and time management, two things that EVERY freshman struggles with at first. You will get help from your upperclassman in how they dealt with it, as well as a lot of moral support which can be invaluable.
I will also tell you that as a former member of the UW Medical School admissions committee, we were always much more impressed with applicants who had done more than just being "premed", ie lots of extracurricular activities. I was specifically asked about my leadership positions in Pi Beta Phi when I had my medical school interview!
One other advantage of being in a house is that you will have the chance to meet alumnae who would be thrilled to talk to you about their careers and mentor you....I have had a lot of the women in the chapter that I am an advisor for apply to medical school and it is really fun for me to be able to talk to them about my experiences as a doctor and a lifelong Pi Phi! I am still very involved with my chapter despite the demands of my residency program, because I still love being a Pi Phi and it has enriched my life in so many ways.
Best of luck to you !