Mount Holyoke College - Greek Life

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

There is no Greek life on campus, and for a good reason, it seems. That kind of lifestyle just wouldn’t work here. Many, many students have said that the entire campus feels like one big sorority, and that’s very true. One of the reasons cited in other places for the importance of Greek life is that it helps to create close bonds between people who might otherwise not have those bonds. At a large, coed school, this may be so (although there are, of course, other ways of bonding with one’s peers that do not specifically require anything Greek), but at Mount Holyoke, it seems that those types of bonds occur naturally, in living, working, and playing with your fellow students. Everyone wathces out for another and all share pride in the school and its long tradition of educating women. Perhaps because there's already a sort of enclave, there isn't a need to create any separate enclaves within the larger one.

While it’s true that there are many student organizations on campus that are almost like separate enclaves, in the sense that they are smaller communities within the larger community, they don’t carry the automatic aura of exclusivity that Greek life does. There have been students who have felt disaffected by this and who have tried to bring Greek life to campus. Ultimately it was decided that the majority of students are very happy with the absence of sororities. So, for the time being, those looking for the benefits of Greek life will have to look elsewhere.

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Students Speak Out

divo92 says: Mount Holyoke College 2012 Undecided

There is no Greek Life on campus,... There is no Greek Life on campus, and I love it that way. At times, the entire campus feels like a sorority with the close-knit bonds and fun traditions. 12345 Greek Life: March 03, 2009 Report

MHCHT says: Mount Holyoke College 2013 Other

There is no official Greek life on... There is no official Greek life on campus. There are, however, more underground, secret groups that are formed but dissipate somewhat easily because they are not official. Also, if you are on an athletic team, that is a sort of pseudo-sorority. The field hockey team, for example, will often have formals with the football team at Amherst. 12345 Greek Life: March 03, 2009 Report

Anonymous says:

There are no sororities, unless... There are no sororities, unless you count the crew team! 12345 Greek Life Report

Anonymous says:

Mount Holyoke is such a warm,... Mount Holyoke is such a warm, welcoming community that it makes a ‘Greek life’ somewhat superfluous. Sometimes it feels as though the entire campus is one big sorority. I think that introducing a ‘Greek life’ to the campus would only create division, and what students want in a college (especially in a smaller one) is unity.’ 12345 Greek Life Report

Anonymous says:

Instead of sorority pledging we... Instead of sorority pledging we have Dis-O, but Dis-O (Disorientation) does dominate the social scene. I do not miss the fact that we do not have sororities. I consider the entire college an all-inclusive sisterhood, unlike a sorority which picks and chooses its members. 12345 Greek Life Report

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