University of Pennsylvania - Greek Life

Greek life is very visible, and I...

Greek life is very visible, and I like going to frats or sororities. Usually sororities have off-campus parties at clubs, but they occasionally have some at their houses. However, if you don’t like Greek stuff, there is plenty else to do, like theater or sports. Every sports team—varsity and IM—has houses and parties. Theater groups also have parties. There are parties every weekend first semester and a bit fewer during second semester because of pledging, but you will still be able to find things to do. During first semester, there are usually parties Thursday-Saturday. Second semester, you may miss a night here or there, but hanging around with friends or going to a club, sporting event, or other party are usually the main activities on those rare nights where no frats have parties. I’d say that Penn is the social Ivy.

The parties on campus are...

The parties on campus are unusually plentiful and enjoyable, especially for an Ivy. All of the frat houses try to sponsor parties on a regular basis. Some of my favorite host frats are SAE, AEPi, Pike, and Tep. And you can find parties regularly in the high-rise apartments and in non-Greek houses on campus. The frat parties range from lively dance parties with loud music and cheap beer to more cozy environments with hard liquor and frat brothers ever so eager to show you a tour of upstairs.

I was skeptical about Greek life...

I was skeptical about Greek life but ended up rushing, and it was the best decision I have ever made. You can definitely have fun and survive on campus without joining, but it is such a great experience.

A pretty large percentage of...

A pretty large percentage of socially-active kids at Penn are Greek-affiliated. It is certainly feels dominant and can be very frustrating. However, people tend to drift away from the Greek scene after sophomore year, and there’s still plenty to do if it’s not your scene. It’s a question of how hard you’re willing to look in order to find it.

I would say it doesn’t dominate...

I would say it doesn’t dominate the social scene, but then again, I’m not in a frat. Probably most people in frats would say it dominates the social scene, so I don’t know. I’ve hung out in some of their parties; they’re okay, but they’re not the best. The hygiene really sucks sometimes.