Vanderbilt University - Greek Life

About 30 percent of Vandy men, and...

About 30 percent of Vandy men, and 50 percent of Vandy girls rush first semester—there’s definitely pressure to go Greek freshman year. However, numbers are down and University policy has been making it harder. It’s still a Greek school with social hierarchies, but one can enjoy themselves and not be a part of any of it.

Greek life is a big part of Vandy....

Greek life is a big part of Vandy. All frat parties are open to the student body, and there are lots of other things to do.

One major stereotype of Vanderbilt...

One major stereotype of Vanderbilt is that the Greek scene dominates the social life. Many students are not Greek. However, the Greek scene does provide a great option for everyone in weekend activities. There is always a fraternity party open to the Vanderbilt community. That, along with the fact that the houses are nonresidential, keeps the Greeks from becoming the elitists they tend to be at other colleges.

The guys have a really cool rush...

The guys have a really cool rush system, which lasts all first semester freshman year and basically consists of going to parties and meeting the brothers. The girls can’t talk to sorority girls all first semester because of some stupid rule, and their rush is about a week long right after winter break. Every Vandygirl hates rush, but no one ever speaks out against the tradition.

Perfect Blend

Greek life is a big part of campus, however it is not dominant. For girls, if you want to party and be independent, its extremely doable. Girls luck out in terms of free alcohol, getting into parties and such. For boys, sometimes you need to know a brother just to get in, and when alcohol gets limited by the end of the night, they get more selective about which boys get the beer. The houses are pretty small, because only six people live in them, the officers. Its a law in TN that if more than six girls live in a house, it is considered a brothel, so only six girls and boys live in the house. This makes greek life much less exclusive because all the greeks live mixed in with everyone else. Also, since rush is deferred to second semester, you make friends with people that are not going to be in your sorority or frat. All my friends are going to end up in different sororities, therefore you have your friends and your sorority friends. I think it is a great, inclusive system that controls the party scene, however it doesn't control the options on campus. There are plenty of people who don't participate that are never bored.