Cindy Shen
Class of 2021
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Go Greek or No Greek? Friends and Fun as an Unaffiliated Sophomore
A sizable portion of student body is involved in Greek Life (sorority/fraternity life) at Dartmouth. So you might wonder: is being unaffiliated "social suicide?"
As a person who is unaffiliated by choice, I can confidently tell you that the answer is no.
Before I continue, keep in mind that you, dear reader (as a potential or incoming freshman), will have a full year on campus before you can even make the decision to rush a Greek house. That means that you'll have a decent idea of what sorority/fraternity life is like by the time you rush. Personally, I participated in the first round of sorority recruitment before dropping out. While finding another community on campus appealed to me, I realized during rush that I already had multiple communities on campus that didn't require my identity be tethered to a Greek label. I didn't see a point in continuing recruitment, and I've been really happy with my decision since.
For more perspective on this topic, here's my social life as a new sophomore, sans-affiliation:
- No. 1
Same Amazing Friends
At Dartmouth, you get to meet people from all sorts of backgrounds with different interests and hobbies. As a result, my friends are in an array of different clubs/organizations/activities on campus and a mix of affiliated and unaffiliated people. The addition of Greek Life hasn't changed my friendships at all; we're closer than ever.
- No. 2
Meeting 22s!
I've met a ton of '22s this term! This is Alisya, she's one of my lovely debate babies.
- No. 3
Ice Cream Outings
It's an autumn tradition to go to IC4U (Ice Cream Fore-You) and order a baby cone (that's actually giant). Rookie mistake if you order a small ... it's enough ice cream to feed a family.
- No. 4
Fencing Socials!
As the fencing team's outreach chair, I host community events (like this scavenger hunt!) to promote an inclusive and supportive atmosphere.
- No. 5
Formalities
I love dressing up. Thankfully, Dartmouth formals give me plenty of chances to do so. Many clubs, organizations, and LLCs on campus host their own formals, as do fraternities and sororities at the end of each term. Chances are, you'll have an overload of excuses to get dolled up.
- No. 6
Plenty of Glitter
As I've mentioned already, I love dressing up. When events have themes like outer space (pictured above), Pixar, or Hogwarts, I go all out.
- No. 7
#CuffingSZN
My biggest support is my best friend and roommate, Steph. This photo was taken at a #cuffingszn event with her sorority where we were "cuffed" together (as if we weren't already).
Posted 12/28/2018 at 12:30 PMAll List Posts
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