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Author:
the informant

Message:
I'm leaving this review for all prospective and incoming students interested in joining a fraternity or knowing what the social scene is like at SCU. First and foremost, Santa Clara is a VERY small school compared to neighboring ones like Stanford and Berekely, so MOST of the social/party life is, unfortunately, concentrated in Greek life. From the two quarters that I spent on campus, not in a frat, I realized that SCU doesn't do very much in regards to having students socialize with others aside from clubs and the occasional ABP events which are OK at best. And I'm not putting all the blame on the school for the lack of socialization, but unless you're a social butterfly and heavily involved in clubs and intramurals, it's very difficult to meet new friends outside of your classes and actually go out together--especially since you have to go outside of Santa Clara to find something fun to do (which means you need a car). Most greek houses are located right next to campus along and around Bellomy st. which is the main 'frat row'. Most frats have a main house and several satellite houses that they rotate for parties no more than a 2-3 minute walk from campus which is ideal for most students. The first two-three weeks of fall quarter all parties are open so frats can 'scout' PNMs, but once rush starts they are only open to girls/mixing sororities. So if you're a guy not in a fraternity and don't have a lot of friends that like going out, you can bet you'll be spending your Friday nights in your dorm having major FOMO. That was me. It's worth noting that SCU doesn't affiliate with Greek Life so if you're not in a fraternity you really gotta be close with some of the brothers to get into parties--if that. And from personal experience, being the only 'GDI' at a mixer with frat bros that you don't know is really a mood killer. Now I'm not saying you NEED to be in a frat to party--Most frats throw 1-2 big day-parties every quarter that are always open to SCU students. Nonetheless, everyone has their own definition of fun so if you like to party 24/7 definitely go greek; but if you're a more reserved individual that wants to prioritize academics and only party occasionally, don't rush. The pledge process is 9-16 weeks depending on which frat you join and is basically a 9-5 job where you show your dedication and commitment to the fraternity. You can definitely get by and pass all your classes, but don't expect to be pledging and maintaining a 4.0 with 21 units. If you're trying to get out of your comfort zone and try something new, as I did, don't give in to the stereotype that having 'fun' in college strictly means going to parties and getting viciously intoxicated--because it's not. Sure parties are fun, but too much of one thing gets boring very quickly. I'm not going to say whether you should join a fraternity or not because it really is a question of what you're looking to get out of college. If you want to meet more friends and socialize, definitely join a club or intramural sports and if that's not you're vibe, rushing might be the way to go. We had a lot of guys drop in our class mid-pledging because they realized it just wasn't for them, and there was nothing but respect. I'll end off by saying don't think being in Greek life is the only way to have fun--exhaust your options and really figure out what it is that you're looking to get out of these four years.