social scene

It's easier to be in a sorority since they have social chairs that will put together parties for you. I have a lot of friends who aren't in sororities that still go to off campus parties & will come to after hours at fraternities.
Don't join a sorority for the social aspect. That's just a small part of being in a house. If you don't like the girls you're surrounded by at these parties, you won't have a good time and it's not worth it.

You can only go to afters since every party is closed until a certain time

I'm a sophomore and not in a sorority. I never have a problem finding places to go out to. However, it's up to you to make connections with people on campus (sports teams, people who live off campus, bars, etc.). Greek life is the easiest way to make those connections, but it's just one large social group in my opinion. I'm rushing this semester, but not for the parties. Like the other person said, that shouldn't be a reason to rush.

most people start out joining greek life for the parties. It makes sense because its the one thing that people know about. sororities do a lot of other things such as philanthropies (raising money for non-profits they are nationally affiliated with) having sisterhood events (getting to know all the sisters in their chapter better) and scholarship (getting better GPAs, study hours, getting internships etc). Going out if you aren't in a chapter is just different, you have to go to after hours and you are more limited to the bars or house parties. Don't just join a chapter because of the socials, because being in one is a time commitment. I always think its a good idea to try it though!

In 2012-2014 the social scene was insane and there were parties everywhere on south campus and off main campus. But things changed a lot and they cracked down a lot after we ranked top party school in the country in 2013-2014... the administration was not having it and things have never been the same ever since. Plus the people who earned that reputation for SU all graduated in the classes of 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.