Saint Louis University Top Questions

Greek life pretty much runs SLU social life. From bus parties to philanthropy weeks to typical weekends, most are affiliated with the greeks. Lots of girls here. There are a good amount of attractive ones too. There can be something to do every day of the week. Drinking or not drinking. Moolah mondays, penny pitchers, lacledes, iggys, joe boes for the drinkers. Otherwise, there's intramurals, decent amount of student activities board stuff, etc. SLU is pretty close to many awesome st.louis attractions: the loop (blueberry hill,pageant), forest park, the zoo, downtown (busch stadium), and more. By the way, we're all huge cardinals fans.

The secret: Go off campus. SLU is in the middle of a major urban area with many, many options for fun any night of the week. The trouble is that you either have to have a car or -gasp!- have to be willing to walk or use public transit. That freaks a lot of the ex-suburban kids out, but, if they can get over it, there's a whole world of things to do within a few miles of campus. SLU itself also has a lot of good ways to be involved on campus. The student newspaper is a blast, for instance.

One thing that I wasn't sure about when I came to SLU was the party scene. After being there for a year, I can say that it's not the typical college party life. If partying is what you want, then it's available. However, partying isn't the end-all-be-all of SLU social life. Most people enjoy just hanging out with others and having fun without being drunk every night.

We've got a club for just about everyone and a relatively easy way to charter clubs if the one you're looking for doesn't exist. I'm actively involved in Amnesty International and Big Brothers Big Sisters. There are a number of alcohol alternatives every month sponsored by different clubs and also by Residence Life. As an RA, I spent lots of time planning dances, cook-outs, and other activities that give students something to do on campus on weekends. Late-night activities include Jimmy Johns and White Castle runs, studying like mad (yeah, it happens), and movie and game nights. We have a fairly large population of students involved in Greek life, but you can definitely survive on campus without being in a fraternity/sorority.

There are so many things to do on campus. I am very closely involved with Una, the feminist organization. We host speakers, movie nights, socials, Love Your Body Day, Take Back the Night, and VDay (including the Vagina Monologues). We fundraise and volunteer for local organizations called Karen House (Catholic Worker House of Hospitality for women and children) and the Women's Safe House (a safe house protecting women and their children fleeing abusive situations). I love this group, because it tackles an issue that everyone can relate to. We have members who are way to shy to ever perform in the Vagina Monologues, for example, but they help lead our craft nights or direct us in preparing food for dinner at Karen House. We also do alot of collaborative work with other groups, which helps us get to know lots of other people. I'm glad that Greek Life is not important at SLU. A very small percentage of students are involved in sororities or fraternities. I have friends who are, and they like it, but it doesn't define who they are. Its not something I have ever felt motivated to join. There is alot to do at SLU if you don't drink. Alot of my friends don't drink, and they feel comfortable going to parties and bars to dance. Other prefer to explore the city more. SLU is located right in Grand Center (http://www.grandcenter.org/) in Midtown, so there are dozens of restaurants, art galleries, and performance venues within blocks! A few nights a year, all the art galleries on Washington Blvd. stay open late and you can gallery-hop! Also, SLU is right on the Metro line, so it is easy to get to the Loop (lots of great Thai restaurants) or down to the Landing (lots of dancing options). One of my other favorite things to do is to go to the City Museum (http://www.citymuseum.org/home.asp). It is open late on weekend nights, but its hard to get to without a car. It is a huge playground for all ages! Another great thing about St. Louis is Forest Park. In the summers "Shakespeare in the Park" is free every night, bring your own blanket! There are countless other shows that they offer on the lawn in front of the Art Museum (which is also free). In the winter, there is an ice rink!

There are over 100 activities and the social life is very outgoing. Always something to do only problem is you cant always do it all or you will not pass because you have to constantly study.

I love SLUs social life. There are so many social groups to get involved with and theres something for everyone! I'm involved with Greek Life and am a member of the Delta Gamma sorority. The sororities and fraternaties have the highest average GPA out of the entire student body. We're not your "stereotypical" sorority girls. Greek life makes a huge impact on campus and the community. We spend so much time with our different philanthropies. There are 6 sororities and 12 fraternaties. But even if you're not interested in Greek life, you can find something at SLU that is best for you, no doubt.

Greek life is not a necessity.

There aren't a lot of parties at SLU because the Greek parties are at bars off campus. This can be a pain because you have to wait for a bus to take you there, but it's a lot better than drinking and driving, and a lot of students don't have cars anyway. There are a lot of traditions at SLU and almost all students have pride in the university.

People party as much as they want to at SLU, but the drinking rules are rigid on campus, as a co-hab rules (having a member of the opposite sex stay overnight in your room).