The University of Texas at Austin Top Questions

Fraternities and Sororities

Greek Life is really popular. Shout to my fraternity - Beta Chi Theta. There are tons of business organizations, medical organizations pertaining to practically every single field out there (AMSA - american medical student association is a pretty big one). Honor societies are everywhere, I myself being a part of Alpha Lambda Delta. There are hundreds of service orgs, one in particular that i love is a organization called S.M.I.L.E (The goal of S.M.I.L.E. is to help the children of the surrounding community to improve their quality of life; whether it is through playdates for those with extended stays at the hospital, tutoring, or helping to raise funds for those in need and more -- taken from the utexas student orgs website). There is a organization for EVERYTHING. You can find the weirdest organizations out there at UT, there's an org for everyone.

Greek Life is really popular. Shout to my fraternity - Beta Chi Theta. There are tons of business organizations, medical organizations pertaining to practically every single field out there (AMSA - american medical student association is a pretty big one). Honor societies are everywhere, I myself being a part of Alpha Lambda Delta. There are hundreds of service orgs, one in particular that i love is a organization called S.M.I.L.E (The goal of S.M.I.L.E. is to help the children of the surrounding community to improve their quality of life; whether it is through playdates for those with extended stays at the hospital, tutoring, or helping to raise funds for those in need and more -- taken from the utexas student orgs website). There is a organization for EVERYTHING. You can find the weirdest organizations out there at UT, there's a org for everyone.

Athletics are definitely the most popular on campus. Longhorn football prevails. In addition, all of the Greek organizations are popular as well. Although those are the large organizations, many small organizations and clubs are just as popular with the diverse student pool.

There are many different kinds of student organizations. Most students usually join groups that pertain to their major. For example, I am a nursing major and I'm in this organization called S.M.I.L.E. (Students Making Impact through Love & Empathy). It's a volunteer organization to mainly play with children who undergo chemotherapy. It's to make the environment feel normal rather than abnormal. We are currently hosting this huge philanthropy event called St. Baldrick's. We have people who volunteer to shave their heads to raise money for pediatric cancer research. There are many events, so there is always something to do every weekend.

Greek life is popular and hugely represented in flashy neon colors on campus, but there's plenty of other clubs to get involved in. The West Mall and the area in front of Gregory gym are usually filled with booths from different clubs: Women in Law, The White Rose Society, Learn to Be, FACE AIDS. It's difficult to walk to class without getting a pamphlet of some sort shoved into your hands. I think one reason for the proliferation of so many clubs on campus is because UT can be a frighteningly big school, and clubs are a great way to make a quick circle of friends as a freshman. As for me, I was lucky enough to get into a small, tight-knit honors program that hosted many social events. My dormitory, also small, encouraged an open-door policy, and that was how I met some of my closest friends - some of whom I plan to live with off-campus next year. We find plenty of activities and often visit each other's clubs' social activities. After going to my friend's intramural volleyball game, I met one of my now-coworkers and my current boyfriend. The social scene on weekends is filled with frat parties, but it's definitely not the only option for the party-minded person. There's always the crowds on Sixth Street downtown and numerous apartments on West Campus blaring music until 4 in the morning. If drinking isn't your style, there's a lot to explore in Austin. There's a movement here against the development of massive chain stores, so most of the places you encounter are family-owned or small places with a very unique kick. There's always something to find in Austin.

Once you are on campus or near campus, you might say the Greek life is prominent at UT. However, something like 11{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the school population is involved with Greek life. There are too many organizations for one to be dominant.

Student orgs can range anywhere from reading clubs, political groups, dance teams, martial arts, poetry clubs, athletic clubs, Quidditch teams (yes, as in Harry Potter "flying broomsticks" Quidditch), religious groups, etc. Dorm life is great, especially for new students who want to make a lot of new friends, but off-campus life is great too! Athletic events are a pretty big deal at this school (Go Horns!), but if you're not into sports that's ok too! If you're a morning person, there are some pretty cool guys and gals hanging out in the coffee shops and grassy lawns on or near campus. If you're a night owl like myself, this city pretty much never sleeps (whether you stay up to study or stay up to party, you can always find a buddy to tag along with). If you're privileged enough to be 21 and up, 6th street is the place to be. But if you're not, there is (literally) a live music show somewhere in Austin every night, parties that are alcohol free, sporting events, and tons of outdoor activities (my favorite is climbing the local hills or paddleboarding on Town Lake). If you come to this university, make sure you do some exploring throughout downtown and the local communities, you'll be amazed at what you find.

We have a very large Greek population on campus, so that cannot go unnoticed. With massive frat parties and huge sorority houses, it is not even possible to miss it. But then underneath the Greek presence, we have another social community on campus made up of Spirit groups. These groups are both male and female and all are Service, Spirit, and Social organizations. Very similar to Greek life, they are much cheaper and do not have houses. Each has a philanthropy, is very involved with school athletics, and we all like to have fun as well! I am in a 120-member all girls organization called Texas Lassos, and joining was probably one of the best decisions I could have ever made! I have made all my friends through this organization, and there is always something to do between the parties, service events, and sports games to attend!