Greek life can be a huge part of an individual’s college experience; however, Greek life can be very different depending on the school and the environment. Seeing that Pace University is in the heart of Manhattan, most people do not realize that Pace University offers sororities and fraternities. Here are some differences between Greek life at a more traditional campus vs. an urban one, such as Pace.
1.There is no such thing as Greek Row or Greek housing in general: We live in Manhattan where a traditional-style house cannot be found anywhere on this island; where getting an apartment big enough to fit everyone from your chapter is simply impossible, unlike the massive Sorority and Fraternity houses most college campuses have.
2.We rent out clubs and bars for most of our parties or events: Since we do not have houses and can’t fit all of Greek life into our very small studio apartments, we have our events elsewhere. It is super cool having formal at a popular NYC club, though.
3.We all live in NYC and have super busy schedules so we might not see each other as often as we would like: Compared to Greek life at traditional colleges we aren’t together 24/7. Along with being in a sorority or fraternity we also juggle school work, jobs, internships, other clubs and so much more.
4.Most of our sisters/brothers don’t even live on campus: Pace is a huge commuter school, whether students commute from out of state or just from all over New York we are not able to constantly get a hold of each other right away. Some may think commuting to be in a Greek organization is not worth it, but when it is something you care about with people you care about you will have no issue making time for them.
5.Greek life here is very small: While other colleges are known for having 10+ sororities and fraternities with 200+ members in each, Pace does not. Here we only have 3 National Sororities and 3 Fraternities. Each ranging from 40-70 members.
Overall, aside from these differences we are all still Greek Organizations who work towards a greater cause, being there for one another, and sharing something special. Even though it may be a little different then what’s in the movies, it’s something so amazing.