There are plenty of people in the world who are not into Greek Life. And there are plenty of schools that don't have Greek life. Vassar is one of those schools. That's right — no fraternities, no sororities, no crazy parties at giant mansions. We don't need Greek life, though — we have other student orgs that handle the drama and politics commonly associated with Greek life. To be fair, they're all super cool, and you shouldn't be afraid to approach them even if they seem as super-exclusive as Greek life would be elsewhere.
1. A cappella Groups
You're walking along the path late at night, back to the comfort of your own bed. Out of the darkness they come, rhythmically snapping, singing in four part-harmony, all in matching cardigans: the Axies, one of the nine Vassar a capella groups. A cappella groups are the biggest culprits of "accidentally being like Greek life", with a highly competitive audition process and different groups for your taste. Want to sing Disney songs and nothing but Disney songs? Are you into 90's nostalgia pop? Or are you a top-tier whistler? Or, like some people, are you highly competitive and want to be part of a group that will actually travel and make a name for themselves? Whatever you want to do the most, I guarantee that there is an a cappella group for you. And once you're in, that's a fast track to being known across campus for being some of the best around.
2. Musical Theater
Seriously. Future Waitstaff of America (or FWA for short) is more dramatic than the school's drama department. They've even got a catchy nickname for all their politics — FWAlitics. Geddit? Anyway, you'll be lucky if you get a role in a musical if you aren't already a well-established singer or involved in a choir/a cappella group. You have to make connections and know people. And the board is so much worse. Fighting for spaces that should rightfully go to straight plays (or — to be fair — sometimes should rightfully go to them, but don't) when they only put up two shows a semester? Gives me chills. And yet their shows garner a higher turnout than any other student theater production. Doesn't hurt that they're some of the nicest people around.
3. Circus Troupes
It's always disconcerting to see the Barefoot Monkeys around campus. When they're not throwing each other around the res quad, they're huddled together in the dining hall or, you know, breathing fire. Some of them have the haggard look of kids who have nothing to lose, but really, they have nothing to lose. Don't let their looks fool you. They're not actually clowns. And they're super talented at what they do, plus their concepts for their shows are spectacular.
4. Comedy Groups
Some comedy groups consist of the funniest people you've ever known. Some comedy groups consist of people who think slathering themselves in Nutella and grinding sensually on each other makes for a good running gag in their winter show (Disclaimer: it was at least memorable, if not totally hilarious). Some comedy groups are just plain bad. However, unlike any group on this list (with the possible exception of the Barefoot Monkeys) you will very rarely ever see a member of a comedy group without either the rest of their comedy group or members of another comedy group. I guess once you cross those kinds of boundaries, no one else is good enough for you.
5. Punks
No one...actually knows very much about these guys. The rumors circulate, though. Perhaps they are aliens? Perhaps they spend all their time in the basement of a house off campus drinking beer? Who knows. Even more rarely than the comedy groups will you see these guys out of the company of their fellow punks. But that's okay. A ton of them are involved in bringing some truly excellent music groups to do concerts on campus.
