Having a good social scene was an important factor when deciding what college I wanted to attend. When it came to deciding between schools, I narrowed it down to USC and Notre Dame. The two could not be more opposite aside from the fact that they are both academically outstanding. USC has a huge Greek life that has a lot of fun and is very spirited. Notre Dame has no Greek life; instead, they have single sex dorms to which a student is randomly assigned. Each dorm has its own mascot and colors to represent it, and I knew the school as a whole was very spirited. I had to choose. I decided to leave the Greek life behind and go to Notre Dame and take a chance with this odd dorm structure. I have no regrets and this is why.
Diversity
I became friends with people I may have never even met otherwise. Roommates are assigned randomly freshman year at Notre Dame. That gave me the opportunity to meet my wonderful roommate who is now one of my closest friends. She and I do not have that much in common, but we get along very well and have introduced each other to new music, books, and hobbies. If it wasn't for the random rooming situation, she and I may not have become so close. Since we were all randomly assigned dorms, there are all different kinds of girls that make up each dorm. You aren't going to love all of them, but you will find your friends quickly and grow friendships with people you may have never met otherwise. There is no conformity to anything within the dorm. Everyone is their own person and owns it.
It's free
I know not all sororities charge huge fees, but a big reason I did not want to participate in Greek life was because (at least at USC) it was expensive. It's like paying to be a part of an exclusive friend group, which I couldn't afford nor was it what I wanted.
No crazy frat life
Although we definitely have those stereotypical frat boys (Alumni Hall), the rowdiness of all the fraternity houses and hazing is not very present on campus. I personally feel a little bit safer knowing that there aren't fraternity standards that boys are trying to live up to. They have their family in their dorm.
Non-Exclusive
No one gets left out of anything. We are all in the same boat with dorm assignments. The random dorm assignments promote kindness and acceptance of different personalities. And if there is someone you are not fond of, you have to learn to handle that relationship in a mature manner because there is no switching your freshman year.
Guaranteed housing for four years!
Freshman are required to live on campus, like most schools. What's different about Notre Dame is that you don't have to struggle to find a place to live along with two other full class years. You are guaranteed a spot in your old dorm or possibly a friend's dorm if you apply to switch. This keeps friends/ family together. Also, since the dorms are not separated by class year, you can meet and help the freshman and other new students coming in.
The parties are so much fun, but definitely not like a frat house
You won't find people jumping off a roof into a pool, but that is mostly because it is Indiana and who has an outdoor pool in Indiana? Many of the parties are over by 2:30 AM, which can be a plus or minus depending on who you are. Also, the best part, there is no "Who do you know here?" as soon as you enter the party. Usually everyone is welcome. Guys may need to pay $5.00 if the drinks are provided, but it is open to everyone. This makes the socializing a lot friendlier, and it is more likely you'll see a lot of your friends at the party.
Dorms make you feel comfortable.
The single sex dorms do have their downsides when it comes to socializing with the opposite sex, but I think that is overshadowed by the relief a girl or guy can feel just walking out of the shower in a towel and not worrying about encountering an awkward situation. Living in an all girls dorm makes me feel like I am in a semi-sorority family, minus the rushing. And I know that my guy friends feel the same
In a guy's opinion:
"I like that the best friends I have at Notre Dame are in my dorm, and that everyone treats the dorm as if it's their family, and you'll help out someone who's in your dorm even if you're not friends with them".
--Matt
"Well I think it creates a community that has less standards and pressure than a Greek life system does, but it offers a lot of similar positive qualities. It kind of takes the best parts of Greek life, like community, brother/sisterhood, dances, fundraising events, etc., and gets rid of all the not so good parts, like the pressures of rushing, hazing, etc.".
--Bobby
"It's great for just hanging out with your boys and being gross and stuff, you know, just being boys. You can always find someone to play basketball, FIFA, Smash Bros or other video games with. They're right across the hall of right up the stairs. You also never have to wear a shirt which is way more relaxing".
-- Sean
"Being across the hall from my best friend is great. Also there is a relative privacy that I don't think would be possible in a fraternity. Also, I have made a lot of great friends who are different from me."
-- Boris
