Did you cry when you turned 11 and didn’t receive your Hogwarts acceptance letter? Come on, I know we all did. While Hogwarts played a huge role in many of our childhoods, teen years, there’s still a glimmer of Hogwarts present at UIUC to this day. There’s a lot of similarities between U of I Greek houses and Harry Potter houses, and there really is a house for everyone -- see for yourself.
The Slytherins
We all know these people. Slytherin has been “top hau5” for a while, considering they are on everyone’s radar and love to make themselves seen and heard wherever they go. When you see them at bars, the first thing they ask is, “what house are you in?” Before you even get a chance to respond they announce, “I’m a Slytherin!” There indeed are many attractive, well-dressed Slytherins, however, they have been on the decline because no one actually enjoys being around the Slytherins, no matter how good they look.
Slytherins
tend to think very highly of themselves because they wear the finest robes, ride really nice Nimbus2014s that their daddy bought them and their parents all hold prestigious positions with the ministry or school council, and have strong ties to the house as alumni -- largely because they shovel out loads of galleons to the house every year. No one really wants to join Slytherin anymore after Harry’s whole “not Slytherin” episode with the sorting hat. But for some, if the sorting hat doesn’t give them a bid to Slytherin, they will be devastated and their, “father will hear about this!”
While they may not be the nicest, and they can be pretty exclusive about hanging out with other houses, the Slytherins sure seem to enjoy each other’s company, and they tend to go pretty hard. Like it or not, Slytherins do achieve greatness by any means necessary, and they have a phenomenal presence on campus, in addition to a fantastic alumni network with many connections available after completion of school.
Note-worthy alumni include Professor Severus Snape, Bellatrix Lestrange, Tom Riddle, a.k.a., Lord Voldemort and Merlin himself.
The Gryffindors
Aww, those Gryffindors. It’s really hard to hate on them, because they tend to be all-around sweethearts with heroic intentions and fantastic personalities. Gryffindors are generally well-liked among their peers on campus. They’re a pretty good house overall, with reason, as people do notice them just as much as the Slytherins, even though they stay pretty low-key.
People tend to prefer hanging out with Gryffindors, as they’re not stuck up like the Slytherins, and they’re much more laid back and fun. There are lots of attractive Gryffindors, but they don’t care about status or having “pure blood” like the Slytherins do; they’d rather just sort the students with the best personalities. They are always pretty good at Quidditch -- without having to buy their way in, like Malfoy. They win the house cup a decent amount of the time.
They keep it classy and chill when out for a night of butterbeer consumption. Who wouldn’t want to share a butterbeer with Fred (R.I.P.) or George Weasley?
Gryffindors tend to be extremely brave and selfless and, thus, have the absolute best philanthropy on campus -- saving the castle from Voldemort nearly every year. They do get some hate from the Slytherins, but it is only because Slytherin wishes they could be as talented, yet humble, as Gryffindor. Gryffindor also has great alumni connections. Many land fantastic jobs after school such, as Aurors, professors and top positions with the ministry.
Some note-worthy alumni include Professor Minerva McGonagall, Sirius Black, Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore.
The Ravenclaws
There’s not a whole lot to say about Ravenclaw, as they tend to keep it pretty low key and stay off the radar, due to their emphasis on schoolwork. Ravenclaws are the smartest house on campus; they value intellect and cleverness. Additionally, Ravenclaw values wit. Generally, Ravenclaws tend to be pretty funny and they don’t take themselves (or the sorting hat) too seriously.
However they are really intense about grades, and it shows, as many Ravenclaws don’t party a ton and they always have a really high GPA. You probably won’t see Ravenclaws out at The Three Broomsticks on a Monday night; they have a midterm in a month that they have to start studying for! Even though they are really intense about grades, they still have a fun side. On the rare occasion that they do make it out on the town, they go hard in the floo powder. After all, the inventor of floo powder was a Ravenclaw. If you get the rare chance to see a Ravenclaw out at The Three Broomsticks (or The Leaky Cauldron), you will be pleasantly surprised when you talk to them, considering many are good-looking and they can hold an intelligent conversation.
Although people tend to forget about Ravenclaws because they are so studious, they still have many fun, low-key members who will make you laugh. If you want to have a conversation about something more stimulating than “how excited you are for the pumpkin spice pasties this season,” you should definitely befriend some Ravenclaws.
There aren’t a whole lot of famous Ravenclaw alumni, but some beloved ones include Luna Lovegood, Cho Chang, Moaning Myrtle and Professor Filius Flitwick.
The Hufflepuffs
I almost forgot about them! They are the house people often overlook or forget about. But they’re really nice! The key trait for identifying a Hufflepuff is that they make fantastic friends. Hufflepuffs are loyal and true, genuinely nice people. They don’t care what anyone else thinks; they do their own thing, stay true to themselves, and stay away from drama. These are some of the most selfless, genuine, friendly students in the entire school.
People forget about them, at times, because they tend to stay out of the spotlight and stick to themselves. They might not be the absolute hottest, smartest or biggest party animals, but they are super sweet and have great brotherhood and sisterhood. Hufflepuffs really don’t care about competing with other houses or about looks, but there are still plenty of attractive ones. Let’s not forget that Cedric Diggory was a Hufflepuff.
Some houses may judge them because they don’t amount to anything as significant as the other three houses, but they are perfectly content doing their own thing and being their friendly, chipper selves. If you want to make genuine, long-lasting friendships, and stay away from cattiness (a la Mrs. Norris), you should definitely rush Hufflepuff.
Similarly to Ravenclaw, there aren’t many famous Hufflepuffs, but some memorable Hufflepuffs include Professor Pomona Sprout, The Fat Friar, Nymphadora Tonks and Cedric Diggory.
If you really want to know what house you truly belong in, go and get sorted on pottermore.com. The results may shock you. I’m a Slytherin! Clearly, there are some significant similarities between U of I’s Greek houses and Harry Potter’s, but these are just exaggerated stereotypes of some of the people you’ll meet in U of I’s Greek system. All houses have some sort of reputation, but there is more to people than their house. Each house is special in its own way and there really is a place for everyone. Don’t judge a house by its wizards!
