Pepperdine University Top Questions

The most popular organizations on campus are the sororities and fraternities, though it is not as necessary to join one as at other schools. Pepperdine is such a small school that you can be friends with people from several different sororities/fraternities without actually being hooked into Greek life. The main advantage of joining one is the number of activities they provide. In a conservative school in an not-very-happening town, they provide most of the outlets for fun (with the exception of the church group, which also provides some activities). Outside of these activities, most of the fun is fairly low-key, perhaps limited to dorm activities. Unfortunately, as I said before, there is not much to do in Malibu, so you are forced to go a long way for reasonably-priced shopping or movie theaters or clubs. Moreover, Pepperdine is a dry campus and this is definitely enforced. So if you plan on drinking, you have to do it off-campus or better yet, not at all.

none. if you want to party go to USC. that's where all pepperdine kids go to party. some go to the frat parties that are held once a semester.

athletic events are somewhat popular at Pepperdine. however, because we do not excel in any major sport (besides volleyball, of course), the games are not always in high attendance. theater is not very widely attended, but there are two events each year that no one misses: Dance in Flight and Songfest. DIF is basically a concert of different dance numbers in different styles and it is a great show. I participated in this show this past year as a dancer. Songfest is sort of a battle among sororities and fraternities to see who can put on the best "mini-musical" and it is very fun to watch. the dating scene at pepp is hit or miss. we always hear of people getting married, but we don't hear much about people getting together or dating around. my closest friends ended up being my suitemates, especially my roommate, but this is not always the case. suitemates often do not get along, in which case people meet friends in class or through other friends or clubs, or even church. if i'm awake at 2 am on a tuesday, i'm either studying or definitely off-campus. there is nothing to do on-campus late at night and the party scene is dismal. partying off-campus at pepp students' parties can be very fun, though. soro/frats are very important at pepp; the percentages are very high and the "in" crowd will always be in sororities and fraternities. I would say that for the most part, more girls are in sororities than guys in fraternities, and this is because it is more important to girls at pepp. there are places to go dancing off-campus, but most of them are far. spumoni's is fun if there are people there. you will probably spend alot of your time off-campus (i know i did), unless you like the caf food. it is decent but i preferred eating out.

Frat/Sorority dominate social life. However, Greek life @ Pepp is very different from other schools, and less secluded. On campus events are rarely popular. Songfest is the only thing that really seems to have a large following. Traditions: not much...streaking during finals, but if DPS gets you, you're fucked. Tons of cool shit in LA though, which aint too far, but you NEED A CAR. There is 0 public transportation.

College is different from high school in the sense that there are no "popular" groups. People do their own things and you tend to have friends in other scenes. People in theatre may have friends involved in greek life, etc. It's probably important to get involved in Greek life at this school, it comes with a social network which is good for freshmen. At the very least, participate in rush, you get a lot of free meals. Dating is pretty scarce at this school, good luck with that. You might hook up with some people, but the dating scene is really slim.

Fraternities and sororities are definitely a part of Pepperdine life, though not as much as other places. There are two distinct communities - the Greek and the non-Greek. The two groups don't affiliate with each other as much as many would like, but there is some cooperation. There are seven sororities on campus, all very different, and all great. There are four fraternities (formerly five, but one is no longer involved on campus due to judicial action taken by the administration). On that note, there have actually been two fraternities kicked off of Pepperdine's campus in the past ten years due to judicial action. Underage drinking, and in fact, drunkenness even of those of age, is not tolerated by the administration. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen, obviously. There are parties, they are just more underground than at a lot of other institutions. You have to know the right people to party a whole lot. Dating is odd, but fun if you can just jump in with both feet. Relationships are the trend, but that doesn't mean casual dating doesn't happen. I would say social life is well-balanced.

First off, Pepperdine is a dry campus, so partying on campus doesn't happen. Further, Malibu regulates the number of people that can live in a house, so none of the frats or sororities have houses. As such, most students who wanna party over the weekend (or anytime) head over to USC or UCLA, both of which are within 45 minutes away. Students who don't drink may be found at one of the theater performances on campus, a concert somewhere in Hollywood, or the beach (which is amazing on a warm night). Getting some studying in isn't usually a bad idea, either. Speaking of Geek life, probably about 1/3 of the students are involved. However, because there is no housing and because Pepperdine is extremely strict on underage drinking, they have only some resemblence to the stereotypical Greek groups. The dating scene is okay. There are a lot of "college marriages," but there are definitely hookups as well. Guys, if you're gonna take your girl out, make sure you've got cash to spare, because most places aren't cheap.

Sororities and fraternities are fairly popular. They're a really big deal for the people in them, and not at all a big deal for those who aren't. Other than that there aren't a lot of active clubs on campus. Honestly, its pretty boring. Most people go out on weekends because there's much more to do in Santa Monica and LA or the beach. In the standard suites, there have been some instances of robbery. However, my roommate and I leave our door unlocked and sometimes open when we're in it. There isn't a lot of casual dating here. Most people are either single or in relationships. There are quite a few engaged couples, and a lot of people get married at the end of senior year. That's because Pepperdine is a conservative Christian school. My closest friends are my suitemates from freshman year. We were lucky and got along wonderfully, but its generally not the case. However, even if you don't get along with your suitemates, almost everyone finds a group of people on campus that they fit in with. There used to be a great tradition of streaking every finals week. Sadly, this year the administration sent out an e-mail politely asking people to refrain. Lots of people don't drink. Most people don't drink on campus, because Pepperdine is theoretically dry. People don't throw parties on campus because the school is pretty strict about that. They go off campus the drink. People go to the beach all the time. Santa Monica is great for shopping, eating, and people watching. Los Angeles is even better for all of the above.

Your dorm will become like your FAMILY! That's how I met my best, and closest friends I've ever had. At 2:00 on a Tuesday we are probably up playing games in the lobby like Mafia or Scattergories, having good talks by the fireplace in the common room, making signs for our guy friends over in Peppers, or coming back from getting ice cream in LA or something! You'll go to "My Tie" in the beginning of the year and be part of the Pepperdine midnight scream during finals. International programs are great and you will definitely want to go on campus. They play a big role in the lives of people here who go on them. Sororities and fraternities are important if you're in one but don't really affect you if you're not. People who want to party go party on the weekend. Some people don't want to though, so they go out and have fun with their friends in LA or Santa Monica or at the beach. My friends and I love going shopping in LA, taking road trips on the coast, going out to eat together, going to friends houses off-campus, and we just enjoy doing anything with each other. Trust me, you will meet the GREATEST people at Pepperdine!

Pepperdine has a great athletics as long as you are not a die hard football fan. One of Pepperdine's downfalls is their lack of a football team. Pepperdine is an extremely safe campus. The party scene at Pepperdine is not necessarily on campus. if a person wants to party they would have to know people and leave campus to find a party. The Greek life at Pepperdine is amazing, while there is no Frat or Sorority Housing the organizations are amazing and i strongly recommend Rushing. It is an amazing way to meet people.

not that much to do!

During the weekends at Pepperdine, the school itself nearly shuts down. By my estimate, 75{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body has left campus for the weekend. A lot of freshman leave campus to go back home, most sophomores aren't even in the country (International Program), and just about all juniors and seniors live off-campus. So during the weekend, there aren't too many people to hang out with, but you end up becoming close to the people who regularly stay on campus. Joining a fraternity or sorority is a must when attending Pepperdine. Most social events are either started by one or the other, and unofficially all parties are Greek affiliated. Joining a Greek group guarantees that you will have something to do off-campus on the weekends or Tuesday night.

Athletic events are not that popular, but the teams usually give away something free (food, T-shirts, etc) to draw a crowd. People do party, despite the strict "dry-campus" rules. I don't party so I don't see the extent of the partying, but I definately hear about it, and I know that if I wanted to I could easily find a party on almost any given night. I meet my closest friends at on-campus jobs, living situations, and classes. Frats and Soroities are very popular and many many students are involved.

Greek life is pretty prevalent, but there's no pressure to join. There are friendships between each group, despite the common stereotypes. There are no greek houses on or off campus, so that helps to keep the partying down. If I'm wake on at 2 am on a Tuesday night, I'm most likely studying, or talking and hanging out with my roommate or suitemates.

Please see above for information about clubs and the Greek system. When you lose something at Pepperdine, it is highly likely it will be returned. Most people leave their room doors open and there is a mutual trust between students. There are many campus-wide events and high profile guests, who come to speak. Every year, we have Songfest, which is a big event you will quickly learn about. Also, many students participate in the Midnight scream during finals week. It's a good way to relieve stress :) "The Rock" is a significant part of Pepperdine's campus. Different organizations and groups can paint this large rock in the middle of main campus to advertize an upcoming event, or show pride for their fraternity or sorority etc.

The basketball team is by far the most popular team on campus. There is a big celebration during the fall semester to kick off the season. Students in many dorms leave their dorms open. Theater events are typically popular, sometimes more so than the sporting events. The dating scene here is pretty good, especially if you're a guy (quite the favorable guy to girl ratio at Pepperdine). If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday I'm probably doing a paper that is due at 2pm on Tuesday. People like to spend their weekends having fun, going to movies or clubs in Hollywood at night and hitting the beach during the day. Fraternities and sororities throw a good deal of event throughout the year, but there are only 4 fraternities and 7 sororities and they are definitely not your typical greeks (there aren't any greek houses on campus).

If you want to have a social life and have fun then you have to do it off campus. End of story. Greek life is huge at Pepperdine. Over 60{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body is involved in some kind of sorority or fraternity. If you know the right people there is something fun to do almost every night. There is Malibu Inn on Tuesdays; however, it's only cool for freshman. In general, the college experience at Pepperdine is what you make it to be.

There are sororities and fraternities on campus that many people are involved in, and because of our size, a good number of students on campus are athletes, however no matter who you are or what you are interested in there is a club for you. I am the president of Phi Delta Epsilon which is the pre-med club on campus, and in that club I would say 80{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are also involved in another club, greek system or athletic team. Students feel safe and comfortable on campus. We leave our doors open, windows open. We feel like a real community. We all attend athletic events, plays, speakers. A large amount of people at Pepperdine are in serious relationships, and the big joke is that many girls are here for the M.R.S. degree. The party scene at Pepperdine is there, but it is not a central part of the social life here. It is a dry campus, so all parties happen off of campus. We often go to movies, to the beach, out to dinner, to Westwood...etc. There are many things to do off campus other than drinking at Pepperdine, which I love.

Most students from bigger state schools would say that Pepperdine has kind of a boring social life. Usually freshman year without a car is that way. Campus is very dull at night and its hard to get anywhere off campus. Joining a fraternity or sorority gains you access to many parties and activities, and so those who are looking to do more partying should join Greek life. Tuesday nights are a big party night arounde Pepperdine because convocation on Wednesday prevents students from having class until 11. The Malibu Inn and Spimone's are two popular destinations for students who are looking to drink, especially those who live off campus. Other than that Pepperdine offers little things to do now and then. Occasionally plays will be on or Pepperdine will hold a movie night every Thursday. Speakers come along every now and then as well, but they are not heavily advertised so you do not here about them much. For the most part social life is off campus, so look to make friends with upperclassmen or join Greek life to go out to party.

There is not much of a party scene at Pepperdine. It is almost necessary to go somewhere else, outside of malibu, to find anything to do.