The University of Texas at Austin Top Questions

Fraternities and Sororities

Greek Life is really popular. Shout to my fraternity - Beta Chi Theta. There are tons of business organizations, medical organizations pertaining to practically every single field out there (AMSA - american medical student association is a pretty big one). Honor societies are everywhere, I myself being a part of Alpha Lambda Delta. There are hundreds of service orgs, one in particular that i love is a organization called S.M.I.L.E (The goal of S.M.I.L.E. is to help the children of the surrounding community to improve their quality of life; whether it is through playdates for those with extended stays at the hospital, tutoring, or helping to raise funds for those in need and more -- taken from the utexas student orgs website). There is a organization for EVERYTHING. You can find the weirdest organizations out there at UT, there's an org for everyone.

Greek Life is really popular. Shout to my fraternity - Beta Chi Theta. There are tons of business organizations, medical organizations pertaining to practically every single field out there (AMSA - american medical student association is a pretty big one). Honor societies are everywhere, I myself being a part of Alpha Lambda Delta. There are hundreds of service orgs, one in particular that i love is a organization called S.M.I.L.E (The goal of S.M.I.L.E. is to help the children of the surrounding community to improve their quality of life; whether it is through playdates for those with extended stays at the hospital, tutoring, or helping to raise funds for those in need and more -- taken from the utexas student orgs website). There is a organization for EVERYTHING. You can find the weirdest organizations out there at UT, there's a org for everyone.

Athletics are definitely the most popular on campus. Longhorn football prevails. In addition, all of the Greek organizations are popular as well. Although those are the large organizations, many small organizations and clubs are just as popular with the diverse student pool.

There are many different kinds of student organizations. Most students usually join groups that pertain to their major. For example, I am a nursing major and I'm in this organization called S.M.I.L.E. (Students Making Impact through Love & Empathy). It's a volunteer organization to mainly play with children who undergo chemotherapy. It's to make the environment feel normal rather than abnormal. We are currently hosting this huge philanthropy event called St. Baldrick's. We have people who volunteer to shave their heads to raise money for pediatric cancer research. There are many events, so there is always something to do every weekend.

Greek life is popular and hugely represented in flashy neon colors on campus, but there's plenty of other clubs to get involved in. The West Mall and the area in front of Gregory gym are usually filled with booths from different clubs: Women in Law, The White Rose Society, Learn to Be, FACE AIDS. It's difficult to walk to class without getting a pamphlet of some sort shoved into your hands. I think one reason for the proliferation of so many clubs on campus is because UT can be a frighteningly big school, and clubs are a great way to make a quick circle of friends as a freshman. As for me, I was lucky enough to get into a small, tight-knit honors program that hosted many social events. My dormitory, also small, encouraged an open-door policy, and that was how I met some of my closest friends - some of whom I plan to live with off-campus next year. We find plenty of activities and often visit each other's clubs' social activities. After going to my friend's intramural volleyball game, I met one of my now-coworkers and my current boyfriend. The social scene on weekends is filled with frat parties, but it's definitely not the only option for the party-minded person. There's always the crowds on Sixth Street downtown and numerous apartments on West Campus blaring music until 4 in the morning. If drinking isn't your style, there's a lot to explore in Austin. There's a movement here against the development of massive chain stores, so most of the places you encounter are family-owned or small places with a very unique kick. There's always something to find in Austin.

Once you are on campus or near campus, you might say the Greek life is prominent at UT. However, something like 11{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the school population is involved with Greek life. There are too many organizations for one to be dominant.

Student orgs can range anywhere from reading clubs, political groups, dance teams, martial arts, poetry clubs, athletic clubs, Quidditch teams (yes, as in Harry Potter "flying broomsticks" Quidditch), religious groups, etc. Dorm life is great, especially for new students who want to make a lot of new friends, but off-campus life is great too! Athletic events are a pretty big deal at this school (Go Horns!), but if you're not into sports that's ok too! If you're a morning person, there are some pretty cool guys and gals hanging out in the coffee shops and grassy lawns on or near campus. If you're a night owl like myself, this city pretty much never sleeps (whether you stay up to study or stay up to party, you can always find a buddy to tag along with). If you're privileged enough to be 21 and up, 6th street is the place to be. But if you're not, there is (literally) a live music show somewhere in Austin every night, parties that are alcohol free, sporting events, and tons of outdoor activities (my favorite is climbing the local hills or paddleboarding on Town Lake). If you come to this university, make sure you do some exploring throughout downtown and the local communities, you'll be amazed at what you find.

We have a very large Greek population on campus, so that cannot go unnoticed. With massive frat parties and huge sorority houses, it is not even possible to miss it. But then underneath the Greek presence, we have another social community on campus made up of Spirit groups. These groups are both male and female and all are Service, Spirit, and Social organizations. Very similar to Greek life, they are much cheaper and do not have houses. Each has a philanthropy, is very involved with school athletics, and we all like to have fun as well! I am in a 120-member all girls organization called Texas Lassos, and joining was probably one of the best decisions I could have ever made! I have made all my friends through this organization, and there is always something to do between the parties, service events, and sports games to attend!

I have never looked into any of the student activities or social life at UTD, so I dont have much information to respond with.

There's a wide selection of clubs to join. Drinking is a mainstay of social life, even seemingly innocent clubs will host at least two keg/club parties a semester. Apparently, the administration gives them funds to buy alcohol, which is AWESOME, or ridiculous, depending on how you look at it. Football games are awesome. And Austin provides plenty of opportunities.

Of course the biggest thing to do here is to go to a UT football game! Is an amazing experience that you'll never forget! You'll find it hard not to find something to do here.

I wasn't involved with too many organizations. The organizations were too small, very disorganized, pointless, or the people were relatively standoffish. The goals and atmosphere that each group set seemed too political, and too serious. People weren't having fun, getting to know each other, nor interested in starting new friendships. It's about opportunism and competition all of the time at University of Texas at Austin.

There are hundreds of organizations to join at UT! Texas has one of the largest Greek communities in the nation, with over 50 sororities and fraternities, tons of cultural clubs, academic clubs and social organizations. Getting involved in something is a great way to meet new people and a good way to find your niche in such a large school.

I love Alpha Phi Sigma. I have met a lot of friend through it and I attend a lot of social events as well as volunteer through them. For the upcoming year I have been elected the Volunteer Coordinator. I am crazy excited. :-). I look forward to meetings every week.

There are so many activities and organizations that it's impossible to talk about just one. One of the most prevalent one that everyone joins is the Texas Exes Student Chapter. UT has one of the strongest Alumni groups with chapters across the East Coast including Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C. Many students use this organization as a great way to network and communicate with Texas grads about advice with their profession and the "real world." Living on campus your freshman year is very important. It's the way most people meet their friends and the best way to get adjusted and really experience they college life. We have dorms ranging from single-sex to coed, to community bathroom to private bathrooms, as well as Jester Dormitory, the 2nd largest dormitory in the world, housing over 3,000 students. We have a lot of events that take place in the fall of every year. Gone to Texas is held the night before classes start for all incoming freshman and is like a welcome ceremony to the university. We also have the OU Torchlight Parade and the Texas A&M Hex Rally held before the Texas vs. Oklahoma game and the Texas vs. Texas A&M football game to kind of get everyone in the football spirit.

Pretty much any group you can think of has a home at UT. Because there are so many people here, there are plenty of opportunities to meet people and be social. Athletic events, especially football games are hugely popular. I also like the fact that we get Austin's Broadway shows right here on campus. There are things to do all the time. Enjoying Austin's nightlife and dining and recreation is a huge benefit to going to UT. There are a lot of things to do that don't involve drinking and there are people at UT that don't party as much.

Being in the Longhorn band has introduced me to some of my closest friends. By far closer than any friendship from high school. Also, there are more people than you think that don't have to have alcohol to have fun.

A group I was involved with worked on issues dealing with minorities and immigrants. Last weekend I went downtown. On a saturday night (when not drinking), I like to play board games with friends, see comedy shows, and go to Main Event/Dave n Busters.