Pepperdine University Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Kristin

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Nicole

Freshman housing at Pepperdine is awesome; you live in a suite of 8-10 within a dorm of about 50 residents, plus two RA's and an SLA (Spiritual Life Advisor). Your suite basically becomes your family, since you share a bathroom and common area with them. Pepperdine encourages incoming students to choose roommates through Facebook and other online profiles, which allows each freshman to find a good match. My whole suite chose each other, and we've all gotten along quite well; I'd recommend it to anyone. Greek Life is popular, but since it's a dry campus and there's no official Greek housing, the system works very differently from other schools. There's less focus on partying and more focus on philanthropies, although some fraternities and sororities tend to be more party-oriented. Parties usually take place in students' off-campus houses, plus various bars and restaurants around Malibu. The party scene isn't too hard to find if you seek it out, but it's easy to avoid if it isn't your style. Unlike many colleges, the balance between alcoholic and non-alcoholic events is very even, so you'll never feel pressured one way or another. The dating scene at Pepperdine is notoriously strange. Nobody really hooks up, since it's a small school and you're almost guaranteed to see the person around, and casual dating isn't very common either. The "Ring by Spring" is a very real thing here, so many students hesitate to exclusively date in fear that they'll end up engaged. Another theory is that Pepperdine men have trouble choosing between all the gorgeous women around campus!

Nicole

Freshman housing at Pepperdine is awesome; you live in a suite of 8-10 within a dorm of about 50 residents, plus two RA's and an SLA (Spiritual Life Advisor). Your suite basically becomes your family, since you share a bathroom and common area with them. Pepperdine encourages incoming students to choose roommates through Facebook and other online profiles, which allows each freshman to find a good match. My whole suite chose each other, and we've all gotten along quite well; I'd recommend it to anyone. Greek Life is popular, but since it's a dry campus and there's no official Greek housing, the system works very differently from other schools. There's less focus on partying and more focus on philanthropies, although some fraternities and sororities tend to be more party-oriented. Parties usually take place in students' off-campus houses, plus various bars and restaurants around Malibu. The party scene isn't too hard to find if you seek it out, but it's easy to avoid if it isn't your style. Unlike many colleges, the balance between alcoholic and non-alcoholic events is very even, so you'll never feel pressured one way or another. The dating scene at Pepperdine is notoriously strange. Nobody really hooks up, since it's a small school and you're almost guaranteed to see the person around, and casual dating isn't very common either. The "Ring by Spring" is a very real thing here, so many students hesitate to exclusively date in fear that they'll end up engaged. Another theory is that Pepperdine men have trouble choosing between all the gorgeous women around campus!

Nicole

Freshman housing at Pepperdine is awesome; you live in a suite of 8-10 within a dorm of about 50 residents, plus two RA's and an SLA (Spiritual Life Advisor). Your suite basically becomes your family, since you share a bathroom and common area with them. Pepperdine encourages incoming students to choose roommates through Facebook and other online profiles, which allows each freshman to find a good match. My whole suite chose each other, and we've all gotten along quite well; I'd recommend it to anyone. Greek Life is popular, but since it's a dry campus and there's no official Greek housing, the system works very differently from other schools. There's less focus on partying and more focus on philanthropies, although some fraternities and sororities tend to be more party-oriented. Parties usually take place in students' off-campus houses, plus various bars and restaurants around Malibu. The party scene isn't too hard to find if you seek it out, but it's easy to avoid if it isn't your style. Unlike many colleges, the balance between alcoholic and non-alcoholic events is very even, so you'll never feel pressured one way or another. The dating scene at Pepperdine is notoriously strange. Nobody really hooks up, since it's a small school and you're almost guaranteed to see the person around, and casual dating isn't very common either. The "Ring by Spring" is a very real thing here, so many students hesitate to exclusively date in fear that they'll end up engaged. Another theory is that Pepperdine men have trouble choosing between all the gorgeous women around campus!

Nicole

Freshman housing at Pepperdine is awesome; you live in a suite of 8-10 within a dorm of about 50 residents, plus two RA's and an SLA (Spiritual Life Advisor). Your suite basically becomes your family, since you share a bathroom and common area with them. Pepperdine encourages incoming students to choose roommates through Facebook and other online profiles, which allows each freshman to find a good match. My whole suite chose each other, and we've all gotten along quite well; I'd recommend it to anyone. Greek Life is popular, but since it's a dry campus and there's no official Greek housing, the system works very differently from other schools. There's less focus on partying and more focus on philanthropies, although some fraternities and sororities tend to be more party-oriented. Parties usually take place in students' off-campus houses, plus various bars and restaurants around Malibu. The party scene isn't too hard to find if you seek it out, but it's easy to avoid if it isn't your style. Unlike many colleges, the balance between alcoholic and non-alcoholic events is very even, so you'll never feel pressured one way or another. The dating scene at Pepperdine is notoriously strange. Nobody really hooks up, since it's a small school and you're almost guaranteed to see the person around, and casual dating isn't very common either. The "Ring by Spring" is a very real thing here, so many students hesitate to exclusively date in fear that they'll end up engaged. Another theory is that Pepperdine men have trouble choosing between all the gorgeous women around campus!

Genevieve

Well, as the loudest groups are the ones which are heard, Greek life groups would have to be the most popular ones on campus. There is a tradition of painting on a big rock in the center of campus to advertise events, and most events splashed on the rock are those of Greek organizations. With Pepperdine's dry campus, Greek life mainly revolves around philanthropy rather than partying. Popular events are Pie with the Pi Phis, where students pay to throw a pie in the face of a Pi Phi to raise donations for the girls' causes, and the Crescent Classic Gamma Games, where sororities raise funds through a day of competitive games. One of the best-known groups is PIT, the Pepperdine Improv Troupe, who perform their improvised antics several times per semester. Other groups with high visibility include the College Libertarians, who post a Free Speech wall for all to write upon once a semester. They are known to be the Socrates of Pepperdine, the "gadfly on the rump" so to speak, pestering conservatives with their idealistic views. Meanwhile The Face of Microfinance gains moderate visibility on campus by selling trinkets made by communities in developing countries to raise money for micro finance loans. Groups which are less overt are the Native American Student Organization and the Grammar Gang, the latter being a group who slinks around campus correcting grammar blunders on flyers and posters. I am involved in the student-run campus newspaper, the Graphic, for which I have served as journalist, photographer, and photo editor, and am a member of We Art Aware, a club which calls attention to social issues through art and creativity. I am a part of the Grammar Gang crew, and have acted in comedy sketches for the Randumb Show, Pepperdine's longest running TV show, through which students have produced absurdist comedy featured on CNN and Ashton Kutcher's twitter. I have been the international news writer for Pepperdine's bi-weekly live news broadcast, NewsWaves, and am employed by the theater department to help build their sets. One with varying interests has a lot of options to get involved--all it takes is wondering who does what and finding out if they could use your help to do it. Despite all the groups and their events, the dating scene at Pepperdine is dismal. There is this pressure to find "the one" compounded by the sad truth that most everyone will know if your relationship has failed, as you walk past the same people nearly every single day. So most boys and girls avoid frivolous relationships, holding out to invest in that special someone. When any meaningless hookups do happen, the campus turns a blind eye to these rare sightings. Instead, the phrase "ring by spring" haunts Pepperdine's halls, taunting upperclassmen on the ins or outs of a relationship that marriage could be on their horizon. To shift gears: Things that don't involve drinking are watching movies, which is actually guy-code for "is this a date?". I have only been to one Pepperdine party in two years. It was awful and everyone that was there pretended the raunchy dancing didn't ever happen come Monday. At 2am on a Tuesday: I am staring at a computer screen writing a fictional story. My closest friends are the ones I can never remember how I met, although they are people who keep me on my toes. Without this largely "interesting" experience at Pepperdine, I am unsure whether I would be as driven, spiritual, or open-minded of a person as I am today.

Genevieve

Well, as the loudest groups are the ones which are heard, Greek life groups would have to be the most popular ones on campus. There is a tradition of painting on a big rock in the center of campus to advertise events, and most events splashed on the rock are those of Greek organizations. With Pepperdine's dry campus, Greek life mainly revolves around philanthropy rather than partying. Popular events are Pie with the Pi Phis, where students pay to throw a pie in the face of a Pi Phi to raise donations for the girls' causes, and the Crescent Classic Gamma Games, where sororities raise funds through a day of competitive games. One of the best-known groups is PIT, the Pepperdine Improv Troupe, who perform their improvised antics several times per semester. Other groups with high visibility include the College Libertarians, who post a Free Speech wall for all to write upon once a semester. They are known to be the Socrates of Pepperdine, the "gadfly on the rump" so to speak, pestering conservatives with their idealistic views. Meanwhile The Face of Microfinance gains moderate visibility on campus by selling trinkets made by communities in developing countries to raise money for micro finance loans. Groups which are less overt are the Native American Student Organization and the Grammar Gang, the latter being a group who slinks around campus correcting grammar blunders on flyers and posters. I am involved in the student-run campus newspaper, the Graphic, for which I have served as journalist, photographer, and photo editor, and am a member of We Art Aware, a club which calls attention to social issues through art and creativity. I am a part of the Grammar Gang crew, and have acted in comedy sketches for the Randumb Show, Pepperdine's longest running TV show, through which students have produced absurdist comedy featured on CNN and Ashton Kutcher's twitter. I have been the international news writer for Pepperdine's bi-weekly live news broadcast, NewsWaves, and am employed by the theater department to help build their sets. One with varying interests has a lot of options to get involved--all it takes is wondering who does what and finding out if they could use your help to do it. Despite all the groups and their events, the dating scene at Pepperdine is dismal. There is this pressure to find "the one" compounded by the sad truth that most everyone will know if your relationship has failed, as you walk past the same people nearly every single day. So most boys and girls avoid frivolous relationships, holding out to invest in that special someone. When any meaningless hookups do happen, the campus turns a blind eye to these rare sightings. Instead, the phrase "ring by spring" haunts Pepperdine's halls, taunting upperclassmen on the ins or outs of a relationship that marriage could be on their horizon. To shift gears: Things that don't involve drinking are watching movies, which is actually guy-code for "is this a date?". I have only been to one Pepperdine party in two years. It was awful and everyone that was there pretended the raunchy dancing didn't ever happen come Monday. At 2am on a Tuesday: I am staring at a computer screen writing a fictional story. My closest friends are the ones I can never remember how I met, although they are people who keep me on my toes. Without this largely "interesting" experience at Pepperdine, I am unsure whether I would be as driven, spiritual, or open-minded of a person as I am today.

Noelle

By far the most popular student activity at Pepperdine is the study abroad program. During your sophomore year, about 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of your classmates will travel to one of Pepperdine's six international campuses and spend their year in London, Buenos Aires, Shanghai, London, Florence Italy, Heidelberg Germany, or Laussane Switzerland. Pepperdine is one of the highest ranked colleges for study abroad programs, and while a year abroad can be expensive, it is completely and 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} worth it. Greek life at Pepperdine is deceptively popular--only about 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students are Greek, but because Pepperdine is a smaller school and because of the type of people who tend to rush, Greek life seems to be much more prevalent than it actually is. Pepperdine is a dry campus, which means alcohol is not allowed, and there is a zero tolerance policy in place. There are plenty of places to party off-campus, and if you want to party you will have no trouble finding one to go to, but if you prefer (or need) to stay in and study, campus is usually fairly quiet in the evenings.

Kristin

Many students are involved in the Greek life on campus, and are always busy with some activity or another related to their fraternity or sorority. A popular organization is called University Ministries (UM) which takes place once a week at a local church. UM is basically a youth group led by students for students, and offers ways to get involved with the church or volunteering throughout the community. Freshman students live in dorms that place 8 students in a suite: 4 bedrooms (2 people per room), a bathroom, and a common room. Often, these students become some of your closest friends during your first year at Pepperdine. Since Pepperdine is so close to Santa Monica and LA, there is plenty to do off campus that does not involve drinking: the Santa Monica pier, 3rd Street, going to concerts, shows, shopping, Hollywood, etc. The common thought on dating at Pepperdine is that it is virtually non-existent. Or, if you do date, you will more than likely end up marrying that person.

Courtney

Pepperdine's social life really depends on what you make of it. There are things to do with clubs, sports events, sororities/fraternities, campus or local ministries, or just hanging out with friends. People who complain about having nothing to do didn't look very hard for opportunities. I don't really know what's popular at Pepperdine, I just do what I enjoy and hang out with the people who I love. We have a lot of movie nights when we're on campus, my friends and I like to stock up on snacks at Ralph's, we'll go there at all hours of the night, and we'll watch TV or a movie. Santa Monica is one of the main places to go off campus along with the beach and the shopping centers that aren't too far away.

Kathleen

The dorms, especially the freshman dorms, make it really easy to interact with your friends. You can call them up and meet up with them within 5 minutes. My closest friends can visit me whenever they feel like it. Malibu Yogurt, which is a 2 minute drive from campus, is a really popular place to hang out with friends or to go on a date.

Rex

There are tons of things to get involved in from greek life to inermural sports. Most people are friendly and you meet alot of interesting people that may be different from whom you grew up knowing.

Kelsey

The Greek life is different from any other school you will visit, and it is amazing!

Kristina

Greek groups and athletes are the primary organizations on campus and most well known. It's easy to meet people though because you automatically have a little family that you live with in your suite of eight. If one likes to go out, that is accomodated as well as calm get togethers. I personally can find myself in LA on the weekends: eating out, at the mall, dancing at a studio, going tothe movies or a concert, or just strolling with friends.

Hillary

Not a whole lot of dating goes on. You hear a lot about this girl from that sorority hanging with that frat boy but it doesn't last long. The dating stereotype Pepperdine has acquired is that if you study abroad, you'll come back with a husband/wife.

Kyle

My favorite part.... There's athletic events and theater events. Although its not a huge part of social life because of lack of a football team. Social life is there if you want it. Parties are generally controlled by the Lacrosse, Waterpolo, and fraternities (usually the one that parties the most - right now Beta). The only thing you have to worry about is coming back on campus drunk. Don't let campus security see you and do not drive drunk, of course for safety reasons but also because chances are you'll get caught and they're strict). The good part.. there's a lot of people with houses off-campus and its usually a quick walk to your dorm as long as you have a DD to get you back on campus. Opposite sex has to be out of your room by 1, out of the dorm by 2.. but there's no curfew and most RA's don't check up on you too often... mine didn't at all. Like I said.... not much to do in Malibu besides party. Either go to the beach, stay on campus and do stuff, or drive to Santa Monica. Good thing about SoCal is that you can drive to a lot of fun places, both for clean entertainment or partying.

Jess

Go Greek. It's saves a lot of time trying to find things to do, and you can be as committed as you want to. It gives you formals and mixers and looks great on a resume. Pepperdine has a very "ring by spring" mentality. You can see the Tiffany's brochure's flooding the mailboxes in January. People are either looking to get married, or a simple hook up. But the later is quite difficult with such a small student population, you can kiss bumping and dumping it good bye, trust me, you will see them again.

Brittany

There are many things to do around Pepperdine like go to dinner, movie, the beach. There are shopping centers in both Santa Monica and through the canyon. On campus, there are different activities throughout the year and they hold events like "Spring Fling" where you can stay up for Disneyland tickets. There are many sororities and fraternities that you can get involved in. People throw parties off campus but much of the campus is pretty chill.

Darren

Fraternities and sororities are big at Pepperdine. But for those of us who play sports we usually stick together. The campus is quiet at night, which is great for studying. Off campus in Malibu there is not much, but down the road is 3rd street in Santa Monica as well as the Topanga mall 20min through the canyon.

Jamie

There are many different types of groups or organizations you can get involved with, whether it be the greek life or a club I really recommend something to connect you with other students. Athletes tend to stick to their teammates, but you will know a lot of them which makes it fun to watch their games. Obviously some sports have a bigger following than others. I honestly wish more people went to the athletic events because we have some very talented teams. I am in a sorority and I love it. I thought I would hate it, but the greek life at Pepperdine is very different than everywhere else. It is very laid back and just gets you much more involved with the social scene. I actually met most of my best friends the first week of school in NSO, while the rest of my best friends are mostly from my sorority. The dating scene is interesting, I feel like a lot of people start dating right away or date people from other schools. The older you get, relationships start to form more often. If I'm awake on a Tuesday night at 2 a.m. I am probably driving through jack in the box after a night at the Malibu Inn. People party more than you would assume at Pepperdine. But it definitely has less options than other schools. It is not a bar school like other towns. It is mostly house or fraternity parties. But there are definitely a good number of people that would rather not drink and enjoy a night out in Santa Monica walking around the pier or promenade. You could go out for a night in LA or just to see a movie in Malibu if you aren't into drinking.

Brooke

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.

taylor

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.

Caitlin

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.

Alex

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.

Zach

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.

John

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.

Brandon

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.

Lily

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.

kendra

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!

Amy

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.

Harper

not that much to do!

Peter

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.

Sierra

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.

Aly

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.

Chris

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.

Mike

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).

Becky

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.

Alexis

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.

Terry

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.

lauren

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.

Carter

The social life is essentially non-existent. Nobody attends sporting events, guest speaker engagements, or theater productions (unless required to by a class). People party infrequently compared to most colleges, with some exceptions. Greek life is basically vital to anyone wanting to have any degree of social standing on campus. The only thing to do is drink, primarily because you're so miserable about being at a shitty school that you need to forget.