Santa Clara University Top Questions

ASG student government is very popular, as well as the adventure club, Into the Wild. Almost everyone is involved on campus in some club or leadership. It is easy to get involved, although most students do it for the resume boosts.

Greek life is bigger than I expected it to be (and would like it to be) but it's not too overwhelming. I'm not in a sorority but I still have plenty of friends and fun.

There is a fairly active sorority and fraternity life on and off campus. It adds to the huge social network on campus, where everyone knows each other. However, it contributes to the exclusivity. Some of the parties are schoolwide on holidays, for example, the SigPi Halloween Party. Much of the nightlife in Santa Clara is contributed to by these organizations. Theta also has their own house, which is a beautiful old historic mansion.

First weekend of school we have the club fair. That's how everyone gets connected right away. Sporting events are always fun ways to spend an evening. Ruff Riders, our student booster club, is the largest club on campus (over 2,500 students!!) Most people find their friends freshman year and just expand on that core in later years. I met a ton of people by volunteering for the event council in my residence hall and interning with Campus Ministry. We always have some art event going on...ballet, opera, jazz concert, play, guest speaker (Jane Goodall came this past year)... Greek life is off campus and not affiliated with SCU...but it is there to take advantage of if you're interested. Frat parties are usually not closed, so even if you're not in the Greek system, you can go.

Depending on which dorms you live in, your life can be really social, or not so much. The suite-style dorms tend to be more anti-social because it's mostly upperclassmen and they have their own lives. Or people tend to get close to their suitemates and no one else on the floors. The dorm-style buildings are way more social, especially since they're usually filled with freshmen. And if you want talk to people, leave your door open! I know a number of people who've joined fraternities, and they love it. Greek life, however, isn't funded by SCU, so it's not quite as extravagant or lavish as it may be at other schools. Joining a sorority is not my thing, but for others, its a wonderful way to meet new people and find a family away from home.

There are several organizations in school. I am involved in the Santa Clara Review, which is the Santa Clara University literary magazine. We take submissions from students (and the entire country - occasionally, we even get an international submission!) and create a booklet from them of ones that we think students will enjoy the most. I participated in the literary magazine at my high school and loved it, so I figured I would continue in college. Of course, SCU's is much more sophisticated and organized. There are several leader positions available, I am hoping to be a poetry editor next year! It is impossible to walk around a floor of Loyola (my RLC) without seeing an open door! Students are always welcoming to others walking in and hanging out. The athletic events are fairly popular too. I am going to a game next weekend! I'm very excited about it. Although we do not have a football team, there is definitely still school spirit. We had a great guest speaker this year - Kip Fulbeck. I went to go see him speak and was amazed. Through the classics department, I also saw a lecture done on Gilgamesh which was very interesting. There are many lectures always going on. I swear it feels like every weekend there is a theater or music event! For Valentines, the A Cappella groups were available for hire to sing to any one! And this weekend I saw the Opera - Marriage of Figaro - show put on by students. Next weekend, I will be attending the orchestra concert! There are several options for theatrical activities. The fraternities and sororities are not recognized by the school, but there are definitely fraternities and sororities. You do not need to be in one or the other to have a social life. In fact, most people are not in them. If you are interested in them, they are there (that is sort of the general view on campus).

The social life here is fantastic. My Community Facilitator (she's like an RA) planned an event in which all of the girls on my floor got together in our lounge and painted/decorated bricks that we could use to prop our doors open. We called it the "Open Door Policy" so that we could get to know each other. Almost everyone goes to the athletic events here at SCU. Our Division 1 teams, such as soccer, basketball, volleyball, and baseball to name a few, are very popular for not only students, but faculty and the community surrounding SCU. The party situation here is definitely big, but if you aren't a partier like me, you have so much you can do instead. There are movie nights and other things. Caltrain is right across the street, along with the bus station. You can go from the mall down the street all the way to Santa Cruz for some surfing, or San Francisco for shopping or the museums. Downtown San Jose is really close too, and that's always fun to hang out and see a movie. BUT I will say that 97.999{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of SCU students take their educations very seriously. Studying will be done before play.