University of San Francisco Top Questions

What are the most popular student activities/groups?

Celeste

I wouldn’t say there is a popular group or student organization, just because everyone has different activities they want to pursue. For example if you like sports they have intramural sports clubs, if you like to volunteer they have many volunteer clubs, and if you want to be in Greek there are a couple sororities and fraternities. I personally am involved in a co-ed service fraternity called Alpha Phi Omega. We aim to volunteer in our community, build leadership skills, and be socially active within the chapter and school. What I like about this opportunity is that when I joined my first semester at USF I was able to make friends, and ask for advice from older students about how to navigate classes, the city, and college life. To be honest there are not a lot of on campus events, because the city provides so much entertainment, that it’s okay if our school doesn’t have much school spirit. In the city there is always something to do, for free, for those under or over 18, and weekdays and weeknight activities. On weekends I like to spend my time outside in the parks because they are all beautiful and sometimes there are concerts, then have dinner at night because there is amazing and delicious food everywhere.

Jared

Intramural sports are very popular. They are great way to get to know people and also a great study break. There are also a few sororities and fraternities that people really have fun participating in. Also, there are many different clubs specific to ones nationality, religion, or hobbies.

Chantal

It all depends on your major!

Tiffany

There are so many groups on campus, it's hard to choose one that is the most popular. Generally, there are events going on regularly throughout the year, ranging from plays, sports games, comedy shows, and live music. Also, fraternities and sororities aren't a big thing at USF.

???

Oh boy! I am probably not the type of person who should attempt to answer a question like this! I haven't participated in an extra-curricular activity since grade school! But I'll take a stab at it. First of all, fraternities and sororities do not have any presence on campus. Seriously! I think there are, like, two sororities total, and no one even knows about them. There used to be a requirement that all incoming Freshmen had to live in the dorms, but I think that they have recently rescinded that rule due to the perpetual shortage of on-campus housing. The sex ratio is skewed (60-70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} girls, 40-30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} guys). If you are a woman, the dating scene is terrible. If you are guy, welcome to paradise. Obviously, there is an endless amount of off-campus activities, given the school's location in San Francisco. No one but freshman party on campus. "Partying," in all its myriad forms, is probably the most popular weekend activity amongst the student body. Drinking is essentially de rigueur, though there are subsets of straight kids and weed-smokers. For a Jesuit campus, there are actually quite a few hipsters, bless their hearts! The school is extremely low on traditions and events, but there is a sizable athletic presence. I see school athletes walking around campus all the time, and I think that some people even go the games and so on and so forth. My roommate freshman year was part of some sort of choir group, so I know that student clubs do exist-- they're just not very popular. Finally, there is actually quite a strong "leadership" presence on campus. It is impossible to walk two feet without running into a member of the student senate or "Go team," an RA, or some other self-described "student leader." Oh, and one more thing: there are a ton of transfer students. They are a slightly different breed, and tend to bring a refreshing level of apathy to most of the activities in which they choose to participate. :)

Wenshan

The most popular student activity is party. Students enjoy having party here. On the daytime, many students are very busy. So if there is a party at night, they really can have a relaxation.

Lized

The most popular groups that I know are Kasamahan and Alpha Phi Omega. Kasamahan is a Filipino club while Alpha Phi Omega is a national co-ed fraternity. In my floor, students leave their dorms open, which gives you the feeling that you're welcome anytime. It really depends. Sometimes they want it closed if they're studying. I met my closest friends in my nursing classes. Since we're all taking the same pre-reqs, it's easier to make friends. These are the people who will be helping each other out throughout the nursing program. On weekends, there is a lot to do. Either you go for a run in the Golden Gate Park, shop at Union Square, play tourists at the Golden Gate Bridge, etc.

Monique

There are a lot of different clubs and groups at USF. I'm involved in the Black Student Union, Sister Connection, VarCity SF (Hip Hop Club), and my dorm's Residence Hall Council. The most popular sports teams here are basketbal, soccer, and baseball. Most of the time on weekends students are going out to a party or club around SF, but if that isn't your scene there are several other things to do. San Francisco is one of the biggest cities in the country and it is packed with all kinds of activities to do day or night.

Alexander

Athletics at the University of San Francisco is a big part of student life. Student following of the many winning sports teams is part of the social scene at the school as well as a palpable aspect of campus life. Dorm life, like most universities, is nothing out of the ordinary. The mundane routine of living in a dorm is something that all college students must become accustomed to. At USF, a general sense of sociability presents an environment which makes dorming a more enjoyable experience. My closest friends were met in the first couple days of my first semester just by introducing myself in their dorm room. College provides a unique opportunity for many people in that it presents a situation of social uncomfortability which allows for friendships and acquaintances to grow effortlessly. Parties are often held in upperclassmen apartments due to the strict no-partying tendencies of the Resident Advisors. Although parties happen quite frequently, USF is by no means a "party school". As a part of the city of San Francisco, the school and its surrounding neighborhoods provide an endless amount of activities for the student body.

Esther

I would have to say the most popular team on campus is the basketball team. They definitely bring a lot of people to their games. A good thing about this school is that since it is in the middle of the city, on a Saturday night there are many alternatives to drinking such as going to the movies, dining, or clubbing.

Tori

There's a club for just about anything at this school too. For Instance, Los Locos is an organization for getting people into school spirit with pride in our sports teams, or AIESEC is an organization specialized in helping students study abroad. There also seems to be a club for just about every single major too. The school also has numerous guest speakers come, which a lot of professors will utilize as extra credit opportunities. There's also a lot of performances the school puts on for theatre, dance, and guest performers. As for dorm life, people are usually very friendly and you'll find a lot of people leaving their doors open in case people want to stop by. I met my closest friends freshmen year on my floor. Also, if you're lucky like me, you could get the dorms that are facing the city and you will literally get the most breathe-taking view of your life. There is a pretty big party scene, just like any other college, however, there are not frat/sorority house parties in San Francisco (more than 5 women living in one house is considered a brothel). There is still Greek life at USF, however, it's not the stereotypical frat/sorority life that you see on tv. Then again, it is San Francisco, so there is absolutely never a shortage of things to do. There are always free days at some museum, park, or festival. You will never be bored on the weekends by living in the city, I promise. This city treats you well!

Jerry

The basketball team is probably the most popular team on campus. The dating scene is awesome if you are a guy because there are a lot more women than men on campus. I met my closest friend at a halloween party. At 2am on Tuesday, if I am awake, I would be at a potluck party at a friends. People party a lot at our school and go out in the city to some of the awesome venues. Last weekend I went to a warehouse art show that some students displayed their murals at and a couple of the schools bands played.

Alejandra

Sports, Greeks, Clubs. Doors in the dorms automatically lock. I stay up late because of my hectic schedule and am constantly drinking coffee to stay awake during class

Alejandra

Sports, Greek life, clubs

Jessica

We have a lot of culturally focused groups on campus, and I would say that they make up the larger portion of student groups. There is always some type of celebration of culture or club event going on where anyone can go, get some free food, meet poeple of different backgrounds, and enjoy some time away from studying or work.

Gabriela

It's been a while since I lived in the dorms, but the friends I made my freshman year are still the closest ones I have at USF. As a group, we were all welcoming and eager to interact with one another. The doors in our halls were usually left ajar, the bathroom would become a strange dance scene, and the hallways were occasionally rendered un-walkable by the number of girls that would assemble to chat and gossip. We went to theme parks and ski resorts that the university would host through our gym, we tries working out together, we would participate in the bi-weekly dorm events that took us traveling through San Francisco. There were often "study parties," where we would all gather to spread our sheets, read our thesis out loud, and give each other advice on the proper ways to end out essays. There were times when the stress would become so much that a few of us would take off to buy coffee or midnight breakfast. And every Friday, we'd leave out books for the night a ride the bus to the De Young Memorial Museum, where we could listen to live music for free and pay student prices to see their latest installments of modern art. I didn't join the on-campus groups, but they provide a lively addition to our campus. From free massages to free food, the campus clubs reflect the diversity of our school and seek to recreate their cultures in order to educate and promote understanding.

Gabriela

It's been a while since I lived in the dorms, but the friends I made my freshman year are still the closest ones I have at USF. As a group, we were all welcoming and eager to interact with one another. The doors in our halls were usually left ajar, the bathroom would become a strange dance scene, and the hallways were occasionally rendered un-walkable by the number of girls that would assemble to chat and gossip. We went to theme parks and ski resorts that the university would host through our gym, we tries working out together, we would participate in the bi-weekly dorm events that took us traveling through San Francisco. There were often "study parties," where we would all gather to spread our sheets, read our thesis out loud, and give each other advice on the proper ways to end out essays. There were times when the stress would become so much that a few of us would take off to buy coffee or midnight breakfast. And every Friday, we'd leave out books for the night a ride the bus to the De Young Memorial Museum, where we could listen to live music for free and pay student prices to see their latest installments of modern art. I didn't join the on-campus groups, but they provide a lively addition to our campus. From free massages to free food, the campus clubs reflect the diversity of our school and seek to recreate their cultures in order to educate and promote understanding.

Sandra

To be honest, USF is not your typical school when it comes to school spirit. At sporting events there are usually more fans for the other team than for the Dons. We offer a lot of extra-curricular events but attendance is not very high, the dating scene is...slightly above nonexistent? If you're awake at 2 am during the weekday it's probably because you're doing homework or are up late watching TV. There are plenty of fun and interesting things to do in the city and the list of things to do is constantly growing, most of the "fun" activities are activities the city, not the school, sponsor.

John

AESIC is the most popular organization at school, and many students have gotten internship opportunities from their. Some people get involved with groups; but many do not. Because our schools location in San Francisco, I find that internships fills the time and place of most school based organizations. The dorms may be one of the best experiences that students will endure. What is odd about USF is that not only is it the only school that encourages, but, also requires some students to live off-campus their sophomore year. Dorms are where you meet your best friends, and more often times than not, provides you with your "social infrastructure" for your college experience. People go out to the bars and clubs, but not as much as parties in people's apartments. The parties can seem like they composed of the same people every weekend, but hey, thats the fun of it!

Alexandria

There are many activities and groups that are available to students at USF. However if you are looking for a university with a prominent Greek system, then I would recommend looking into other universities. USF does have some fraternities and sororities but they are not a significant part of campus life. USF created a policy that prohibited fraternities and sororities having a designated house because of some accidents involving alcohol. The university has never tolerated the abuse of alcohol, and these accidents led to firm action by university authorities to help prevent these types of accidents from happening again. The policy against designated housing for the Greek system led to a decline in the fraternities and sororities on campus. There are still some that exist for students who want to be a part of those groups. Many of the fraternities and sororities left on campus are founded on academic interests or the cultural background of the students.

John

AESIC is the most popular organization at school, and many students have gotten internship opportunities from their. Some people get involved with groups; but many do not. Because our schools location in San Francisco, I find that internships fills the time and place of most school based organizations. The dorms may be one of the best experiences that students will endure. What is odd about USF is that not only is it the only school that encourages, but, also requires some students to live off-campus their sophomore year. Dorms are where you meet your best friends, and more often times than not, provides you with your "social infrastructure" for your college experience. People go out to the bars and clubs, but not as much as parties in people's apartments. The parties can seem like they composed of the same people every weekend, but hey, thats the fun of it!

Michael

From my experience, the groups I hear about the most are Kasamahan, VarCity, and the Greek system. Kasamahan is a club that accepts anyone whose interested, but much of the club is of asian background. They participate in many community service events, planned by them in order to raise money for various charities. VarCity is a USF dance team, they rehearse often and do compete against other schools. The Greek system at out school is not as large as it is at others. We does have sororities and fraternities in which most are academically based on one's major. There are some that are for social purposes, but our school does not allow Greek housing, therefore limiting the amount of parties. Sporting events are not of huge popularity here. We are a Division I school and do have very competitive teams, but much of the student body does not attend. There is however, a group called Los Locos whose job is to encourage school spirit and get excited for all of the games. On a Saturday night, most student do leave campus to go into the city, the list of options is very long. There are clubs, Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, parks, hiking, and that is only to name a few. Students do often also stay in dorms with friends to hang out and just watch a movie.

Katherine

Many students are active in the LGBT community as well as the Garden club. The Garden club makes food and brings it to different impoverished areas around the city. USF is very active in community participation, which also influences students to get out and explore the city. Dorms are very lively, but many people move out after freshman year because of the expense. People leave their doors open, and RA's create fun plans for their floor. USF definitely has a party scene, but it is pretty calm from what I have heard about other campuses. The library is beautiful, as well as the atrium that we just built, so people are constantly studying as well. As for the fraternities and sororities, we have them, but they do not have housing. Even without housing though, they are active and meet numerous times a week and have numerous events.

Cydrienne

The great thing about USF is that everyone pretty has much does their own thing. Since we are centered literally in San Francisco there is SO MUCH to do on the weekends. In the morning, you could be volunteering your time to clean up Golden Gate Park then have lunch on Clement eating some yummy Dim Sum, do homework at a little cafe on Geary and then be out enjoying the nightlife in downtown. There are so many service-based organizations like Alpha Phi Omega (co-ed service fraternity) that I am a part of and cultural orgs like Hui O Hawaii that just help facilitate this getting to know the area kind of thing. As far as sports are concerned, I'm not a big sports buff & while there is somewhat a lack of Dons spirit on campus the athletes play hard regardless. Or so I've heard.

Morgan

I wouldn't say that there is a most popular activity or group because there are so many to choose from. Honestly, we have a club or organization for just about anything and if it doesn't exist, you can create it! There is so much to do on and off campus that you will never be board. San Francisco offers such a great venue for new experiences and USF takes advantage of the fact that we are in this amazing city by offering different ways to explore it.

Tayler

The athletes are VERY popular around campus because they are identifiable around campus and are very good.

Kathryn

We've got over 100 clubs and groups on campus. I can't really think of one set group that would be most popular. There is such a wide range of clubs and students can create one very easily. Greek life is not too big on campus, though its presence is getting bigger, with new sororities and fraternities being added. One of the biggest parts of campus is definitely living in the dorms. As a freshman, living on a floor with 50 other people really helps you get out of your shell and meet friends. You can meet people on your floor, in your building, in your classes, or just in the caf. It's pretty hard to be antisocial. A lot of people do things off campus on weekends, like go to Union Square, have a bonfire on the beach, or head over to Haight Ashbury. Once you move off campus, it's still pretty easy to meet people just by going to classes. School spirit is growing and, as a student, you get free admission to home games for any of our sports so people like to go and cheer on our teams. Some events are more popular than others. Campus does clear out during holidays or long weekends but on a normal weekend, most people stay on campus and hang out.

Charlie

If you are looking for a frat or a sorority do NOT come to USF. We have them, but I couldn't tell you where they are! If you aren't one already, you come to USF to be a city kid. We ride the bus and BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to get around and everything is never further away than seven miles (the whole city is only 49 square miles). That's a lot of good music, art galleries, theaters, clubs, restaurants and friends' apartments in a relatively small space. Oh, and then there is the beach, bay and parks all around us. Think about it.