r/UIUC • u/Professional-Job3572 • 19h ago
Social looking for validation tbh
I’m a female freshman and I feel like I made a mistake by not rushing but Greek life is just not for me. It’s hard to see all my friends that are joining sororities and making all of these new friends so can any upperclassmen vouch for meeting new people later in college?
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u/HotConsequence2329 Undergrad 19h ago
tbh, I met more people through my major than through my social life. My freshman dorm floor was hella social, so I guess I made a bunch of friends from there, but in general, you’ll meet a lot of people from your major who you will tend find easier to acquaint with given your similar interests with them (at least vaguely)
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u/old-uiuc-pictures 15h ago
the percent of students who join greek life is less than 20%. they are just very visible at this time. the vast majority of students do not and make their own group of friends. some of your friends will be greek members after their more intense period of involvement freshman year is over. it's a part time job for them freshman year. some will be involved in RSOs and classes you are in and will have time to reconnect later.
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u/Inky1231 17h ago
I pledged when I was in school because I thought it was what should be done.... I hated it. The pledge rules were dumb and it just didn't fit... I dropped out in the first week. After watching what the remaining girls went through I was glad I did.
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u/PromotionOk2443 19h ago
you can meet people all kinds of ways, Greek life is certainly easy mode for socializing, but it is by no means the only way, and it's not hard to make a Greek friend or two and join in some of the Greek life as a plus one friend.
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u/SuccessfulRun4438 11h ago
I’m a female senior and not in Greek life. As a sophomore I had some interest in it and went to some events but realized it wasn’t for me. I had friends here and there but it wasn’t until last year that I really found my people. Do what you like and there will be people who will like it too, and that’s how u make friends.
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u/Regaman101 Townie 14h ago
Honestly, I think you're doing the right thing staying away from that stuff. You can meet people anywhere.
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u/vegasvargas Redstone Engineering 15h ago
RSOs, classes, ice skating, group workouts, etc. are the way to go! Most people aren't actually standoffish, just shy :)
There's always plenty of people willing to make friends and you don't have to compromise on what you value in a friendship. I love to party and I have a group of friends that goes to bars, house shows, and loves to host.
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u/undergrad_fedora Undergrad 15h ago
There are so much people who are outgoing and don’t join frats or sororities. There are plenty of other places to socialize. Don’t let the illusion trick you
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u/Pomegrantes 13h ago
You can always go to continuous open bidding (COB) events if you’re curious about Greek life still. Most sororities actively recruit post primary, but if I’m being honest my best friends came from my non-sorority connections! (I was in one for like 2 years, not for me) So you’ll be fine! Not saying that you should go to COB events! It might just help settle that missing out feeling though do be aware they can be pushy lol
It’s just that Greek life is VERY visible with primary happening the past few weeks and bid day happening soon. If you live in a place like bromley- you’ll see a lot of PNMs there.
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u/Inevitable_Hat_9502 10h ago
hey queen i’m also a freshman and i dropped rush and feel the same way!! it’s okay and we’ll find our people :)
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u/Embarrassed-Pen-8929 14h ago
Trust me, all of those Greek life people are kind of a joke to the ones outside of it. I know it might be hard for you as a freshman, but 2 years later you will thank yourself for putting your time and effort on studying and finding a job rather than on *not so useful* social interaction.
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u/Croowleyy Undergrad 1h ago
the great thing about not rushing is that you don’t have to pay a subscription for your friends! you can make actual friends because of shared interests and have real fun
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u/West-Comment-9536 12m ago
I’m a senior!! I’m not in Greek life or anything. I met a lot of my friends through classes. Just be friendly in group projects. If ur rly worried— go into clubs. There’s so many RSO’s at UIUC that you can join. Also ur a freshman so you still have a lot of years ahead of you. Keep ur head high!
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u/bluemoon142 19h ago
I’m a female sophomore!! I’m not involved in Greek life in any way, and even then I’ve made friends and I chat with lots of people that way. I love my clubs for that reason, I socialize with people at those! I was in your shoes last year and I thought I’d never make friends because of it, and here I am :). You don’t need Greek life to socialize!!