Paige -
Welcome to GC. I'm thrilled to see you're considering Iowa State. I graduated in 2001 and loved every minute of my college experience at ISU.
While not as large as UIUC, the Greek Community at Iowa State is very strong and has a long history on campus. There are 13 NPC sororities at ISU with two non-NPC sororities also belonging to the Collegiate Panhellenic. Each chapter has its own strengths and I believe there is truly a place for everyone who goes through recruitment with an open mind. All of the NPC chapters (and many of the fraternities) are housed in a 4-5 block area informally called "Greekland" and all chapters are within walking distance to campus and campustown. The Greek community is very involved with campus events, with chapters participating in Homecoming events, Greek Week, VEISHEA and Varieties. Recent campus leaders have been members of fraternities and sororites and chapter members are involved in a variety of clubs and organizations on campus as well as athletic and club sports teams.
Greek Getaway is a great way for high school seniors to visit campus and get a better feel for the Greek Community. Usually held during the weekend of Greek Week, you get to see first-hand how chapters work together and the events they participate in. You will stay overnight at a sorority and have a chance to visit or tour quite a few more. There are many activities planned for the weekend; last year they had a block party, casino night, live music and all the Greek Getaway attendees got to watch the Greek Week Lip Sync finals. I had a lot of fun when I went *coughcough* ten years ago *coughcough* and almost everyone who went to Greek Getaway says it was a great way to learn about Greek life before actually going through recruitment.
Formal recruitment at Iowa State is held the week before classes begin in August. I would say recruitment is somewhat competitive compared to other midwestern campuses, but not as competitive as say UIUC, Mizzou, Purdue or IU.
If you haven't already, I'd check out the Greek Affairs website at Iowa State:
www.greek.iastate.edu.
If you have any other questions about ISU, feel free to PM me.
