Sorority life at the University of Alabama is a very popular activity for students. A large percentage of all undergraduate students are members of Greek life or are close friends with someone who is. Sororities are extremely popular because of their high standards for academics, sense of sisterhood and friendship, and fun social events like date parties and philanthropy days. From recruitment, to sisterhood, to fun daily events, to study groups and mealtimes, there are always activities for sorority members to attend at their respective houses. Students who join sororities make a big commitment to participation, and therefore often choose to live in apartments near sorority row. After living in dorms their freshman year, being so central to campus life and within walking distance of almost any necessity, students want to continue to reap the benefits of living so close to campus and their sorority houses, so they look for UA apartments nearby.
Greek Life
The main reason that most students choose to live in apartments near sorority row in Tuscaloosa is accessibility to Greek life. As freshmen, sorority members become accustomed to spending large amounts of time at the sorority houses and surrounding locations. From recruitment, which is a week-long event before the semester starts, to study hours and groups, to chapter meetings, to movie nights, to meals, and plenty more daily events and activities.
One of the busiest times of day is mealtimes, and sorority members are able to either stop by the house to pick up a meal, or sit down with some friends to get some homework done or catch up from the weekend. This is one of the biggest reasons that sorority members live close to the house. Stopping in for meals draws a huge crowd, as the meals come as a benefit for paying membership fees. Some houses also have meals for big events like holidays or gamedays, which can be an excellent activity to do with friends or family members that are visiting in town.
For other members aside from freshmen (or new members regardless of age), the number of activities and social events that occur do not decrease at all. Because of this, members tend to look for apartments near sorority row in order to keep that convenience and proximity to their respective houses.
Benefits of Living Near Sorority Row
Some benefits to living in off-campus housing near sorority row actually are mostly unrelated to the row. These benefits include a sense of community and friendship from living near the row, accessibility to most other parts of campus because of the row's proximity to campus buildings and other resources- especially Bryant-Denny Stadium and other apartments near the Quad, and the ability to grow your social and professional network as a student by creating strong relationships with like-minded individuals living nearby.
Overall, there are numerous reasons for students to live in an apartment near sorority row at UA, as it can be very beneficial socially, financially, and academically.