Thanks Pat

some questions above

The frats/sororities

Are they meant to be "exclusive" or have some cache - social / jobs or ????

Is there more demand than supply - if so - do they use price to sort applicants - if not why not ?

Are they businesses that make a profit or businesses that are non profit or are they subsidised by someone - if so whom?

I do realise its all a bit different over there.

As I understand it many (most?) kids go to another town or state to attend university. Here it is rare for someone to attend a uni that isn't within commuting distance. Thus they keep the same living arrangements, friends, social circles etc.

The travel issue puts a whole new context on comparisons.

Thanks Capt.

Sets me straight on a few things I had picked up over the years. Mainly from novels.

Still hard to understand from afar - theres some societal context about USA, middle class I guess, that aren't always apparent as to why they work or matter.

Theres really no parallel over here at all.

Student politics perhaps - hard game played for keeps - along party lines with major and  minor parties and all sorts of hard line left factions, tightly organised. All played as if it matters. I'm not aware of a murder yet over student politics although I wouldn't be surprised. I'd say at a rough guess that 30% or more of all current senior federal politicians, including the Prime Minister are graduates of student politics.