Greek Life

[Milkster]

So, I was curious as to the views of Fraternities and Sororities by the people on BG. I'm in charge of Rush/Recruitment this year, so I'd like to hear some of people experiences as to why they decide to join or not to join. Also, what made you join or decide not to join? Just a survey to improve my chapter/Greek Community.

[Acturus]

Joined one: Other Explanation

[archibaldcrane]

Didn't join one, felt it unnecessary to pay a shitload of money just to have friends.

[Pirian]

Haven't joined one, but thinking of joining a co-ed business frat at my school, essentially just for the possible connections

[Ace-o-fire]

Every Frat and Sorority is different. Hated frat parties freshmen year since it was dry city for my dick when there. I had Friends join that loved it and others that hated everything (though they joined sigma jew). Mostly, I found my friends and people who joined up who had a better time where kids form out of state who didn't have a lot of friends at college anyway so it helped them meet new people, and the ones who went instate fucking loathed the time they spent.

I personally never joined a frat but hung out with kids who where members and I didn't mind frats, in fact even though I wasn't a member most where welcoming to me. I personal things frats should be built like forts, hard to get in put when you do you are in a welcoming, protecting atmosphere

[Milkster]

Didn't join one, felt it unnecessary to pay a shitload of money just to have friends.

This is one of the main reasons/excuses I hear from people. I don't understand where that kind of thinking came from. Could you explain for me? I'm serious.

Also people saying it wasn't for you, could you give reasons why you think it wasn't for you. Just trying to get a complete assessment from all view points.

[archibaldcrane]

This is one of the main reasons/excuses I hear from people. I don't understand where that kind of thinking came from. Could you explain for me? I'm serious.

Frats cost a lot of money compared to normal living expenses. The reason many people join them is for friends/parties. I didn't think it was worth the expense, especially at UW-Madison, where partying doesn't revolve around Greek Row.

If you join one and pay all that money as a way to make business contacts for your prospective future line of work, it could be worth the cost. Or I could see it if you're in an environment where it's either frat parties on the weekends or studying in the library (no other reliable options for drunken entertainment).

[Milkster]

Frats cost a lot of money compared to normal living expenses. The reason many people join them is for friends/parties. I didn't think it was worth the expense, especially at UW-Madison, where partying doesn't revolve around Greek Row.

If you join one and pay all that money as a way to make business contacts for your prospective future line of work, it could be worth the cost. Or I could see it if you're in an environment where it's either frat parties on the weekends or studying in the library (no other reliable options for drunken entertainment).

It's not that expensive in the grand scheme of college. Also many Fraternities and Sororities have fundraiser throughout the year to off set costs. This may be biased but the benefits outweigh the negative. Joining one means have a group of people through out the world you can call on for help. I know, you may say, that's what having good friends are for. It's always been others in Greek organizations to help me or others I've seen out when they're non-Greek friends bail on them. I see it all the time. I think it's pretty cool to have that for the rest of your life.

[Julian]

Never been into it, never seemed like my thing, and I am incredibly antisocial and only make friends with (at least somewhat) similar interests.

(I didn't even know you had to pay to join them, I lol'd when I found out)

[archibaldcrane]

Joining one means have a group of people through out the world you can call on for help. I know, you may say, that's what having good friends are for. It's always been others in Greek organizations to help me or others I've seen out when they're non-Greek friends bail on them. I see it all the time. I think it's pretty cool to have that for the rest of your life.

Right - you paid a bunch of money and now you have friends because of it. Not sure why you said you don't understand that line of thinking I referred to earlier.

If you're going to a private or out of state school, the money might seem to be a minor portion, but if you're going in-state public (like I did - 2k a semester) the additional cost of a frat relative to that was substantial.

[aduidarnenye]

Fraternities and Sororities aren't very popular in the five universities in my city. There was one of each in my university and they weren't very big, about a dozen people in each for a school of several thousand students.

Clubs were pretty popular though. I was in the Drama club, the Economics club (even though I was an Arts major), and the Martial Arts Club. People were always starting up a club for this or that. If you're looking for relaxed fun that might be the way to go.

I do hear that you can get a lot of contacts in later life if you go with fraternity route.

[Talus]

I guess I did it for the wrong reason. My friends were in a fraternity at the school I transferred to, so I ended up rushing the fraternity a bunch of my friends were in, except for one. The one friend that wasn't in the same fraternity as me rushed another one because they got initiated faster than the one the rest of us were in, which in hindsight seems like an incredibly retarded reason. So you're a brother after a remarkably short pledging period, congrats.

I don't feel like I paid for friends, for a few reasons. First and foremost, they were already my friends, and they were going to continue being my friends whether or not I joined, and the dues were pretty inconsequential at my school (probably due to lack of a Greek row/house to maintain). But being in the brotherhood together just cemented another bond between us. I did it for the parties and drunk sorority chicks, sure (we're being honest, right?), but also for the brotherhood and the contacts... I have brothers in a lot of different industries now, which can be incredibly helpful (like if I need to arrange travel, get a mortgage, need a carpenter, etc). I don't mean the older guys, I mean the guys I was with in the chapter while I was active.

In one way or another you're paying for your friends. Most people pay tuition/books/room+board to go to college, since the majority of students don't have merit scholarships (either academic or athletic usually), or need-based scholarship covering their entire cost of attendance. Some people's parents pay for their friends, right?

As far as recruitment, it depends on your campus, right? The way recruitment typically worked at my school was during rush week there would be different events every night (rush IS dry), and after each night's event was usually a separate house party at a brother's house. I would always encourage people interested in joining in checking out ALL of the fraternities they were interested in - as much as some people say they like your ideals or what your fraternity stands for, it's a load of shit. Every fraternity has some lofty ideals or mission statements, etc., the difference in where you decide to go depends on each campus and each chapter. It really depends on where you feel like you fit in, what the reputation is on campus for each fraternity, and what your friends are doing if you're rushing with your friends.

[Eaglestrike]

First and foremost, they were already my friends, and they were going to continue being my friends whether or not I joined

I have brothers in a lot of different industries now, which can be incredibly helpful (like if I need to arrange travel, get a mortgage, need a carpenter, etc). I don't mean the older guys, I mean the guys I was with in the chapter while I was active.

Pretty sure these cancel each other out.

[SephYuyX]

lolFrats.
Only worthwhile unless it's within an Ivy League.

[Xno Kappa]

Waste of my time.

Me and my fellas that I grew up with went to the same college, I had no problems snagging bitches on my own and the connects/contacts I've made growing up in New York and being in the military are vastly far superior and more reliable then some little bitch white kid bragging about his trust fund daddy had set-up.

Unless it's some Skull and Bones type shit, I find fraternities to be nothing more then the amassing of insecure and/or spoiled rejects of society banding together in a circle jerk to give each other a sense of false superiority and comfort in life.

[Pirian]

I find the internet/forums to be nothing more then the amassing of insecure and/or spoiled rejects of society banding together in a circle jerk to give each other a sense of false superiority and comfort in life.

can be said of many things, lol

[Xno Kappa]

can be said of many things, lol

Huh? How do you even make the correlation between the internet and a fraternity? Am I being trolled here? lol

[Shakki]

I always had the impression that fraternities/sororities were mostly about drinking and partying. I don't drink and 95% of the time I don't like going to parties, so it didn't seem very appealing. Outside of that, I didn't really see the benefit. It didn't help that I paid my own way through college, so I really avoided incurring any extra expenses, no matter how minimal they may seem in the grand scheme of things.

[Skyylya]

Didn't read everything cause i'm doing work but I didn't join because I didn't need to pay for friends that I could get without going through the hassle.

Sophomore year I still got to live in an on campus frat house on the first floor with a single room (they were jelly), still got to hang out with them and be at their parties and didn't have to do any of the retarded rush stuff or pay dues. I was a good athlete so they still put me on their intramural teams. After that I moved off campus otherwise i'd have enjoyed it further.

[Ohemgee]

Waste of my time.

Unless it's some Skull and Bones type shit, I find fraternities to be nothing more then the amassing of insecure and/or spoiled rejects of society banding together in a circle jerk to give each other a sense of false superiority and comfort in life.

This but to a lesser degree.

Anything that isn't school related (Pre-this, Business fraternities that do offer opportunities that are clearer than "OH WE KNOW PEOPLE DUDE" kind of networking)

Having said that, social frats are a giant waste of time. They connect you with people at your level (why would you really want to know every insecure person with colors and letters on their chest?) which believe it or not is a bad thing. You remember high school drama? Yeah now imagine that with people who have access to alcohol, not a good combo.

Yes there are parties, but honestly you'll hate the fact that you have such an active social life because of it. Remember school? Do you honestly think knowing Douchebag Steve from Chi Psi

Spoiler: show

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.urlesque....e-expelled.jpg

will help you 4-5 years down the line? Or even sorority girls. Trust me man, you do not want to venture down that explored alley.

I personally lived with 3 of the same frat brothers in my time at USF (for 1 year), within the 4 apartment square (on one floor), there were 9 brothers. So yeah, I can tell you that everyone has a different reason why they joined it. But all 9 of them had an active insecurity about them.

If it helps you, if you are actively doubting yourself by making this thread, you're obviously telling yourself its not worth it. So listen to your gut and study, explore the city (which is far more entertaining in the long run) and make a close group of friends. You can do some Harold and Kumar shit and have an enjoyable time without involving yourself in a frat.