My fraternity has had some negative national attention. Include in apps?

[MDWannabe819]

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Members don't see this ad.

My fraternity consists of many different chapters who operate somewhat independently. Because of this some chapters have done things their not supposed to and have been in the national spotlight for hazing, drinking, etc.

My chapter has done great things, but I am not sure whether I should put this on my applications since the actions of a few can ruin the reputation for everyone. I did spend a good amount of time as part of the organization.

What are your thought's SDN?

 

[Ohyeah]

My fraternity consists of many different chapters who operate somewhat independently. Because of this some chapters have done things their not supposed to and have been in the national spotlight for hazing, drinking, etc.

My chapter has done great things, but I am not sure whether I should put this on my applications since the actions of a few can ruin the reputation for everyone. I did spend a good amount of time as part of the organization.

What are your thought's SDN?

Include it if you have accomplishments to share (such as leadership, financial management, service involvement, scholarships etc). If it really comes up, you should just explain that chapters are relatively independent and yours was clean, dedicated to the community, dedicated to developing brothers, etc.

Frats consume a lot of time and money and I think you'd do yourself a disservice if you exclude something like this which can emphasize your leadership, ability to relate and work well with others with diverse interests, etc.

 

[BABSstudent]

My fraternity consists of many different chapters who operate somewhat independently. Because of this some chapters have done things their not supposed to and have been in the national spotlight for hazing, drinking, etc.

My chapter has done great things, but I am not sure whether I should put this on my applications since the actions of a few can ruin the reputation for everyone. I did spend a good amount of time as part of the organization.

What are your thought's SDN?

Each adcom will view it based on their own opinion.

At my school, frats are party houses that promote underaged drinking and cheating to get by. They keep professor tests on file and even have essays that they pass around. They claim that the entire Greek community gives back, but that's not true. They boasted that they volunteered 12,000 hours last year. That's a joke. If you take the number of people and divide by their total hours then it comes to like 0.75 hours per person per year. Not very impressive. If I were an adcom, I would view frats negatively based on my experience.

However, they can be very prestigious at other schools (like Ivy League fraternities) and an adcom familiar with that side of it may view your participation way differently. It could be a huge plus if they were members of a fraternity because they might reflect on their experiences.

So, it may help with some and hurt with others just like any other activity you write about.

 

[as1212559]

Really play up your leadership role in the hazing rituals. ADCOMs love to see someone who really understands the hierarchy of power in the real world.

 

[deleted393595]

Really play up your leadership role in the hazing rituals. ADCOMs love to see someone who really understands the hierarchy of power in the real world.

This

 

[Barney Stinson]

However, they can be very prestigious at other schools (like Ivy League fraternities) and an adcom familiar with that side of it may view your participation way differently. It could be a huge plus if they were members of a fraternity because they might reflect on their experiences.

They are no different than anywhere else, trust me.

 

[Goobs]

I'd do it. You're going to see a lot of anti Greek mentality on sdn, but going greek is a significant use of your time and worth a mention.


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[calvnandhobbs68]

really play up your leadership role in the hazing rituals. Adcoms love to see someone who really understands the hierarchy of power in the real world.

+1

 

[Ohyeah]

Frat membership is definitely open to interpretation. In your descriptions on apps and in interviews, emphasize interpersonal strengths, leadership, and skills gained. It can be unique because many premeds are bookish.

Frats are nothing like $20-a-pop premed clubs. They can be quite large, members are heavily invested in how things are run ($1000-2000 per semester, some even living on the premises), leases are managed, meal plans are arranged, etc... Furthermore, frats are very diverse in terms of personality, academic interest, and career direction. It really takes skill to get a diverse group empowered in the same direction. Significant interpersonal skills are also required for quality recruiting, grad relations, coordination with sororities...

Talking about a frat the right way can be a powerful argument for you having developed important real-world skills that others may not have (or have no way of showing in apps/interviews). Just blow their socks off with what you've gained as a person, and they may question their initial stereotypes.

 

[MusicJunkie]

Frat membership is definitely open to interpretation. In your descriptions on apps and in interviews, emphasize interpersonal strengths, leadership, and skills gained. It can be unique because many premeds are bookish.

Frats are nothing like $20-a-pop premed clubs. They can be quite large, members are heavily invested in how things are run ($1000-2000 per semester, some even living on the premises), leases are managed, meal plans are arranged, etc... Furthermore, frats are very diverse in terms of personality, academic interest, and career direction. It really takes skill to get a diverse group empowered in the same direction. Significant interpersonal skills are also required for quality recruiting, grad relations, coordination with sororities...

Talking about a frat the right way can be a powerful argument for you having developed important real-world skills that others may not have (or have no way of showing in apps/interviews). Just blow their socks off with what you've gained as a person, and they may question their initial stereotypes.

I'm going to agree with BABSstudent and Ohyeah. Every admissions committee director is going to come to the table with different experiences. Some may view frats negatively, some may view frats positively, based on what they understand about the community as a whole.

And that's perfectly okay. Your job is to be proud of the work that you've done within your community and represent your frat, and the work that you've done with your frat, in a positive light. I think highlighting the positive things you guys have accomplished, and how you helped play a role in that (coupled with expanding on what you gained from these experiences), is key. What has been going on with other chapters is not applicable to you, so don't let it be. List your experience, be proud of it, and if asked about it, don't bring up all the negative stuff that has been going on. Stick to the positive.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Truth is that ADCOM and almost scribe knows that frats are not all one single umbrella and operate differently in every school and even time period.

I would recommend including it in your application only if you had leadership.

 

[HopefulSlav]

Ask yourself:

1) Did you do any community service?
2) Did you or someone you know kill anyone?

Number two brings me back to the FAMU scandal in which a few band members killed a guy. I have a friend going there who said "All the band members wear 'free the band' shirts and I'm just like; no, y'all killed someone."

Mention it if you didn't do anything worthy of felony charges.