People's experience with fraternities

[DoctorChris]

Hi. I will be a freshman in college this fall. I was wondering if anyone who was or is in a fraternity could share their experiences with me. I am thinking about pledging one. Any input will be appreciated. Thanks!!

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[Code Brown]

Hi. I will be a freshman in college this fall. I was wondering if anyone who was or is in a fraternity could share their experiences with me. I am thinking about pledging one. Any input will be appreciated. Thanks!!

Kegger Kegger! Seriously, it won't affect your medical school status, unless you end up partying your ass off and blow your science classes. My recommendation for this is to take easy classes your first semester and don't take any of your science pre-reqs. If you do fine the first semester, you should be golden. Good luck.

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

This isn't enough information. You must gauge the characteristics of the frat before we can analyze it.

Some frats just smoke pot and drink. Others are truly awesome, character-building places.

 

[DoctorChris]

Th fraternity is Beta Theta Pi at Eastern Washington University.

 

[UseUrHeadFred]

Maybe someone can help you with that particular frat. I, however, cannot.

Here's my input:

It's hard to have your cake and eat it, too. That is, it's very difficult to party a lot AND pull the numbers necessary to be competitive for med school. I'm not saying that one CANNOT party, but I think I'm not alone when I say that I've had to skip a lot of fun events to study for Test X, the MCAT, or work on some extracurricular stuff. It can be really hard to say "no" when you're in a frat. It sucks when you're doing Physics problems when your pals are dancing, partying, seeing a movie, etc.

The trick to surviving pre-med, and I would venture to say Med School, Residency, and medicine in general, is to find balance. Do you think you can do this while you're in a frat? If so, why not join? If not, then are you willing to sacrifice this for the long-term future?

(P.S. - I'm going to feel like a ****** if this is a religious frat.)

 

[Kazema]

Th fraternity is Beta Theta Pi at Eastern Washington University.

If you already know what frat you want to pledge to, you probably have an idea of what it's about.

I think Beta was the football frat at my school, but I think they're different at different schools.

 

[honsano]

I think for the most part, regardless of the organization, it basically depends upon the person (like all other decisions in life). I am in a fraternity and it does provide a distraction. Basically, you really have to be self-motivated to want to study for that Thursday morning test even though all your friends are just kicking it, drinkin and talkin. It is a great experience though.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Sounds like a good source of distractions and friends, two things that premeds don't need.

 

[JDAWG07]

I pledged a fraternity my freshman year and have been living in the house since I was a sophomore. Trust me, it is a distraction. However, I do feel that it has enriched my college experience. In a way, it has forced me to learn to balance my life at the fraternity, my social life outside of the fraternity, studying, research, and other extracurriculars. I'm a bioengineering major and routinely pull around 18-20 credits a semester. I do my share of partying and have managed to earn a competitive GPA (3.94) and MCAT (39). So it is possible and I would encourage it. However, you must know yourself. Are you willing to study in places outside of your room - such as the library? Can you sleep with the presence of noise? Also, are you willing to put in the time for other ECs? I only say that because it may look one-dimensional if you say that you want to help humanity but your only EC is being in a fraternity. Not to downplay it,... it does reveal social skills. It's just that I don't think medical schools realize how much time being in a fraternity takes up, especially if you take on any positions. It's therefore important to participate in other things. PM me if you have any questions.

 

[IndyZX]

I pledged a fraternity my freshman year and have been living in the house since I was a sophomore. Trust me, it is a distraction. However, I do feel that it has enriched my college experience. In a way, it has forced me to learn to balance my life at the fraternity, my social life outside of the fraternity, studying, research, and other extracurriculars. I'm a bioengineering major and routinely pull around 18-20 credits a semester. I do my share of partying and have managed to earn a competitive GPA (3.94) and MCAT (39). So it is possible and I would encourage it. However, you must know yourself. Are you willing to study in places outside of your room - such as the library? Can you sleep with the presence of noise? Also, are you willing to put in the time for other ECs? I only say that because it may look one-dimensional if you say that you want to help humanity but your only EC is being in a fraternity. Not to downplay it,... it does reveal social skills. It's just that I don't think medical schools realize how much time being in a fraternity takes up, especially if you take on any positions. It's therefore important to participate in other things. PM me if you have any questions.

Superman!

Seriously though, most people can't pull off what you have done. I would imagine that your situation is one of intense motivation and personal brilliance, so while I guess it is possible, but it is not a likely outcome.

Congrats though, it sounds like you've done it well.

 

[JohnBasedow]

Like some others have said, it can be a tough balancing act. I actually found that after I joined a fraternity, I did better in school because I knew I "had" to do stuff Thursday nights or whatever, and consequently I would study more effectively when I had free time. Of course, there are always going to be bad influences regardless of fraternity or not...esp. if you have friends who are in non-science majors and don't really need to study too much.

 

[boilerbeast]

I'm in a sorority, so I have a little bit of insight. Rushing was probably one of the best decisions I've made, especially my first year, because I was really shy and I met a lot of great people that I otherwise probably wouldn't have talked to. It's an experience worth having and because it's expensive and time-consuming, you're kind of forced to budget your time and money. There's a lot of opportunity for leadership positions and the whole living in a community thing will make you patient and a little more easygoing. My house actually had forced "study table" and "co-rec" (gym) hours that were great. Also, because there's so much tradition and legacy, many alums will bend over backwards to help you out, so you gain connections with alums' and your sisters' (or in your case brothers') parents/families that can really be helpful in finding a job, internship, or job-shadowing experience.

But on the flipside, I think it's somthing you outgrow (I'm a senior now) and being a part of a house isn't as important to me as it once was. The newness and excitement kind of wears off and you realize that there are more important things out there. Also, you have to keep in mind that these houses are really dynamic--when one pledge class graduates or a new one enters, the whole group changes. There will probably also be people you don't like that you're forced to be nice to (which is character building as well )

As long as you can do well in your classes, I would really encourage you to rush, but to keep two things in mind:

1. Don't judge people by the house that they're a part of (or lack thereof). None of that, "oh you're in ABC, so you must be rich/slutty/hot/athletic/fat/ a dork." That's just ridiculous.

2. Don't let yourself be hazed. Why would you want to be a part of an organization that treats you like crap during the introductory period?

just my two cents...
best of luck.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Joining a fraternity can be a wonderful experience, where you meet a variety of interesting people that are a lot of fun to hang out/party/network with.
It can also be a complete waste of time where you waste a sh*tload of money and become miserable as you are continuously hazed.
My advice is that you should really get to know the guys of a fraternity before you join. YOU DONT HAVE TO JOIN IN THE FALL. In fact, I would suggest waiting to the Spring - you really wont miss out on anything, and you will have a chance to evaluate the fraternities from an outsiders perspective, and to get to know the guys.
Remember, fraternities put on a major front when they are rushing you - none of them are as cool as they would like you to think.
PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[Sweet Tea]

There's some great advice on here already. There are some great Greek organizations out there, and there are some stereotypical ones that give the others a bad name. Join if you can balance both the social demands of the frat and your schoolwork. I'm going to venture a guess that since you're on this board then your long-term goal is med school. Being in a frat and having access to their alumni network can really help you, but that won't help at all if you let your social life get in the way of your grades. I second what another poster said about waiting until the spring to pledge...it will give you some time to acclimate to college and will give you some time to get to know the fraternity as well.

 

[velo]

Ok...let me preface this by saying that I don't like frats...so take this with a grain of salt I guess

I went to a big ten school with a HUGE greek system, and after four years of observation, here's what I've decided regarding fraternities and sororities : its just paying people to be your friend. You can have just as active a social life without paying to join a frat...

*puts on aesbestos suit...prepares for flames*

 

[Sweet Tea]

Ok...let me preface this by saying that I don't like frats...so take this with a grain of salt I guess

I went to a big ten school with a HUGE greek system, and after four years of observation, here's what I've decided regarding fraternities and sororities : its just paying people to be your friend. You can have just as active a social life without paying to join a frat...

*puts on aesbestos suit...prepares for flames*

Heh...no flames as I agree with you. I went to a huge ACC school where there was a very active Greek system and found absolutely no reason to join. However, my mom is national vice pres. of her sorority and has been the Greek advisor for a couple schools, and that kind of forced me to grow up in the Greek system. There are some really good groups out there, and there are some really bad ones. Chapters of the same sorority/fraternity vary widely from campus to campus and you can't jude an entire sorority or fraternity based on one chapter. There are some chapters that do nothing but party, but there are others that have a very strong academic and service base. Fraternities/Sororities aren't for everyone, but they can be great experiences.

Just know what you're getting into before you join, and make sure that you don't give in to social pressures and make sure you get your studying done. This is easier with some frats than with others.

 

[fullefect1]

I have heard the frats at my school have a minimum requirement of drinking. Not sure if most are like this, but If they are I hope you can handle your beer/liquour.

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

Ok...let me preface this by saying that I don't like frats...so take this with a grain of salt I guess

I went to a big ten school with a HUGE greek system, and after four years of observation, here's what I've decided regarding fraternities and sororities : its just paying people to be your friend. You can have just as active a social life without paying to join a frat...

*puts on aesbestos suit...prepares for flames*

It is true that you can have just an active a social life without joining a frat. What you dont get, however, is nearly unlimited access to a network of girls that want to get drunk and party with you. Where else can you have a buddy call up a girl and say, "hey, why don't you have fifty of your friends that you paid for meet fifty of my friends that I paid for, we'll get blasted at a cheap venue, and half of us will hook up?"

 

[rtmcad2319]

Ok...let me preface this by saying that I don't like frats...so take this with a grain of salt I guess

I went to a big ten school with a HUGE greek system, and after four years of observation, here's what I've decided regarding fraternities and sororities : its just paying people to be your friend. You can have just as active a social life without paying to join a frat...

*puts on aesbestos suit...prepares for flames*

-It must suck to see that over 80% of the leaders(in US) are of some kind of Greek affiliation. Sucks to be you!

The Greek system is sweet and it is possible to pull off what JDawg did...I currently am! It is great to help balance out long lab research work and relentless academic stress! DO IT!

 

[velo]

It is true that you can have just an active a social life without joining a frat. What you dont get, however, is nearly unlimited access to a network of girls that want to get drunk and party with you. Where else can you have a buddy call up a girl and say, "hey, why don't you have fifty of your friends that you paid for meet fifty of my friends that I paid for, we'll get blasted at a cheap venue, and half of us will hook up?"

well...if that's appealing to you....personally i wouldn't touch most of those girls with my 10-ft pole (mostly because I don't want to get the shlt they picked up from all those frat guys they're hooking up with)

Also, in my experience, its not too difficult to hook up during the college years...even if you're not in a frat...and even if it means you first have to get to know the girl well enough to trust that she's clean...

I know all about those frat parties...but to me it seems that that means you're not only paying for friends at a frat, you're also paying for a brothell...I'd rather find friends and women on my own...

"So there's a burning sensation when you urinate?"

"No doc, not burning, FIRE...comin' out my dick"

 

[velo]

-It must suck to see that over 80% of the leaders(in US) are of some kind of Greek affiliation. Sucks to be you!

The Greek system is sweet and it is possible to pull off what JDawg did...I currently am! It is great to help balance out long lab research work and relentless academic stress! DO IT!

Yes, and all those leaders went to college 20-30 years ago when the greek system was very very different.

My dad was in a fraternity, as he described it "oh at my school at least 95% of us were in a frat...basically you were either a fraternity brother or you were gay (literal definition). But if you don't want to join a frat NOW i completely understand"

 

[rtmcad2319]

Yes, and all those leaders went to college 20-30 years ago when the greek system was very very different.

My dad was in a fraternity, as he described it "oh at my school at least 95% of us were in a frat...basically you were either a fraternity brother or you were gay (literal definition). But if you don't want to join a frat NOW i completely understand"

I agree with you that MOST fraternity systems have suffered, but it was from the fruits of the pervious generation. I would like to point out that the underlying values and principles are what make the Greek system strong (sometimes the people ruin it I know) and it is still great to be part of!

 

[SanDiegoSOD]

well...if that's appealing to you....personally i wouldn't touch most of those girls with my 10-ft pole (mostly because I don't want to get the shlt they picked up from all those frat guys they're hooking up with)

Also, in my experience, its not too difficult to hook up during the college years...even if you're not in a frat...and even if it means you first have to get to know the girl well enough to trust that she's clean...

I know all about those frat parties...but to me it seems that that means you're not only paying for friends at a frat, you're also paying for a brothell...I'd rather find friends and women on my own...

"So there's a burning sensation when you urinate?"

"No doc, not burning, FIRE...comin' out my dick"

I know what you mean, but I only mentioned that because that is the reason that many guys join. Fraternities compete to get the "hottest" sororities to go to their rush events so that they can brag to their guys about "how many hoes they can pull", and all that other jive. Didnt say it had to be appealing, it's just the way it is: The Greek system is one GIANT mating pool, at least where I'm from.

 

[velo]

I agree with you that MOST fraternity systems have suffered, but it was from the fruits of the pervious generation. I would like to point out that the underlying values and principles are what make the Greek system strong (sometimes the people ruin it I know) and it is still great to be part of!

let me clarify that I'm not on some anti-greek crusade. For people who enjoy it, that's great, more power to you...its just wasn't for me.

Also, by the time we are "leaders" you won't see 80% with a (social) fraternity affiliation...participation has decreased dramatically since the time our current leaders were in college.

 

[velo]

it's just the way it is: The Greek system is one GIANT mating pool, at least where I'm from.

oh it was the same at my undergrad....but that's one pool I don't want to dip my...er...toe in.

 

[Grignard]

I am a foreign student and I pledged during my freshman year. The reason is that I thought I could form a study group with them and do better in my classes (so called brotherhood). However, it never happened...and now I totally understand what greek system is about...

The only thing the frat helps is it's a place to build a character and develop the leadership, but not grades.

 

[911Med]

Background: Big Ten School
Fraternity: Predominately varsity athletes; great guys

Pros:
Connections: A fraternity alumnus was president the OB/GYN Assoc. (no, really) - he suggested my thesis and eventually helped me get a job in the pharma industry post graduation.

Leadership: You learn how to speak to people and effectively communicate quickly.

Volunteer: Most organizations have pre-selected charities that they adopt - this looks great on AMCAS.

Cons:
It killed my GPA. I mean tanked it. Why? Because I was tanked most of the time. If you have the discipline and focus, then more power to you. I was not that guy. Way too much fun, way too much of the time.

Every house is different and they have a way of selectively picking carbon copies of each other. I know, I was the one doing it.
So...if you are thinking of going Greek, go to Rush, look around, ask questions, be social, you will gravitate towards a couple houses. Houses are different at every school, but you know if you fit in, if you don't feel comfortable at the house during Rush, then cross it off the list. You may or may not get bids from houses you want to pledge, that is life, and that is the Darwinian Fraternity Principle.

Pledging requires quite a bit of time. GPAs vary during this period. Greeks do post a higher GPA than non-Greeks at most schools.

Would I do it again?
Probably not.

Did I have any regrets WHILE I was in the fraternity?
Hell no. - The amount of fun I had shoud have been illegal.


It is 100% worth checking out and making your OWN educated decision.

 

[menemotxi]

To the OP:

You should at least go through rush and see if you like being in a fraternity. You can always quit if it's not to your liking.

I personally got a lot out of joining a fraternity. It was excellent for developing leadership skills and learning to communicate effectively (i.e. commanding the attention of a room of 100 guys when roughly 25% are drunk is challenging). I also received a lot of support from my fraternity when I got involved in EC's (they gave me $5000 for my Student Government campaign). You also get to see some nice scenery (hot sorority girls, although lots of them I knew were high maintenance and husband shopping). As an added bonus, two interviewers I had on the application trail were alumni. This made for a great icebreaker as we swapped stories.

Like 911med said though, there are tons of distractions. At our house, there was a constant parade of drunk people wandering the halls at all hours of the day. Living in the house can be tough if you have a huge test the next morning and there's a party or a loud poker game going on outside your door til 5 in the morning.

If you are self motivated and can live with the numerous distractions, then by all means go for it. Make sure you leave a lot of free time during your pledge semester, cause if it's anything like mine, you definitely don't want a heavy class load.

Good luck dude.

 

[Premedtomed]

I am in a fraternity. Great experience if you are responsible and smart.

 

[UFSportsMed]

I was in a fraternity at UF, which has a large Greek system and is always ranked top 5 party schools in the nation. I lived in the house with 49 other people for 2 years. Of course when you pledge there was hazing, lack of sleep, too much partying, and oh yea, that study thing. But honestly it was the best experience of my 4 years. There was never something I couldn't do b/c of the rigors of school. It's all about learning time management and balance. Sleep a few less hours a night, get your stuff done ahead of time. Learn how to study hungover. It's also kinda motivation seeing how worthless some of the people around you are, ie never go to class, drink every night, do drugs, get a DUI, fail out of school, don't have their priorities straight. My friends and I would go out 3-4 times a week and drink until we couldn't stand. Turns out, we are all in medical school or in the process of applying with great stats....Doesn't make you a bad person, as long as you have your priorities straight. It's what we like to do for fun rather than sit at home and play video games and read poetry. Anyways, bottom line, be a frat guy, make memories and work hard at the same time.

 

[velo]

. It's what we like to do for fun rather than sit at home and play video games and read poetry.

the prefered leisure activities of college students outside of the greek system

 

[TwoLegacies]

my grades got BETTER once i joined a sorority (though i joined my junior year, so maturity might have been the real cause). and no, even though i am from san diego, i wasn't part of some giant mating pool. i did date one of the guys in a frat, but i emphasize date. it can be a great way of getting to know people, not just for hooking up.
fraternities are different, though. i think both frats and sororities are time-intensive, but frats (IMO) are more likely to be detrimental to your grades
it all depends on how focused you are. i'm the kind of person who does better when i have a lot of stuff to do, like if i had a sorority event that i have to plan, i would finish my homework faster and not screw around. but if you aren't the kind of person that thrives on having a lot of stuff to do, maybe you should think more about it.
i agree with the poster that said wait until spring semester. feel it out! that way you can look at the fraternities from the outside, and also get a feel for the amount of free time you will have after schoolwork is said and done.

 

[TwoLegacies]

the prefered leisure activities of college students outside of the greek system

hey now. yeah, i'll agree that part of the post was dumb. but dude... i usually agree with what you have to say. here though, i'm gonna say: if you aren't on an anti-greek crusade, why are you hanging around posting in this thread? if you weren't in a frat, you don't know what it's like to be in one, so you can't offer much beyond "i had enough free time to do well in school because i wasn't in a frat". i'm not angry or anything, i just wonder why so many people who aren't greek bag on it so much, but then say they don't care. i wouldn't want to be part of say, the hunting club (and i think hunting is kinda evil), but i'm not hanging around some hunting club thread (not that there is one ) going, "hunting clubs are lame".

 

[velo]

hey now. yeah, i'll agree that part of the post was dumb. but dude... i usually agree with what you have to say. here though, i'm gonna say: if you aren't on an anti-greek crusade, why are you hanging around posting in this thread? if you weren't in a frat, you don't know what it's like to be in one, so you can't offer much beyond "i had enough free time to do well in school because i wasn't in a frat". i'm not angry or anything, i just wonder why so many people who aren't greek bag on it so much, but then say they don't care. i wouldn't want to be part of say, the hunting club (and i think hunting is kinda evil), but i'm not hanging around some hunting club thread (not that there is one ) going, "hunting clubs are lame".

True enough...I don't care if this guy or anyone else joins, but perhaps my distaste for the greek system is deeper than I care to admit....good post, good point, i hearby excuse myself from this thread

 

[45408]

Why not wait a semester and see how suited you are for college rather than biting off more than you can chew? If you do well with a reasonable course-load, then pledge for one. If you're struggling your first semester, consider your goals and priorities and move from there.