Pledging

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doc4lax

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Ive searched around the threats and couldnt find a similar one to my situation so here I go. I am an NCAA student athlete and my sport commitment takes up around 25+ hours a week. I am currently a sophomore taking Orgo II w/ lab, genetics, psych class, a philosophy class, and a healthcare class. Atop of this, I am active on a few clubs for student athletes. I am a strong student (3.8+ GPA), however I believe that I may have reached my limit school wise when I recently started pledging to a fraternity. My school and lacrosse come first, however my biggest concern is that with pledging, my grades and/or lacrosse will suffer. I have some very good friends in the house, however I want to do whats best for me. I havent thrown in the towel yet, but I am seriously thinking of pledging next year if the fraternity is willing to give me another bid. Also, since it takes up alot of time, I dont know if its something I want to commit that much to if it cannot help benefit me in any way. Any advice from greek/non-greek people out there? thanks

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I'm adult, so I don't care the slightest about fraternities.

More to your question, save the time for some medically related ECs, like volunteering and shadowing.
 
Ive searched around the threats and couldnt find a similar one to my situation so here I go. I am an NCAA student athlete and my sport commitment takes up around 25+ hours a week. I am currently a sophomore taking Orgo II w/ lab, genetics, psych class, a philosophy class, and a healthcare class. Atop of this, I am active on a few clubs for student athletes. I am a strong student (3.8+ GPA), however I believe that I may have reached my limit school wise when I recently started pledging to a fraternity. My school and lacrosse come first, however my biggest concern is that with pledging, my grades and/or lacrosse will suffer. I have some very good friends in the house, however I want to do whats best for me. I havent thrown in the towel yet, but I am seriously thinking of pledging next year if the fraternity is willing to give me another bid. Also, since it takes up alot of time, I dont know if its something I want to commit that much to if it cannot help benefit me in any way. Any advice from greek/non-greek people out there? thanks

Very few professionals will ever care that you joined a party brotherhood.
 
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I was never in a frat; never had any kind of appeal to me. They were fine people I'm sure. It just seemed like they had a touch of...how would I say it....insecure douchebag.
 
Are you a black sheep on the team or something? As a former NCAA athlete myself, I can't imagine any situation where I would have traded the awesome times I had with my teammates for joining a frat.

Same situation, you can't get that bond anywhere else, especially not a frat.
 
Ive searched around the threats and couldnt find a similar one to my situation so here I go. I am an NCAA student athlete and my sport commitment takes up around 25+ hours a week. I am currently a sophomore taking Orgo II w/ lab, genetics, psych class, a philosophy class, and a healthcare class. Atop of this, I am active on a few clubs for student athletes. I am a strong student (3.8+ GPA), however I believe that I may have reached my limit school wise when I recently started pledging to a fraternity. My school and lacrosse come first, however my biggest concern is that with pledging, my grades and/or lacrosse will suffer. I have some very good friends in the house, however I want to do whats best for me. I havent thrown in the towel yet, but I am seriously thinking of pledging next year if the fraternity is willing to give me another bid. Also, since it takes up alot of time, I dont know if its something I want to commit that much to if it cannot help benefit me in any way. Any advice from greek/non-greek people out there? thanks

I held a leadership position in my fraternity and it was definitely a positive topic of conversation at some of my interviews. I do agree that the time spent here would be better served in a medically related EC, but I think being part of a fraternity might show some "well roundedness." If it is something you would like to do for you, and not for your application, then absolutely go for it.
 
Alot of the members of my team are greek and I just feel that I can be social with them, but not necessarily be in a fraternity. I can take that time and invest it somewhere else. Thanks for all the advice
 
I never think back to my time in college and say, "I wish I did more medically related ECs." But I still get together with my fraternity brothers and think back on all the awesome times. If you can handle it and are interested then you should pledge.
 
An acquaintance of mine literally got a 0.0 his first semester at college because he failed all his classes since he was busy pledging. He wasn't even a pre-med.
 
If your frat life, professionally speaking, ends at graduation, don't bother. It won't be worth it to you at all especially if you are already having doubts now. Greek life from what I've experienced is only beneficially if your organization both locally and nationally continues to do service work and community programming post-college. Best of luck on your decision.
 
# fratlife
# YOLO
# drinkuntilyoudrop
# gohardeverynight
































# SGUclassof2019
 
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What the **** is that suppose to mean?

It means that I do not find the point of trying to find myself through chest bumping, black out drinking, and trying to out bro my bros.
 
It means that I do not find the point of trying to find myself through chest bumping, black out drinking, and trying to out bro my bros.

If that's what you think a fraternity is I feel bad for you. However, I can't blame you, as like most things, media attention will go to all the wrong things. Not to mention there is more I would like to say, but I'm going to go to bed instead.

Good day.
 
Alot of the members of my team are greek and I just feel that I can be social with them, but not necessarily be in a fraternity. I can take that time and invest it somewhere else. Thanks for all the advice

OP, stick with your team and school. There isn't a need for you to join a frat in my opinion and a Div I sports team is much more likely to turn heads than any frat you join.

Keep up the 3.8 and just play hard. Just go out with your buddies if you feel the need to go out and to stay involved, you can easily do volunteering on your own.

Most frats I see around here usually just fundraise. I'm sure most had positive experiences and recommend frat life, but I hear far more horror stories with it than helpful ones.
 
Join the frat mang, college is all about getting real yucky with the boys, namsayin?

Provided, of course, that you're 21! Consuming alcohol as a minor is a serious offense!








;)
 
Join the frat mang, college is all about getting real yucky with the boys, namsayin?

Provided, of course, that you're 21! Consuming alcohol as a minor is a serious offense!








;)

Wow, Hugh's on hold... no more oddish. :(:(

Anyhow OP, is it necessary to be in part of the frat? Honestly, it doesn't offer many advantages, and you're risking daming your grades and your athletic background.
 
Joining Greek Life was one of the best decisions I've made in college. I've found that the people in my organization were so motivated and involved that I was motivated to try even harder in school. Pledging isn't always the easiest, but once you're in, then it's over. If you've already started, my advice is to finish it out IF you think that joining will be a positive influence in your college career. Consider whether the brothers are motivated in school and their professional careers or whether their brotherhood is centered around drinking, because both are out there. What their alumni are doing is usually a good indication of that. Greek life can provide a lot of opportunities for leadership and philanthropic activity if you take advantage of it. And like I said, it was a huge part of my college career and I wouldn't change that for the world. For one of my secondaries I only had one essay and chose to write about what I learned through my greek life leadership experiences, and I got an interview at that school. A lot of people bash greek life because they weren't a part of it so I definitely wouldn't throw in the towel just yet.
 
Joining Greek Life was one of the best decisions I've made in college. I've found that the people in my organization were so motivated and involved that I was motivated to try even harder in school. Pledging isn't always the easiest, but once you're in, then it's over. If you've already started, my advice is to finish it out IF you think that joining will be a positive influence in your college career. Consider whether the brothers are motivated in school and their professional careers or whether their brotherhood is centered around drinking, because both are out there. What their alumni are doing is usually a good indication of that. Greek life can provide a lot of opportunities for leadership and philanthropic activity if you take advantage of it. And like I said, it was a huge part of my college career and I wouldn't change that for the world. For one of my secondaries I only had one essay and chose to write about what I learned through my greek life leadership experiences, and I got an interview at that school. A lot of people bash greek life because they weren't a part of it so I definitely wouldn't throw in the towel just yet.

+1. You came to the wrong place to ask about joining a fraternity because it can be such a dividing topic among people
 
I pledged and it was the best thing I've done in college. I had great times with some of my best friends. Well worth it in my opinion. Oh, and i managed to get my highest GPA ever while pledging too
 
Joining Greek Life was one of the best decisions I've made in college. I've found that the people in my organization were so motivated and involved that I was motivated to try even harder in school. Pledging isn't always the easiest, but once you're in, then it's over. If you've already started, my advice is to finish it out IF you think that joining will be a positive influence in your college career. Consider whether the brothers are motivated in school and their professional careers or whether their brotherhood is centered around drinking, because both are out there. What their alumni are doing is usually a good indication of that. Greek life can provide a lot of opportunities for leadership and philanthropic activity if you take advantage of it. And like I said, it was a huge part of my college career and I wouldn't change that for the world. For one of my secondaries I only had one essay and chose to write about what I learned through my greek life leadership experiences, and I got an interview at that school. A lot of people bash greek life because they weren't a part of it so I definitely wouldn't throw in the towel just yet.

We weren't a part of it for many reasons as listed above. There is however one at my school that truly focuses on making connections, bettering your education, etc.... But this is the exception.

It already sounds like you're hella busy dude... Focus on school, lax, and your ECs. Go out with your lax bros if you need some release.
 
Your decision depends on your school's geographic location (related to emphasis on Greek life). Pledging should be the most fun you never want to have again, but treat the time commitment like a 1 credit course. Below the Mason-Dixon, it may be more time consuming than that - so be aware. Pledging in New England, however, is less time consuming than pledging at, for example, an SEC school.

My fraternity's chapters at academically elite schools like Yale and Hopkins are considered the "Lax" and "Football" frats, respectively. Those students balance NCAA sports with a hectic course load and fraternity membership while making above average grades. If you manage your time wisely, you'll succeed academically too despite a full extracurricular schedule. Just be honest with the fraternity about your commitments to lacrosse and academics during pledgeship. They'll understand and usually make exceptions (having successful pre-med students reflect well on a chapter).

If you're ultimately aiming to become a physician and not a professional lacrosse player, I encourage you to pledge. Save your clinical activities and volunteer work for summer and winter breaks. You'll have time. True the social aspect of fraternity membership is unparalleled, but there is more to a good house than that. There will be networking opportunities and test banks at your disposal that will help you gain a leg up during the semester and after graduation. You never know what chapter may have alumni from your state medical school. Above all, remember to keep academics your priority.
 
If you're ultimately aiming to become a physician and not a professional lacrosse player, I encourage you to pledge. Save your clinical activities and volunteer work for summer and winter breaks. You'll have time. True the social aspect of fraternity membership is unparalleled, but there is more to a good house than that. There will be networking opportunities and test banks at your disposal that will help you gain a leg up during the semester and after graduation. You never know what chapter may have alumni from your state medical school. Above all, remember to keep academics your priority.

rofl this is why I dislike frat people
 
Half the frats at many college are just made up of dorks that finally feel cool, look up the movie "Nerds" and those nerds are exactly the type of frats I'm talking about. The other frats consist of moderately good looking guys that fit the frat stereotype. Unfortunately those stereotypical frat guys are rarely on the path toward medical school. Without knowing you, if I had to guess, I'd say you belong to the former.

I suggest you stop making generalizations.
 
rofl this is why I dislike frat people
Why does this make you hate "frat people?"

I admit the social aspect is a bit subjective, but generally speaker fraternities afford greater access to weekend activities, semi/formal events, philanthropy drives and sorority mixers. Do these activities not enhance sociability?

Or if you were doubting the networking opportunities, I'll provide an example. My chapter has only been in existence locally for just over 6 years. We keep census well below 60. Despite our infancy and small numbers, we have placed alumni in medical, dental, pharmacy, graduate, and law schools. We also have alumni working i-banking on Wall Street and at 3/4 top accounting firms. I'm not including alumni of other chapters in the area who have even greater success. These individuals routinely offer to write recommendations and serve as references for younger members. In fact, a lot of internships are awarded that way. Is that somehow a downfall of Greek life?

And I hope I don't need to explain the advantage of test banks...if they existed.

I certainly respect your desire to remain unaffiliated.
 
Other factors aside, I honestly think it's kind of late to be joining a fraternity. Pledging is something best done as a freshman imo, and you want to do it next year when you're a junior and are going to be very busy. I really enjoy the connections I've made in Greek life and I can't imagine not knowing all the people I do now because I decided to pledge, but I don't think it's a good idea for you anymore. I simply don't see how you would have time to pledge on top of your athletics, academics, and increasing amount of ECs, etc. that you're going to be involved in.
 
why does this make you hate "frat people?"

i admit the social aspect is a bit subjective, but generally speaker fraternities afford greater access to weekend activities, semi/formal events, philanthropy drives and sorority mixers. Do these activities not enhance sociability?

Or if you were doubting the networking opportunities, i'll provide an example. My chapter has only been in existence locally for just over 6 years. We keep census well below 60. Despite our infancy and small numbers, we have placed alumni in medical, dental, pharmacy, graduate, and law schools. We also have alumni working i-banking on wall street and at 3/4 top accounting firms. I'm not including alumni of other chapters in the area who have even greater success. These individuals routinely offer to write recommendations and serve as references for younger members. In fact, a lot of internships are awarded that way. Is that somehow a downfall of greek life?

And i hope i don't need to explain the advantage of test banks...if they existed.

I certainly respect your desire to remain unaffiliated.

ImageUploadedBySDN Mobile1361296484.398989.jpg
 
This was a good discussion before all the fratstars started getting uppity and insecure... in effect proving the haters right. Nevermind that's been continuous throughout the thread.
 
There's a huge variety of types of frats out there, from animal house-esque bro-party houses to purely professional groups that even include girls (wtf). The only general advice that remains true for all of them is more about you, and that is: can you maintain a good or at least decent/recoverable gpa through pledging? If the answer is no, then you need to think about not doing it or doing it when you have a less busy schedule. No admissions committee is going to give leeway to the "oh i was pledging" excuse.

But yea, I've seen guys drop out of school cause frat life destroyed them and seen kids go to top med/law schools/banks/accounting firms/whatever from the same pledge class. It really depends on a lot of things.
 
This was a good discussion before all the fratstars started getting uppity and insecure... in effect proving the haters right. Nevermind that's been continuous throughout the thread.

The first reply to this thread stemmed from insecurity. There was never a good discussion taking place here.
 
Why does this make you hate "frat people?"

I admit the social aspect is a bit subjective, but generally speaker fraternities afford greater access to weekend activities, semi/formal events, philanthropy drives and sorority mixers. Do these activities not enhance sociability?

In all seriousness, I think that Greek Life recruitment prepared me immensely for med school interviews. You learn to sell yourself and think of answers quickly when you're recruiting which were things that came in handy during interviews. But maybe that's just for sorority recruitment...
 
In all seriousness, I think that Greek Life recruitment prepared me immensely for med school interviews. You learn to sell yourself and think of answers quickly when you're recruiting which were things that came in handy during interviews. But maybe that's just for sorority recruitment...

I'm greek as well. Seriously nothing beats interview practice than sorority recruitment haha. OP I'm in greek life and play a D2 sport as well. I've held exec positions within my chapter which I believe was a big plus on my app. IMHO joining was one of the smartest decisions I've ever made, it has given me so many opportunities I would not have had otherwise such as networking, help from other sisters who have taken classes before me and leadership opportunities. I used to be rather shy, and getting up every week and talking to 70 some girls has improved my public speaking and confidence. The thing about Greek Life though is you get what you put into it. You can still have great bonds with your brothers and only do the bare minimum and be fine with no risk to your GPA/sports. If you are looking to go into it to be chapter prez tho... I would advice you to be careful because there is sooo much work that goes into it. It is doable, but you have to be very good at time management and be dedicated as hell. Also, it really doesn't matter what year you join, I joined as a sophomore and we have great girls who joined their junior year, its really NBD.
 
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