Should i tell medical schools about being the pledge master

[aharris4]

Hey all, I was pledge master my last semester in college and assistant before that. Would it be beneficial to tell admissions boards about that or could it hurt me because pledging is associated with illegal activities aka hazing. If anyone had any input it would be greatly appreciated. thanks and good luck all 🙂

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[aggie08]

Hey all, I was pledge master my last semester in college and assistant before that. Would it be beneficial to tell admissions boards about that or could it hurt me because pledging is associated with illegal activities aka hazing. If anyone had any input it would be greatly appreciated. thanks and good luck all 🙂

Pledging in my organization was in no way associated with hazing. I talked a LOT about my experiences in leadership with this group and found it a very good learning opportunity and beneficial experience. If your organization promoted hazing then I would probably steer clear of talking about it, but be aware that there are clubs out there that don't participate in illegal activities as a part of their pledgeship.

 

[aharris4]

i simply meant that pledging is associated with hazing, not that we partook in hazing. i didnt want admissions boards getting the wrong idea

 

[FlowLimited]

Could you say your position had to do with "recruitment" instead of saying you were pledgemaster? I know it's not exactly the same, but it's probably close enough to give them the idea while minimizing any possible negative assumptions.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hey all, I was pledge master my last semester in college and assistant before that. Would it be beneficial to tell admissions boards about that or could it hurt me because pledging is associated with illegal activities aka hazing. If anyone had any input it would be greatly appreciated. thanks and good luck all 🙂

Personally, I would (and did) leave off most fraternity stuff other than possibly chapter president, because more than a few people have negative views of/experiences with fraternities, and your positive can be regarded as a negative by the an adcom who didn't have a good experience with the greek system, or perhaps never got over being blackballed. Others have different views, but my experience has been that more folks have negative perspectives of fraternities -- due to hazing, alcohol stereotypes, than positive.

 

[searun]

I successfully concealed my fraternity membership during my med school application process. It worked for me.

Two years ago, some frat guy at Oregon State University was drinking his beer and minding his own business when some homeless guy was rummaging for cans in the frat dumpster to return to the grocery store for 5 cents a piece. Hey, a guy has got to make a living, right. Anyway, the frat guy got annoyed, took a big swig on his beer, went upstairs to his room, got his gun, and shot the homeless guy. Needless to say, the pub for the frat was not good.

And then, of course, all of the media stories of pledges dying of alcohol poisoning during the initiation process.


Yeah, leave it off.

 

[searun]

Oh, one other thought. As I recall, George W. Bush, came up with the idea of branding pledges on their butts with a red hot coat hanger while a fraternity president at Yale.

Anyone see any similarities with the Bush policy on the treatment of military prisoners?

Even the Republicans are trying to disassociate from W.

 

[majahops]

You knew they were going to when the time was right. Just like global warming... when the time was right for them, they - all of the sudden - recognized global warming as a real problem. They haven't explicitly recognized that it is [heavily] the fault of man yet. But again, when the time is right, for them, they will. That's how they roll.

Oh, one other thought. As I recall, George W. Bush, came up with the idea of branding pledges on their butts with a red hot coat hanger while a fraternity president at Yale.

Anyone see any similarities with the Bush policy on the treatment of military prisoners?

Even the Republicans are trying to disassociate from W.

 

[mterp45]

I wrote about my time as president of my fraternity and briefly but proudly talked about it during my interview. When you lead a brotherhood of 80 brothers for a year, it is definetly something to be proud of. That's more excutive experience than Mcain and Obama put together 😀. Any time you have the chance to show strong leadership, whether it be as a pledge master or pledge class leader, I think you should take it.

 

[mterp45]

Pledging in my organization was in no way associated with hazing. I talked a LOT about my experiences in leadership with this group and found it a very good learning opportunity and beneficial experience. If your organization promoted hazing then I would probably steer clear of talking about it, but be aware that there are clubs out there that don't participate in illegal activities as a part of their pledgeship.

Hey Aggie 😍.

 

[Law2Doc]

Oh, one other thought. As I recall, George W. Bush, came up with the idea of branding pledges on their butts with a red hot coat hanger while a fraternity president at Yale.

This was not an original W idea. Lots of fraternities across the nation had been doing this for years -- quite a few still do.

 

[jfmcc]

I suppose it depends on your role within the fraternity. If, as a pledge master, you had a great deal of responsibility and you feel like you gained significant leadership experience, I think you should bring it up. Be sure to tell them about teaching pledge education (that's what I did as a pledge master), and how your job was to instill certain values into them, give them guidance during their first experience of college, make them run around naked while shooting them with airsoft guns (jk ), etc.

My roles as an undergraduate member of my fraternity contributed to a lot to my leadership skills, as well as to my community service. We were heavily involved with a camp for special children and adults as well as the red cross and march of dimes. I'm definitely bringing up my roles within the fraternity when it comes to admissions. It's also no trivial task to keep a group of 18-22 year old guys in check!

 

[chewsnuffles]

For Greek involvement, it needs to be framed professionally just as you would on a resume.

From a real life example:

An acquaintance put "Grand Master of Ceremonies" on his application. While this is the accurate title at his specific chapter, perhaps "Social Chair" would work just as well. With Grand Master of Ceremonies, (or GMC for short), there's a higher chance it could rouse a negative reaction in an AdCom member.

Just as with everything in Greek life, the number one rule is be safe...

 

[kappa09]

I did not conceal my sorority membership on my applications, nor would I in an interview. I have held numerous leadership positions in my sorority and gained valuable experience that I wouldn't have elsewhere. However, I do agree that perhaps you should call it something else. New member or pledge educator maybe?

 

[aharris4]

yea its called associate member chair officially i think i am gonna mention it, after all it was a major leadership role

 

[thegetupkid]

I was pledge class president, which can also be related to hazing.

I put it on my AMCAS and talk about it openly at interviews. I think it's important that you bring up any leadership experience possible--especially when it involves leading a small business involving about 100 brothers.

👍

 

[chewsnuffles]

I was pledge class president, which can also be related to hazing.

I put it on my AMCAS and talk about it openly at interviews. I think it's important that you bring up any leadership experience possible--especially when it involves leading a small business involving about 100 brothers.

👍

I was IFC pres at my school, and it involved dealing with obnoxious people in the ****tiest situations, with the threat of legal action hanging over my head (atleast I personally was not indemifiable... but i digress) so of course I put it in my med school applications, since, ya know, medicine is kind of like that too, except i could be personally sued... and the people you see are generally a little less drunk...

 

[Law2Doc]

I did not conceal my sorority membership on my applications, nor would I in an interview. I have held numerous leadership positions in my sorority and gained valuable experience that I wouldn't have elsewhere. However, I do agree that perhaps you should call it something else. New member or pledge educator maybe?

Well, sororities don't have the same kind of stigma as fraternities, which all too often are known to outsiders as bastions of "Animal House"-behavior, hazing, branding and date rape at worst, and a social organization at best. For a fraternity, there are more people who will think negatively than positively, in my opinion. So lots of us left our membership and offices off, if we had other things to fall back on, notwithstanding all the positive things the organization did. It's all about how it looks to someone external to the greek system, not what you thought about it.

 

[Perrotfish]

Don't just write the position down. If this goes on your applicatoin you need at least a couple of sentences explaining why you were so great at what you did. Maybe the pledge classes' GPA went up compared to previous years? I don't know, something.

I had about a half-a-dozen fraternity leadership position on my app. I have no idea if it helped or hurt.

 

[littlealex]

I was one. Didn't talk about it on my apps. I talked about all the other opportunities I had w/ The Fraternity, just didn't mention the fact that I was responsible for the next generation.

 

[StPlayrXtreme]

"Pledgemaster" definitely has a negative ring to it.

If you're going to list it, I would write "recruitment chair," or something similar.

 

[bigman225]

I wouldn't even tell schools I was in a frat.. there's no secret about what frats are all about at my school.. parties, alcohol abuse, an insular sense of "brotherhood," half-assed philanthropy, and mediocre people with inexplicable arrogance

 

[Bacchus]

I'm not in a fraternity although I did come close to pledging a chapter on campus. There are many benefits to being in a fraternity. All of my friends involved with greek life (fraternities or sororities) are happy with their decisions. I know only a few people that have removed their affilitation from a chapter on campus. Inside the greek network there are indestructible bonds between brothers and between sisters and between brothers and sisters (take it as you will). However, the more conservative population (a lot of adcoms) probably will inadvertently think of the stereotypes done against fraternities (and to a lesser degree sororities). I know a few friends that are repsonsible for the incoming pledge class and it does take a lot of work and coordination. I would liken it to jobs I had such as admissions recruitment and orientation. However, my jobs don't have a negative stereotype against them. If you're going to include "recruitment chair" frame it in a very bright and positive light. Talk about how you coordinate study hours (although I think this is standard), how you bring people together (not because of pledging anguish), and how you have shown good coordination and leadership skills. Throwing the word pledgemaster on your application will more than likely tarnish any application and frame you in a slightly negative light.

 

[searun]

I just opened the newspaper this morning, and this article caught my eye....an 18 year old freshman pledge at Wabash College found dead at his fraternity house in a pool of vomit. Police suspect that alcohol was involved. His mother told the Indianopolis Star newspaper that her son was found face down in a pool of his own vomit.

Nice image.

 

[linguini]

I just opened the newspaper this morning, and this article caught my eye....an 18 year old freshman pledge at Wabash College found dead at his fraternity house in a pool of vomit. Police suspect that alcohol was involved. His mother told the Indianopolis Star newspaper that her son was found face down in a pool of his own vomit.

Nice image.

That's really too bad. But remember that there are college students not involved in Greek life who have alcohol-related deaths.

I think it's completely acceptable to disclose your fraternity position...I think it speaks to your leadership, social aptitude, and devotion to a community. But, as other posters recommended, I would also refer to it as "Recruitment Chair." As searun pointed out, instances like that unfortunately cause people to connotate pledging with some ugly things.

 

[msc78]

I included some greek leadership positions/responsibilities on my amcas and that seemed to work for me. I think it also depends on what your current stats are (GPA/MCAT/ECs)... If they're decent, I think mentioning your affiliation can be constructive in the sense that you were able to balance additional responsibilities along w/ school. My two cents.

 

[aharris4]

thanks all for the input. i decided to tell them about my being plede master or "Associate member chair" and described how i lead the 8 week program. just sent it in as an addendum hopefully it helps... ill let you all know how it goes

 

[Brydmd]

Being selective is obviously key. If, once you're out of college, there's one thing about your experiences you can proudly brag about, then I say go for it. Remember that one reason med schools conduct interviews is to make sure you have a type-A personality. I'm not going to see that having a leadership role within a Greek organization guarantees that, but it sure doesn't hurt.

Even if you can't boast about most of your experiences as pledgemaster, find a few things you can talk about. The fact that you took on such a big responsibility to begin with and at the same time handled classes and all your other EC's is an accomplishment in itself.

 

[UKFrog]

OP, you could just realize that Frats are a coping mechanism for the transistion from home to adulthood, for those that need them, and let your application stats do the talking while leaving behind the juvenile embodiment of immaturity. Or you could risk it all on the past experience of recruiting others to the pattern of binge drinking, exclusionary friendships, and reckless judgement.

 

[linguini]

OP, you could just realize that Frats are a coping mechanism for the transistion from home to adulthood, for those that need them, and let your application stats do the talking while leaving behind the juvenile embodiment of immaturity. Or you could risk it all on the past experience of recruiting others to the pattern of binge drinking, exclusionary friendships, and reckless judgement.

This is judgmental BS.

 

[UKFrog]

This is judgmental BS.

Hardly

 

[Brydmd]

Or you could risk it all on the past experience of recruiting others to the pattern of binge drinking, exclusionary friendships, and reckless judgement.

If you can survive all of that with excellent stats and EC's to boot, then you're a top-notch candidate. 👍

 

[njbmd]

Hey all, I was pledge master my last semester in college and assistant before that. Would it be beneficial to tell admissions boards about that or could it hurt me because pledging is associated with illegal activities aka hazing. If anyone had any input it would be greatly appreciated. thanks and good luck all 🙂

Depends on how you spin this. The term "pledgemaster" does bring up memories of some of the scenes in Animal House ("please sir, I'd like another") but there loads of great things about Greek life that don't involve the stereotypes of binge drinking, hazing and toga parties.

If you can relate your "pledgemaster" experiences to something that allowed you to grow personally and professionally, then put this. Just hope that your interviewer is not a member of a rival fraternity.