Undergrad fraternity/sorority?

[yodudedudeyo]

What do you all you think about being in a social frat/sorority in college? I'm thinking about joining a frat next year, but I'm not completely convinced. I mean, sure, there are leadership opportunities and you meet new people easily, but it's the cost of being in one that's got me doubting. Most people in frats usually come from financially stable/rich families, whereas I don't really have that much money to be squandering. I estimate the cost to be around 700 dollars for four years.

Will being in a frat hurt me academically? Being a pre med student so I def want to focus on my studies.

Does being in a frat actually leave you with connections when you graduate?

For those of you that were in frats/sororities, did it hinder your pre med goals?

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[87138]

I think it's a bad idea, but it has nothing to do with finances or academics.

 

[singinfifi]

I think it's a great idea. Providing you find somewhere that you "fit". I think it can be a wondeful growing experience.

 

[WDeagle]

I think its a great idea if you join the right type of fraternity. However, joining a fraternity full of douchebags would probably not be a good idea and would hurt you in the long run(ie, people who call it a frat and not a fraternity). Use your judgement. The best decision i ever made was to join the fraternity that im in. $700 is not that bad compared to the average fraternity dues.

 

[osumc2014]

It is definitely a good idea if you want to grow as a person and make new close friendships. But careful that you do not join one that does not necessarily follow your goals. I have a premed friend who s in a frat and he always has something for the frat going on and can hardly find time to study or anything. But I'm sure if you manage your time well then it's no problem and would be a great experience, sometimes interviewers were part of certain frats/sororities and you would be able to make great connections there. Anyway hope you consider as a part of your life and you will surely make the right decision. Ps 700 for 4 years really isnt that much.

 

[pride4jc727]

I cannot relate to your experience because I went to an undergraduate university where there were no fraternities or sororities. I really do not see why we have it in the first place other than to uphold a traditional social life aspect of college. Is there anything productive that comes out of it?

 

[singinfifi]

Is there anything productive that comes out of it?

There are lots of good things that can come from being affiliated. I got a lot of great service oppertunities through my sorority. Other things that are avaliable are great leadership oppertunities and the oppertunity to meet a lot of really intersting people. Plus, it's a lot of fun.

Now, you can get all of these things from seperate places (I didn't affiliate until I was a Junior in college) but joining a GLO really does make it easier to branch out. There were a lot of pre-meds in my sorority, we all used to study for organic together (yeah, we were OBVIOUSLY the cool kids on campus).

Beyond all that, there is something very cool that comes with being a part of something with tradition like a GLO. For me, joining something that so many other women had done before me was very VERY neat.

If it's anything that you have any other quesitons about you can feel free to PM me.

 

[metalgearHMN]

There are lots of good things that can come from being affiliated. I got a lot of great service oppertunities through my sorority. Other things that are avaliable are great leadership oppertunities and the oppertunity to meet a lot of really intersting people. Plus, it's a lot of fun.

Now, you can get all of these things from seperate places (I didn't affiliate until I was a Junior in college) but joining a GLO really does make it easier to branch out. There were a lot of pre-meds in my sorority, we all used to study for organic together (yeah, we were OBVIOUSLY the cool kids on campus).

Beyond all that, there is something very cool that comes with being a part of something with tradition like a GLO. For me, joining something that so many other women had done before me was very VERY neat.

If it's anything that you have any other quesitons about you can feel free to PM me.

opportunities
available
interesting
separate
questions

sorry it's my OCD

i wouldn't recommend you join, unless you are able to find one which is more oriented towards academics. i rushed around a little bit but didn't find anything that peaked my interest. first and foremost, sororities are nice and clean, whereas most of the frats i went to were pigsties (by my standards). this may not be the case for you. i also have a friend who recently left a fraternity because he was unable to balance his social and academic pursuits. by that i mean there were too many parties, which can be good if that's what you're into.

my opinion is very biased, as i'm one of those kids who is striving for a 3.8 40 or something. if your goals and pursuits are different, well then to each his own.

as far as getting a leg up in the admissions process, i doubt being in the greek system will assist you. there are already many variables which take precedence (gpa, mcat, volunteering, research, teaching, leadership) and there are only so many spots on the AMCAS for ECs.

 

[MichaelG17]

I pledged a fraternity first semester freshman year, and it hurt me a bit academically (3.33) but I got that past me and been going uphill since. So I would recommend joining one if it is your first semester, otherwise it is hard to pledge and keep up with all that school work, especially once you get into the upper level science courses.

 

[StayFocused]

What do you all you think about being in a social frat/sorority in college? I'm thinking about joining a frat next year, but I'm not completely convinced. I mean, sure, there are leadership opportunities and you meet new people easily, but it's the cost of being in one that's got me doubting. Most people in frats usually come from financially stable/rich families, whereas I don't really have that much money to be squandering. I estimate the cost to be around 700 dollars for four years.

Will being in a frat hurt me academically? Being a pre med student so I def want to focus on my studies.

Does being in a frat actually leave you with connections when you graduate?

For those of you that were in frats/sororities, did it hinder your pre med goals?

That is your first mistake. I'm not in a FRATernity, but I have many friends that are, and you never, ever call them "frats".

 

[riceman04]

That is your first mistake. I'm not in a FRATernity, but I have many friends that are, and you never, ever call them "frats".

Whatever dude!!!! It really is not that big of a deal. Fraternities (and sororities) care more if you walk around campus trying to act like you are affiliated with their organization if you really are not (that included throwing up greek hand signs, wearing greek colors with the intent on being recognized as greek, lying and saying you belong to a specific chapter, etc...)

 

[Instatewaiter]

What do you all you think about being in a social frat/sorority in college? I'm thinking about joining a frat next year, but I'm not completely convinced. I mean, sure, there are leadership opportunities and you meet new people easily, but it's the cost of being in one that's got me doubting. Most people in frats usually come from financially stable/rich families, whereas I don't really have that much money to be squandering. I estimate the cost to be around 700 dollars for four years.

Will being in a frat hurt me academically? Being a pre med student so I def want to focus on my studies.

Does being in a frat actually leave you with connections when you graduate?

For those of you that were in frats/sororities, did it hinder your pre med goals?

Joining a frat can hurt you but it may also help you if you play your cards right.

Do you know their dues because 700 over 4 years sounds way too low. Our dues were 700/semester.

That is your first mistake. I'm not in a FRATernity, but I have many friends that are, and you never, ever call them "frats".

Depends on school. We used to make fun of people who were adamant about not calling them frats.

 

[searun]

If you lack self confidence and need a frat to organize your social life and purchase the kegs, then become a frat boy.

But your college life will be less interesting in my opinion and the people you spend time with will be much less diverse.

I was a frat boy but I lost interest my sophomore year and moved out of the frat house. Good move on my part. And no, I did not mention the frat in my med school applications.

 

[URHere]

What do you all you think about being in a social frat/sorority in college? I'm thinking about joining a frat next year, but I'm not completely convinced. I mean, sure, there are leadership opportunities and you meet new people easily, but it's the cost of being in one that's got me doubting. Most people in frats usually come from financially stable/rich families, whereas I don't really have that much money to be squandering. I estimate the cost to be around 700 dollars for four years.

Will being in a frat hurt me academically? Being a pre med student so I def want to focus on my studies.

Does being in a frat actually leave you with connections when you graduate?

For those of you that were in frats/sororities, did it hinder your pre med goals?

I was in a sorority, and it really was an excellent fit for me.

If you are concerned about finding a group that will not hinder you academically, I just suggest being upfront about that when you go through rush. You should be able to tell immediately if the brothers/sisters value your commitment or if they may make things difficult for you. Also find out ahead of time about the number of events held per week, the attendance policy as a member, etc (just don't make it sound like you are planning to be an absent member before you are even in). You need to know these things before you pledge time to any group.

As far as benefits are concerned, there are too many to count. Most groups offer community service opportunities, tutoring opportunities, leadership opportunities, and a chance to unwind. One of my most meaningful volunteer experiences actually stemmed from something my sorority had planned, and I have had the chance to talk with several alumna about my intended path in medicine. One helped me to choose schools (and actually introduced me to my top choice) and another provided very useful advice (my great-great grandbig is a neurosurgery resident ). I would suggest giving it a shot. Even if it doesn't help you on your way to med school, you will meet some really great people.

 

[orientedtoself]

i was in a sorority, and it didn't get in the way of my studying or getting into med school. particularly on a large campus, it's a good way to get to know people.

 

[little pebble]

I was in a sorority in undergrad, and I think that it kept me focused towards my career in medicine. I would suggest talking to the brothers and seeing what they're interested in doing after college. Almost all of my sisters were interested in some form of graduate school and professional career, which helped to keep me focused. (i.e. I was not surrounded by a bunch of women looking for an MRS degree, which is actually why I quit my other major EC)

You also need to look at the fraternity's semester averages. This should be available through your campus's Greek Life Office. A higher average GPA generally correlates with the men in the fraternity being more studious and more supportive of academic pursuits.

Finally, you must be able to manage your time wisely. There will be required activities (chapter, philanthropy event) that you can't miss, so you need to make sure you can get everything done.

I found that it was worth it. I hope you do too.

 

[Perrotfish]

Most people in frats usually come from financially stable/rich families, whereas I don't really have that much money to be squandering. I estimate the cost to be around 700 dollars for four years.

Depends on the fraternity. Many fraternities own their houses, so the money that you save by living there will offset what you pay in in terms of fees. As a general rule a fraternity is more of a financial drain the less you use it. If you live in the house and if most of your social activities are paid for by house social fees, you´ll probably save money. If you live somewhere else and do your own thing on the weekends then you´re paying for someone else´s room/weekend in addition to your own and you´re going to lose money. Part of this does also depend on the house´s priorities. If they want everyone to kick in for a 20K/semester social budget it´s going to harder to live frugally. When you´re rushing, once you get a bid, you can ask the house about their fees. It will help you figue out if it works into your budget.

Will being in a frat hurt me academically? Being a pre med student so I def want to focus on my studies.

A fraternity will be a major time commitment during your first (pledge) semester. Expect it to be the equivalent of a 5 hour science class and plan your schedule accordingly. After that, no, it shouldn´t have a negative impact on your studies. At my undergrad IFC studies consistently showed fraterities with approximately the same grade distribution and average as non greeks, meaning your chances of getting that 4.0 for harvard med were enither better nor worse.

Does being in a frat actually leave you with connections when you graduate?

Yes. Not that they´ll help you get into medical school, but if you decide to go for the job market it´s a HUGE help. I know several people with around 2.5s that are working at top engineering jobs now through nothing but fraternity connections. I´ve never seen a study, but I´d bet the fraternity sytem´s almost exactly average grades result in way above average starting salaries. Still you should be doing this because you like the enviornment and the people, not because you think it might help your salary one day.

For those of you that were in frats/sororities, did it hinder your pre med goals?

Nope. Didn´t help much either, though. Mainly I enjoyed having somewhere to go to get away from the premed ´clique´that tends to form. Premeds are very strange people.

If you lack self confidence and need a frat to organize your social life and purchase the kegs, then become a frat boy.

But your college life will be less interesting in my opinion and the people you spend time with will be much less diverse.

This is a common argument and I strongly disagree with it. My experience was that, after they moved out of the freshman dorms, most people tended to find a clique of people with more or less identical ideoloigies and interests. The outdoor hippie types hung out with other outdoor hippie types, the young republicans hung out with other young republicans, anime club had their LAN parties, the premeds had their own thing going, etc. The fraternties was nice in that it actually did bring together a diverse group of people. It made things more interesting.

 

[172858]

actually, i had a buddy who got into medical SOLELY because he was in a frat. i mean, he was a nice guy fish yr. but he didn't stand a chance in hell of getting in. he did his research on the greeks, found a house that had a high avg GPA and major resources (huge pre-req test bank, huge MCAT test bank, brother-to-brother tutoring and mentoring, connections at medical schools with current students and faculty), and used it to, over 4 years, help him built a pretty impressive resume. so it can definitely help. you just have to make sure to do your homework and make sure and voice your concerns about medical school to the brothers ahead of time.

 

[Perrotfish]

actually, i had a buddy who got into medical SOLELY because he was in a frat. i mean, he was a nice guy fish yr. but he didn't stand a chance in hell of getting in. he did his research on the greeks, found a house that had a high avg GPA and major resources (huge pre-req test bank, huge MCAT test bank, brother-to-brother tutoring and mentoring, connections at medical schools with current students and faculty), and used it to, over 4 years, help him built a pretty impressive resume. so it can definitely help. you just have to make sure to do your homework and make sure and voice your concerns about medical school to the brothers ahead of time.

I guess that´s true. A fraternity can help you get qualifed for medical school if you utilize their resoures and internship opportunities. What I meant was that it´s not going to help you get in if you´re not qualified. If you have a 2.5 and a 20 at the end of college somoen in a fraternity is just as screwed as somone who´s non-affiliated. On the other hand if you have that same 2.5 fratnity connections can help you get a job where the average GPA is way over a 3.0.

 

[searun]

George W. Bush got elected President because of his fraternity connections. And he did develop his leadership qualities and leadership style while he was a frat boy at Yale. Plus he did alot of service work at the frat which made him very empathetic to the poor and downtrodden in our society.

 

[-Goose-]

What do you all you think about being in a social frat/sorority in college? I'm thinking about joining a frat next year, but I'm not completely convinced. I mean, sure, there are leadership opportunities and you meet new people easily, but it's the cost of being in one that's got me doubting. Most people in frats usually come from financially stable/rich families, whereas I don't really have that much money to be squandering. I estimate the cost to be around 700 dollars for four years.

Will being in a frat hurt me academically? Being a pre med student so I def want to focus on my studies.

Does being in a frat actually leave you with connections when you graduate?

For those of you that were in frats/sororities, did it hinder your pre med goals?

I was in a frat and I had no problem getting into medical school (I had like 8 acceptances when I applied 2 years ago).

If you do or don't do it, make it because thats what you wanted to do. Don't worry about it affecting your chances of getting in. You'll have to work harder than your brothers/sisters, but you're going to have to work hard anyway.

I'd highly recommend it; it was a whole lot of fun.

 

[riceman04]

George W. Bush got elected President because of his fraternity connections. And he did develop his leadership qualities and leadership style while he was a frat boy at Yale. Plus he did alot of service work at the frat which made him very empathetic to the poor and downtrodden in our society.

 

[puchi]

I'm a member of a sorority (membership exists past the undergrad years in my org) and its a good choice IMO. It did not hinder my pre-med studies. Its good for networking and you never know where your affiliation will take you.

OP, good luck!

 

[186321]

... I estimate the cost to be around 700 dollars for four years...

I don't know what you're greek system is like, but I had to pay $450 a SEMESTER. So thats about $3600 over four years. Not to mention I got fined $1000 for not living in frat housing.

If you can get past the money, joining a fraternity is a great experience. I had the best time of my life in college and it was because I was part of my fraternity. Pledging forges lifelong friendships and although it sucks you have four years of reaping the rewards.

 

[Perrotfish]

Originally Posted by searun
George W. Bush got elected President because of his fraternity connections. And he did develop his leadership qualities and leadership style while he was a frat boy at Yale. Plus he did alot of service work at the frat which made him very empathetic to the poor and downtrodden in our society.

You know when he was president of his fraternity (DKE, not skull and bones) he nearly got them kicked off of campus? That his family connections were needed to save the fraternity and keep him outa jail? He started a tradition of "branding" pledges (as in, with hot irons). It´s one of those hazing rumors I have never actually heard of happening in real life, at least since the civil war. True story.

Edit: Source

Edit to the Edit: Hmm, factoid, apparently the guy who now draws Doonesbury was at Yale at the same time as Bush. Also, apparently, his first published cartoon was in the Yale News, about GW´s hazing incident. Funny ol´world, init?

 

[searun]

You know when he was president of his fraternity (DKE, not skull and bones) he nearly got them kicked off of campus? That his family connections were needed to save the fraternity and keep him outa jail? He started a tradition of "branding" pledges (as in, with hot irons). It´s one of those hazing rumors I have never actually heard of happening in real life, at least since the civil war. True story.

That is priceless. I love that story. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Logjammin]

Will being in a frat hurt me academically? Being a pre med student so I def want to focus on my studies.

Does being in a frat actually leave you with connections when you graduate?

No, but being in a frat may hurt your butthole. Literally.

It may leave you with a few nasty rashes as well.

 

[erica31]

Hilarious comment. And he's correct, in some cases, literally.

I was in a sorority in college... shout out to Chi O's... but I never dated a fraternity brother. Lots of my sisters did, but some of tasks required by the male pledges... aka "elephant walk" <-- you will either know or not know what I am talking about.... eekk! No seriously, that isn't the reason. (But I do think some take hazing too far. Although the word "hazing" is now taboo, and I will probably be black balled from all Greek organizations b/c I said it!)

Anyway:

Erica31's unsolicited take on HER Greek life experience:

Not all fraternities are social. My brother is in an engineering fraternity.

Almost everyone has an opinion on Greek life. Some like it, and some don't -- but everyone has an opinion.

I really enjoyed my times -- it enabled me to attend functions that weren't open to the entire university (such as balls & formals), and engage in philanthropic causes... we raised over a million bucks throughout my 4 years.

I had friends both inside and outside the sorority. All us girls did. It was no big deal.

Did I "buy" my friends? Who knows, I don't care. I love 'em.

Is it easy to have grades slide during rush & pledging? Of course. But I know plenty of people with poor grades that did nothing but play video games all night in their dorm room. (Not all Greek orgs. require the same time commitment -- look into it). My own was actually fairly brutal time-wise. But keeping grades good is possible.

Its expensive. I am not rich, and I had to pay for it (no parents).

While it wasn't something I focused on in my application or interviews, I don't believe it hindered any of my acceptances. And, if you were to hold a leadership position in the sorority/fraternity = kudos to you. Not a bad thing.

Greek life is not for everyone. Some Greeks may have a "superior air" to them that could turn off others... but I also think my organic chem partner had that "air" to him to... and he certainly wasn't greek. So sterotyping isn't always a good idea.

I'm the 10th girl I know of in the last 7 pledge classes to get into medical school... not a huge number when the sorority has 100+ girls... BUT... only about 10 of them were on the "pre med track." Most were in education / business.

Essentially, college is a time to get involved in what makes you happy. Greek life? Drama? Newspaper?

Just keep your grades up!

sorry for the long rant ya'll....

No, but being in a frat may hurt your butthole. Literally.

It may leave you with a few nasty rashes as well.

 

[pretender]

"Anything but clothes" themed social. 'Nuff said.

In all seriousness though, if you find the right fraternity you will have a blast and never regret it. It's college, you're allowed to have fun.

 

[yodudedudeyo]

How much did the fees usually cost you per year?

and bump

 

[al112987]

There are fraternities around here that are a few thousand per semester.

 

[skinnylindsay]

I am in a sorority, and I don't feel that it hurt me at all in the admissions process. My involvement even came up in several of my interviews.

The cost really varies by campus and organization. Some factors that determine that are whether the chapter you join has a house (and whether the housing corp is still paying off the mortgage on that house), the number of active members paying dues, whether your house provides meals or not. Also, be sure to ask about installment plans and hidden fees. Some organizations may look cheaper than another on paper but will assess fees throughout the year instead of including everything up front.

On my campus, dues are usually a couple grand a semester. But when you add everything up, being unaffiliated and living on campus with 14 meals/week ends up being slightly more expensive than being a fraternity/sorority member living in the house with 14 meals/week. Plus you get all the added bonuses of socials, networking, leadership opportunities, philanthropy events, etc...

 

[scrubswannabe]

I thought before entering college that I'd want to join a fraternity, but after seeing what these people have to go through to get in, now I just feel you gotta be a loser to want to join one.

Frats are like the easy way to make a lot of friends in college, but you can make friends without them too...

 

[ToledoPike]

I must say that joining a fraternity was by far the greatest single decision I have ever made in my life for so many reasons.

First off, if you have any social issues before joining a fraternity, those will most likely be gone after a year or so of being in it. The confidence that I have gained has been insane and I know my potential now better than ever.

If you are not a great public speaker, being in a fraternity is amazing in helping those skills. I used to be so scared to public speak but after all of my leadership opportunities and chance to speak in front of over 100 of my greatest critics I am much better off than before.

If you want to nail your med school interview join a fraternity. Not only have I been the one interviewed for a ton of things in college, but being in a fraternity and going through rush, scholarship interviews, etc. I get to be on the interviewing side and can pick out the best aspects of how to interview. When I walk into a room I know I can nail any interview and will come out on top.

If you want to have the most fun of your life, join a fraternity (a good one, not one with a**holes). I always have stuff to do and am never bored.

Academically, this experience has never hurt me. Academics are solely an individual effort and you cant blame anyone but yourself for messing up. If your fraternity doesnt understand that school comes first then screw them, but if they do you still have to realize that you will have to put some time into it and follow through with responsibilities.

I have a 3.97 GPA in Chemical Engineering and got a 31 on my MCAT. I have been my fraternity President twice, Rush Chair, Secretary, and our Continuing Educator (All 1 year positions). We have over 100 men and it is a lot of work to manage guys, but everything I have taken out of the experience is going to put me in a position of never regretting my college experience b/c I know I had the best time possible and made the best friends I will ever have in my life.

 

[Norua]

I wore my fraternity pin to all my interviews and either got praises from people who knew great guys from my fraternity or met people who were in my fraternity.

It's life...connections help, but don't join a fraternity if you're only doing it for that. Your brothers will find out and make your life miserable. =P

ps. ToledoPike were you a SigEp?

 

[yodudedudeyo]

ps. ToledoPike were you a SigEp?

ha, what weird guess, if anything I would have guessed he was in Pike (Pi Kappa Gamma i think?). Funny that you also mention SigEp, because that's the house I'm thinking of rushing/joining.

 

[Norua]

oh I didn't know Pike was a nickname for a fraternity. that would make more sense lol.

 

[DrBowtie]

ha, what weird guess, if anything I would have guessed he was in Pike (Pi Kappa Gamma i think?). Funny that you also mention SigEp, because that's the house I'm thinking of rushing/joining.

Pike is Pi Kappa Alpha.

 

[ORTHO4ME]

being in a fraternity has been a great experience for me. you have to join the right one that fits you though, they are all pretty different, and the people in them are actually pretty different also, not like someone mentioned above. i am very fortunate to be able to call men such as Dierks Bentley, Phil Jackson,Troy Aikma,Pete Carrol,Bo Schembechler, Barry Switzer and Henry Paulson as brothers..just to name a few. As they say, its not only about how many A's you get in college, but how many hands you shake. And joining an organization like a fraternity....youll shake plenty of hands. And on the subject of leadership, we actually have leadership school every year where thousands of active brothers and alumni go on a week long cruise, geared toward developing leadership skills. There is alot that goes on behind closed doors for fraternities and sororities. It is not just about partying.

 

[ORTHO4ME]

"Anything but clothes" themed social. 'Nuff said.

In all seriousness though, if you find the right fraternity you will have a blast and never regret it. It's college, you're allowed to have fun.

ahhh the memories. i personal favorites are "what the ****?" themes...

 

[Bacchus]

Do what you want to do. Its your life, isn't it? If you don't want to include it in your medical school application, don't. No one is telling you that you must.

 

[Leiflet]

That is your first mistake. I'm not in a FRATernity, but I have many friends that are, and you never, ever call them "frats".

That's because they respect them. Which is stupid. I went to an undergrad that was 43% Greek. Jesus Christ on crutches but I hate frats. I had lots of friends in them but I never saw any of them benefit from them. Bonding through shared stupidity is not a leadership experience. I'm going to stop there.

 

[ORTHO4ME]

That's because they respect them. Which is stupid. I went to an undergrad that was 43% Greek. Jesus Christ on crutches but I hate frats. I had lots of friends in them but I never saw any of them benefit from them. Bonding through shared stupidity is not a leadership experience. I'm going to stop there.

you do realize that 8 of the 10 ceo's of the top 10 companies in the united states were from SOCIAL fraternities, a good portion of the senate, congress..house of reps were in social fraternities, treasurer of the usa, a former president of the united states were all in social fraternities, and in general, the greek organization as a whole has a higher academic gpa than the general student population at the universities around the country...so i dont see where this "shared stupidity" opinion comes from. you can hate specific fraternities for being jerks, but to say you hate frats in general is like me saying i hate all asians because i was robbed by one..that my friend, is sheer stupidity.

 

[Leiflet]

Let the flames begin.

First, you make your case by holding up politicians and CEOs as models of the sort of people that come out of frats. Powerful and rich? Yes. Would I want one of them diagnosing me? That was rhetorical. Politicians are nearly all wankers and I doubt you can refute the logic there.

Those people did not learn what leadership skills they have through a frat. They learned them through life. The OP was asking about frats in general so my reply is in the same vein. My belief is that there are good people in frats but no good frats. I suggest we agree to think you're an idiot and leave it there.

 

[al112987]

The point is that you said that no real benefits come out of them, which is wrong considering the connections and networks you build as evidenced by the politicians, ceos, etc. Those positions and fields of work are all about connections and networks, which social fraternities provide.

 

[orrghead16]

As they say, its not only about how many A's you get in college, but how many hands you shake.

If only it worked that way for medical school.

in general, the greek organization as a whole has a higher academic gpa than the general student population at the universities around the country

1. Test bank & other forms of beating the system. 2. Business majors

 

[Leiflet]

The point is that you said that no real benefits come out of them, which is wrong considering the connections and networks you build as evidenced by the politicians, ceos, etc. Those positions and fields of work are all about connections and networks, which social fraternities provide.

Your argument is cogent but not on topic. This is not a pre-bastard forum. At least not explicitly. Obviously, there is a tremendous amount of old boy networking in medicine. But unless you have numbers on a correlation between MD success (by any metric) and frat vs. non frat this is horse-****.

If I adopt the point of view of a 22 YO male undergrad in a frat, I can see what you are saying-- I may meet someone who can get me on the top of the pile. Get there yourself. And to the OP, join one if you want but I would only put it in the ECs if you use it to get clinical time somehow.

 

[ORTHO4ME]

If only it worked that way for medical school.



1. Test bank & other forms of beating the system. 2. Business majors

business is actually pretty tough!! though ive only had a few courses in it. id say the easy majors are the humanities ones. at least EASIER...

 

[LadyWolverine]

Being in a sorority was a great experience, and I would definitely do it all over again. However, I would definitely say that rush/pledging and then being active took up a lot of free time, so you will need to budget your time accordingly. Depending on how your school schedules fall/spring Rush, you may have events as often as 4 times a week. Once you pledge, you can expect to be busy at least 3 nights a week for the entire year - and oftentimes even more than that. Some events are purely social and thus "optional" (parties, dances, IM sports), but others are not optional and thus more demanding of your time - pledge meetings (these can take place at ANY TIME of the day or night - be forewarned ), sisterhood activities, alumni events, philathropies, chapter meetings and workshops, rush meetings, etc.

Once you are active, you have the option of slowing down your schedule a bit (no more pledge committments, but still chapter meetings, committee meetings, and social events). However, if you decide to take on a leadership position, your time commitments increase substantially. Also, during Rush, as an active member, you will be extremely busy with planning and preparation, carrying out actual rush events, and voting on new pledges. The busiest people in our house were usually the President, Rush Chairs, NewMOC (right after rush was her busiest time), and Social Chairs (they were busy year-round). There are other ways to get involved that don't require such a large committment, but to "Chair" any committee is definitely going to take up a lot of time.

I think that anybody who is considering pre-med (and thus needs to maintain a high GPA) should take this into account when thinking about Rush. It's totally possible to succeed in school and be active in the Greek community - it just takes a little preparation and good time-management skills.

(fwiw, a pretty large proportion of my classmates were Greek before coming to medical school. At least one of my classmates was the president of her sorority. I don't think it's going to make or break your application, but it probably won't hurt.)

PS: One more thing. The cost is certainly prohibitive. I found it possible to take on a part-time job during most of my undergraduate career - these funds were more than adequate to pay for dues. Once again, it's all about time management - but this might be an avenue for you to explore.

 

[87138]

id say the easy majors are the humanities ones. at least EASIER...

Easier . . . for non-science geeks. Most of the people on this site are science geeks. They would struggle with a humanities curriculum, just like many humanities kids would struggle with a science-intensive curriculum.

Everything is relative.