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No one is as "pro college" as I am. Yet, not only did I not belong to a fraternity in college, I never even considered it. Nor, did any of my friends. I've met people since who did belong to them and I usually hear nothing other than stories about all the drinking and partying they did. Does anyone here joining one is a good idea for a college student? If so, why?
I will be 40 this year and some of my dearest friends were sorority sisters 20 years ago. Yes, we had a good time, but there is much more to it. It provided a sense of community and belonging. It provided an opportunity for leadership. It was a learning experience to live and work and play with so many different types of people. It isn't for everyone, but it was a good fit for me.
No one is as "pro college" as I am. Yet, not only did I not belong to a fraternity in college, I never even considered it. Nor, did any of my friends. I've met people since who did belong to them and I usually hear nothing other than stories about all the drinking and partying they did. Does anyone here joining one is a good idea for a college student? If so, why?
#1 reason: Great for networking (nice way to find internships and later, professional connections).
Yes, lots of socializing, drinking. We also did A LOT of community service (maybe too much - it was exhausting)
It's certainly not the end-all. There are plenty of successful people who have great connections without a sorority/fraternity. It's just an option.
No one is as "pro college" as I am. Yet, not only did I not belong to a fraternity in college, I never even considered it. Nor, did any of my friends. I've met people since who did belong to them and I usually hear nothing other than stories about all the drinking and partying they did. Does anyone here joining one is a good idea for a college student? If so, why?
I am pro-college also. I went to a university that was anti-fraternity. I did not have any desire to join a sorority either, so that college was a good place for me.
I agree that a lot of drinking goes on in Frats, but a lot of drinking goes on in many colleges. Not only "slacker schools". Well respected colleges and universities. The only colleges and universities that I can think of where there is very little or no drinking, are religiously affiliated places such as Oral Roberts University( Holiness Pentecostal, Charismatic), Southeastern University( Assemblies of God) Roberts Wesleyan University ( Wesleyan Holiness Church ( Brigham Young University ( LDS) and other universities that are affiliated with religious denominations that forbid drinking.
Possible positives about Fraternities would include a lifelong network of friends that appears to be stronger than those made at college. They are "Brothers" and it is for life. They have directories and they keep up with one another. They give preference to one another, and help across the life span.
They offer networking. They purchase each others goods and services.
My father is 80. He is a fraternity member. His first clients were fraternity brothers. He's helped one out on more than one occasion. Even today, he golfs yearly with the ones who are alive and well, and these elderly men go to Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head Island each year to golf. It keeps him young and active. I am sure that these men do their fair share of reminiscing, but sometimes memories are a good and life affirming thing.
So yes, for conforming and clubby type individuals, it seems to serve a purpose.
It's not for everyone though, but some people do reap the benefits of membership.
No. I am not crazy about them. It's essentially about finding a very similar, cloned group of people who basically reinforce each other's demographics along with drinking, partying, and excessive womanizing, all of which are often a big part of the fraternity experience. Some schools such as Notre Dame and Rice do not believe in them, as they find them elitist and divisive, and will forbid such groups from forming or being allowed on campus.
They serve a purpose at a state school having more than 25,000 students and, after taking a dent in your grades for one semester during pledging, you are a "brother," for life. That also means that you can't slack. You'll have to be an ambassador of this fraternity, partake in events, parties, recruitment, councils, and do other things which take time.
First, I think that any private school should think whether they should even be allowed, as did Rice. I think no religious university should allow them at all, as Notre Dame has done, because they are exclusive as opposed to inclusive, and that's not what Christ was about. I also wonder why, at satellite commuter schools of bigger schools, they are even necessary? I'd bet that these same people would become friends and hang out together because of classes and intramural activities. I couldn't imagine the necessity of a Greek system at UW's Tacoma branch, or UMinn Duluth, or other regional satellite campuses of a much larger mother system.
They are not for everyone. At some campuses, the represent 5 to 7 percent of the student body. At others, they represent 25 to 27 percent of the student body. If Greek is not for you, don't attend the latter type of school.
My college (small private liberal arts college) had Greek organizations, but they weren't anymore common than any other extracurriculars. One reason for this was that they were simply local organizations that the members put together; they weren't members of national organizations. They didn't have fraternity of sorority houses that were sanctioned by the school...some people would rent a place off campus, and it would become the de facto "Kappa House," or whatever, but it wasn't a school-provided thing. So they weren't really different than any other on-campus club or organization, they just put Greek letters on their clothes and called themselves fraternities/sororities. Granted, some of these had decades-long histories at the school, but it's not like they were members of anything bigger than that. So, even future networking would be pretty limited to just people who went to your small school, and were in your small group. They were pretty incidental, not a big focus on campus. They were important to the people who did them, but they weren't a pervasive culture. Not anymore than anything else.
It wasn't really any different than any other club or group. People joined together mostly to socialize, just like with anything else. I was part of one for about a semester, one that had been primarily more of a service organization. It didn't really appeal to me much, so I went inactive. I would not have sought out a school where the more traditional take on Greek life was pervasive, it just wasn't my thing.
I used to think that all fraternities were pretty much like Animal House until my own kids went to college. I didn't have any frats or sororities at my college so I know nothing first hand. What I've heard from my kids and parents of other kids that went to, or are going to college, is that there are lots of different kinds of frats and sororities out there now. It's 2013, why wouldn't they change too? A friend was telling me a couple of weeks ago about a frat that her son belongs to at a highly technical college where most of the members are into board games and they'll spend their weekends playing long, complicated games, and yes, drinking a couple of beers along the way. Another friends daughter told me that there were as many sororities as there are types of kids, and like TabulaRasa says, they are not always associated with a national group.
I will be 40 this year and some of my dearest friends were sorority sisters 20 years ago. Yes, we had a good time, but there is much more to it. It provided a sense of community and belonging. It provided an opportunity for leadership. It was a learning experience to live and work and play with so many different types of people. It isn't for everyone, but it was a good fit for me.
It was a good fit for me also.
It was tough, going from a HS graduating class of ~115 to college lecture halls that held 250. Being part of a smaller group was a Godsend to me.
I went to Purdue. The frats are pretty much 'Animal House'. Only bigger, and there is a lot more beer. I was at a party once that claimed to have had over 4500 people attend. It was actually higher than that. They closed State St. That was in fall 2008, true story. Delta Chi.
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