Greek/Frat Life in College

[Goopster24]

I'm here at DePauw University, which always has one of the biggest Greek Communities percentage wise (about 80% of our campus is Greek). We rush the first week of second semester. I am wondering what some of your guys' experience was with the Greek system at your respective schools. Did you guys pledge? Where? Was it a enjoyable experience? Would you take it back?

[alexgaddis]

You mean greek as in butt sex?

[Big John]

 

From last year

 

[loaf]

Phi Kappa Tau at Kent State. Rockin good times but that doesn't mean I couldn't have had the same without joining. All depends on the person.

[Savage Beatings]

As long as it doesn't keep you from fulfilling your FF obligations.

[Goopster24]

As long as it doesn't keep you from fulfilling your FF obligations.

 

 

Haha, don't you worry about that!

[yo mama]

I'm here at DePauw University, which always has one of the biggest Greek Communities percentage wise (about 80% of our campus is Greek). We rush the first week of second semester. I am wondering what some of your guys' experience was with the Greek system at your respective schools. Did you guys pledge? Where? Was it a enjoyable experience? Would you take it back?

 

I really liked my frat experience. In reality, in 10-15 years, you'll likely remember fewer names of college "friends" than you do of friends from high school. The greek system gives you an more effective means to develop subtantial interpersonal relationships that you might normally have without the frequent, structured group activities and rituals involved. Everyone says you don't need a frat to make friends, and that's true. But I find that the shared experience of pledging, rush week, parties, philanthropy, greek week, etc. provide a very effective environment to really get to know people beyond the superfical college experience.

 

Honestly, most of my current best friends from college came from my frat. It wasn't that we were "exclusive." It was just that I got spoon-fed an opportunity to build stronger, more lasting friendships with those folks than I did with the random people I went to class with, lived in the dorms with, etc. Plus, the organization lends itself well to alumni networking and other relatively effort-free means of staying in touch after graduation.

 

Of course, the greek experience is 100% dependant on how you get along with the people in the organization. Determining the "right" frat for you is critical.

Edited November 30, 2006 by yo mama

[Goopster24]

I really liked my frat experience. In reality, in 10-15 years, you'll likely remember fewer names of college "friends" than you do of friends from high school. The greek system gives you an more effective means to develop subtantial interpersonal relationships that you might normally have without the frequent, structured group activities and rituals involved. Everyone says you don't need a frat to make friends, and that's true. But I find that the shared experience of pledging, rush week, parties, philanthropy, greek week, etc. provide a very effective environment to really get to know people beyond the superfical college experience.

 

Honestly, most of my current best friends from college came from my frat. It wasn't that we were "exclusive." It was just that I got spoon-fed an opportunity to build stronger, more lasting friendships with those folks than I did with the random people I went to class with, lived in the dorms with, etc. Plus, the organization lends itself well to alumni networking and other relatively effort-free means of staying in touch after graduation.

 

Of course, the greek experience is 100% dependant on how you get along with the people in the organization. Determining the "right" frat for you is critical.

 

 

Great response and I appreciate your thoughts. You really believe people remember people from high school more so than college?

[Brewer]

Alpha Chi Rho, Clarkson University. Pledged second semester freshman year. Great experience. Had four great years in college, could have been five, I can't really recall. Made some really good friends there. Actually one of my business partners and I pledged together. Being in the fraternity allowed me to do things in college that I probably would not have done otherwise. Played on all of the fraternity league sports teams, joined the rugby club with a pledge brother, spent february nights in the front yard of the house creating an ice sculpture and float for ice carnival. The list goes on....... I would do it again without a second thought.

[thecerwin]

I joined my brother's fraternity at UWashington when I was a student there. It was a lot of fun and I still hang out with a bunch of the guys from the house. I was only a student at UW for a term, so my whole experience was a little different than most, I'd assume. After a term I transfered over to Seattle University which doesn't have a greek system. Since SU is only a couple miles from UW I still go to the frat house after classes and work to hang out and drink.

 

ETA: Forgot to say I am Kappa Sigma. Both my dad and my brother are fraternity brothers.

Edited November 30, 2006 by thecerwin

[Egret]

Good comments from yo mama and loaf. I was a Sigma Pi from CMU. Good times. I had friends in and out of Greek life in college. I've only kept in touch with my fraternity brothers. Could be a coincidence, but Greek life gives ways to keep in touch with people.

[yo mama]

Great response and I appreciate your thoughts. You really believe people remember people from high school more so than college?

 

Yup. High School is a myopic microcosom for the typcial teenager. Your universe is relatively small, so the surrounding players play more meaningful roles your day to day experience. Many high schoolers grew up around the folks they go to high school with. And, at a minimum, you had 4 years of class room and campus continuty with most of the folks in your graduating class.

 

In college, your universe is broader (and frequently larger), so you aren't forced to spend as much time with your fellow students. You don't really go to class with the same people over and over for 4 years. And, most likley, most are strangers to you your freshman year.

 

I think its common sense that strong relationships with anyone (whether it be romantic, friendship, business, etc) are built through shared experiences. And that requires both quality and quanity of time spent with each other. A frat isn't the only way to get that kind of experience with other people, but it's certainly one way.

Edited November 30, 2006 by yo mama

[whomper]

From this topic I learned that im actually fraternity brothers with Tonorator and Yuke (before he was thrown out)..Im a Theta Chi Brother..I had nothing but great experiences with being in a fraternity..It was awesome..I highly recommend it..

Edited November 30, 2006 by whomper

[Yukon Cornelius]

theta chi.... still hang out with alot of my brothers.... it was fun and you could always find some one to party with .

[Yukon Cornelius]

From this topic I learned that im actually fraternity brothers with Tonorator and Yuke (before he was thrown out)..Im a Theta Chi Brother..I had nothing but great experiences with being in a fraternity..It was awesome..I highly recommend it..

 

[Kid Cid]

Delta Tau Chi but that seems like a lifetime ago.

[Squeegiebo]

No Greeks at BC.

[whomper]

 

 

 

Hi Bruthar

[Chavez]

Great response and I appreciate your thoughts. You really believe people remember people from high school more so than college?

 

I certainly don't - most of my closest friends are people I met in college.

 

Again, it all depends on the person. I'd think that one pretty large advantage of the Greek system would be INTER-campus networking - and I'm thinking post-grad stuff such as "getting a job" or "getting a loan" - you drop the name of the right (or perhaps any?) frat and you've already got at least a minor leg up on a non-Greek.

[Goopster24]

I'd think that one pretty large advantage of the Greek system would be INTER-campus networking - and I'm thinking post-grad stuff such as "getting a job" or "getting a loan" - you drop the name of the right (or perhaps any?) frat and you've already got at least a minor leg up on a non-Greek.

 

 

Yeah, networking is huge. The fraternity that I am looking at has a very prominent writer at the New York Times who comes back each year to DePauw looking for people to join him, offering jobs. I am majoring in Communications (Radio Broadcasting) and English Writing so that would be really sweet!

[Ziachild007]

I certainly don't - most of my closest friends are people I met in college.

 

Again, it all depends on the person. I'd think that one pretty large advantage of the Greek system would be INTER-campus networking - and I'm thinking post-grad stuff such as "getting a job" or "getting a loan" - you drop the name of the right (or perhaps any?) frat and you've already got at least a minor leg up on a non-Greek.

 

 

But couldn't the same thing be said for any social group, not just someone from a frat? I assume you are talking about form the "knowing someone" sense.

[Brewer]

From this topic I learned that im actually fraternity brothers with Tonorator and Yuke (before he was thrown out)..Im a Theta Chi Brother..I had nothing but great experiences with being in a fraternity..It was awesome..I highly recommend it..

 

 

The theta chi chapter always had a good ox roast every march, complete with burning furniture. My room mate freshman year pledged theta chi, so I hung out there a lot.

[Chavez]

But couldn't the same thing be said for any social group, not just someone from a frat? I assume you are talking about form the "knowing someone" sense.

 

I was speaking in the sense of "not even HAVING to know someone"; obviously I'd hope someone in a position to hire doesn't make decisions based SOLELY on being Greek, but being a Delta Tau Chi from N Illinois while he's a Delta Tau Chi from Cal-Berkley certainly WON'T hurt you, I'd imagine.

 

Being a fellow member of the model UN may or may not contain the same privileges.

[detlef]

Great response and I appreciate your thoughts. You really believe people remember people from high school more so than college?

 

Less drugs in High School.

[Big Country]

I was speaking in the sense of "not even HAVING to know someone"; obviously I'd hope someone in a position to hire doesn't make decisions based SOLELY on being Greek, but being a Delta Tau Chi from N Illinois while he's a Delta Tau Chi from Cal-Berkley certainly WON'T hurt you, I'd imagine.

 

Being a fellow member of the model UN may or may not contain the same privileges.

 

 

Very true.

 

Heck, I got my first job out of college in part because of my involvement in my fraternity, even thoug hthe president of the company that hired me was not a member of the fraternity, he valued the leadership you can learn and other aspects of involvement in a social group highly enough to make it a significant factor in his hiring decision.

 

I maintain contact with very few people from high school, but 5 of my 6 groomsmen in my wedding were from my fraternity in college.. and I have been in 3 or 4 of their weddings, being best man twice. For me it was a great opportunity to build lasting friendships that went way beyond sharing Greek Literature notes, etc.