Fraternity...

I pledged a fraternity my freshman year of college. Best thing ever. My frat is a bit different though as all the members are just kids that play on my college's football team. I looked at it as a right of passage to be on the team although performing on the field should be enough. Long story short i was only close with like 6 guys in my recruiting class and by the end of pledging i had 18 best friends. DO it

I pledged for an Asian-interest fraternity (I'm of Korean descent) and it was one of the best decisions of my college career. I'm now an alumnus and I'm involved on the national administrative level, trying to give back as an adult. However, my fraternity is also a bit different from the mainstream perception of fraternities. Our pledging process is extremely intense and meaningful and it really pushes each individual to the limit in terms of what he is willing to sacrifice and do for the sake of his brothers in the face of fear, trial, and conflict. There's also huge emphasis on traditional "Asian" values, such as respect for elders and many other customs based on Asian culture.

Honestly, I think it depends on the fraternity you are rushing and the type of person you are. Greek life is not for everybody and that is a fact. You really need to look at yourself, what your priorities are, and whether or not the organization you are rushing is one that touches upon your college desires/ambitions/goals.

They're great on resumes when looking for a job post graduation. I have not yet joined one, and probably won't do it, as I don't want to go through the hazing process, such as eating a soggy biscuit, or something of that sort.

I think joining a fraternity is great, and you can usually get a sense of how bad the hazing process is before you do pledge (hint: it's usually just drinking a lot with other frat members). I would pay special attention to which one you join though, because while there usually is a frat for every social flavor, you can often join the wrong one by just meeting one or two people early on. Go to rush for as many as you can, and also try to step outside your comfort zone. Sanai's experience aside, I generally think you get a better college experience from a general fraternity than a special-interest one.

The frat I am considering is the biggest one on campus and pretty general overall. I am also a little bit afraid of the hazing because I usually don't like all that retarded stuff but I think I might have to step out of my comfort zone a little and really consider it without letting the fear of hazing let it get to me too much.

Tonight is the last open party where everybody is allowed to join and the last opportunity to sign up. I been to 2 of their 4 open parties already and I thought they were generally a lot of fun but tonight will probably be the decisive moment for me.

Thx for the opinions so far guys...

we dont have these in england and to be honest they sound really really gay and sad.

I joined one for a term freshman year; waste of time imo. I joined cuz the first 10 guys I met were all totally chill and I was looking for a sense of belonging probably. Then I met the rest of the guys after I pledged. The house turned out to be more of a toolshed once I got to know everybody. After I stopped going to monday night dinners and doing their stupid community service shit, they all kind of shunned me for ditching out on them. Whaaaaaatever. I'm pretty biased against frat dicks now as the vast majority of them are douchebags. If you're looking to slam random drunk chicks, get hammered, and do lots of group showering, then by all means join. But as my boss said "I don't need to join a frat. I can jerk myself off, thanks."
Definately depends on your personality type, but I'm one to place a few really great friends that I can count on over a boatload of drinking buddies. Tough decision, GL. You can always DA if it's gay.

Do you go to school in the US, OP?

i didnt join a frat. i prob would have had more friends in college if i did, but thats just the kind of school i went to (basically everyone either played a varsity sport or was in a frat). if you want to drink like almost every night and fuck a lot of random girls then i'd go for it.

On September 08 2009 15:15 egood wrote: if you want to drink like almost every night and fuck a lot of random girls then i'd go for it.

both of these things can definitely happen if you join a frat, and will if you want them to most of the time, but a lot of people I knew in my and other fraternities were in committed relationships for much of college or drank rarely.

if your not in a relationship join a frat asap. i highly regret not joining one.

genjix proved yet again to me he's a clueless child. is this some kind of act im missing or?

but on to frats
if you join a good one it's a must man. you'll have the time of your life trust me : - )

but dont do it because you want to extend your network for later or something. i joined because of the reasons egood stated and most of my friends did and its pretty common on holland. you'll see the weirdest stuff and have the sweetest party's.
and you get to know a ton of people, and some of them probably for life.

and if u dont like it u can always leave

I did not join a fraternity in my student life, as I got to know many people on the University pretty fast.

What I wouldn't like in fraternities is "sorry for my Dutch" haantjesgedgrag and I my opinion most were quite immature. I also don't like to be obliged to several activities. As you start studying you will get a lot of new info and impressions and it is hard to get an overview of what what is. Maybe you should wait one year, because you will have a better idea then how things are.

On the other hand I know a lot of people who had a great time in them

yo update us and tell us how it goes. I'm probably going to be a shut-in (starting uni this year). Hopefully find a few close friends to hang out with regularly, but not much else.

join the frat that hazes a lot

the more they haze, the stronger your brotherhood will be. frats are def. worth it if you believe i ntheir model.