General

Eh like for most things in life, there are pros and cons. I went Greek but I don't think it was worth the time and money.

Pros:
-get to meet new people
-get invited to parties all the time
-easy access to alcohol and drugs (if you're into that stuff)
-letters
-looks good on your resume in the future if you hold a position on E board or something

Cons:
-hella expensive
-dealing with ignorant people
-pledging
-pledging semester and JA semester are known to negatively impact ones gpa
-constant meetings and events to plan/work for

If you want to go to the parties, just make friends with people who are Greek-affiliated. That's what one of my friends did. He parties every week, smokes and rolls whenever he wants, and still has a stable gpa due to having an access to the test bank. And then there's me with the same benefits, only more responsibilities and letters. Wth right?

[quote=032193sid]@lilseventeen: Yeah, but I don't want to rush their frat and then fall through at the end. I feel like that would just be a disrespect and I wouldn't be able to party all together.
@Lordofrage: You're right, and that's why I did wait a year. It'll be my second year in the fall. The whole greek life thing is slowly growing on me haha. My girlfriend is in a sorority and I feel like that's all she talks about.
@EpikSnow: I'm still rolling a 4.0 and the hazing here is terrible One of the things they made pledges do last year was knuckle push ups till you bled. The also left the pledges in the middle of downtown Miami with no phones or money and they had to find the way back.[/quote]

Im not going to say what my frat is but i'll say what i had to do.
For the first week, I had to get at least 4 phone numbers from girls I didn't know at parties before the week ended. They said they were testing my social skills.
After that, for 2 months, I had to cut off all connections with everyone except for people in the frat and wear gray sweaters nd sweatpants(I can't say hi to anyone. If someone says hi to me, i have to ignore them). They wanted me to prove my loyalty (I told all my friends before hand that if i acted strange, im was pledging- just to give them a heads up). -
And for the last test, I had to do 300 push ups in a row without stopping (with the exception of taking pauses. however, I cant let my chest touch the floor and if i wanted to rest, i have to hold the push up position. Every time my chest touched the floor, I get 3 paddles to the ass - i ended up getting 36). Back in high school i was able to do 150 in a row thanks to the "200 push up challenge (it works, you can google it)". But im sure you can understand, once college started, it was hard for me to find days to work out and i got a lot weaker. The test for me was hell. I literately coudn't move my arms for a few days and my armpits hurt like a mother b#ch.

Once the hazing stopped, i had to attend "meetings" and such. As of now, im just a rookie along with 2 members and we get an "older brother" in the frat. That means he shows us the ropes nd stuff.

@lilseventeen: Yeah, but I don't want to rush their frat and then fall through at the end. I feel like that would just be a disrespect and I wouldn't be able to party all together.
@Lordofrage: You're right, and that's why I did wait a year. It'll be my second year in the fall. The whole greek life thing is slowly growing on me haha. My girlfriend is in a sorority and I feel like that's all she talks about.
@EpikSnow: I'm still rolling a 4.0 and the hazing here is terrible One of the things they made pledges do last year was knuckle push ups till you bled. The also left the pledges in the middle of downtown Miami with no phones or money and they had to find the way back.

lol i find it funny that your asking basil. Most of the people here are lost children with no sense of direction. These are the kind of people that would believe that they can get a girl by giving themselves up. At least talk to your college buddies. Not some stupid site filled with kids.

OT: I'm in college and yes i am also in a frat. Yes i did get hazed. I thought it was worth it because i got a volunteer service this summer at the NYU hospital due to the connections i gained (hopefully i can work next year so i can build up my medical experiences. I am a Biomedical science Major after all). I'm sure this will also help me in the long run because in order to get jobs or positions, you need a network of people. Life isn't cut out for you. You should know that by now (considering your in college). If you want to get far, you need connections.

As for grades, my grades stood at a solid 3.3. My first semester was a 3.7 but due to the hazing in the second semester, my gpa dropped. However, it's just a one time thing. I know i will get back on track.

As for parties, You will have to collect money at the door. Sometimes we get private parties and the people treat you with absolute respect. There is no hate going on within the frat. You'll get close with your brothers. I even get free rides home (4 hour drive) on breaks and sometimes on the weekends (a normal 1 way bus ticket would cost me $50). So yes, go on ahead. You'll enjoy yourself.

@orangeshrum: Yeah I get invites to all the parties but guys usually have to pay cover.
@NonSonoFronz: Well, that's the thing. It's a lot more than just parties. There's special dinners, all the brothers go on a fishing trip every year, the whole pledging experience, stuff like that.

Personally, I don't see the point of joining a social fraternity. To do what, go to parties and make friends? Okay. There are other things that take less of your time.
Profession fraternity, maybe. They have connections and can help you out and whatnot.
I do see your point though, it's a huge part of college for most. Rushing doesn't take much time, but pledging will, so just rush and see if you like the fraternity and the people in it.

I would assume that since you are good friends with someone in the frat, you can get into all the parties anyways.
If you can get into all the parties, then why pay money to actually join? Unless your buddy's frat does a lot more than just party.