How do I choose a college fraternity?

I too agree with Matt and Hank...and think you really need to find a group of guys who you click with and inspire you. Dont pay too much attention to what the National level is doing. Find a house that is doing stuff on YOUR campus that you can be proud of. One that will attract the type of pledge brothers you count lucky to call friends.

I didnt sign with my Fraternity during rush. I visited all the houses..some parties, some dinners..and asked around. The impression girls and faculty had of my final choices was definitely an influence. In the end, I was at a party talking to one of the seniors about the fraternity and he told me it wasnt all about partying and whatnot but also about building character and helping each other to be the best we could be. They were not stooping to the level of some of the other houses. I wanted to be a part of that..and signed the next week. It ended up being one of the best decisions of my life and provided for 4 of the funnest years Ive experienced.

That being said, it was one of the top two houses on campus and one of the largest in the nation with incredible alumni support.

Go SigEps!
http://www.sigep.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigma_Phi_Epsilon

Cheers,
Sam

As The others have said get to know the brothers at rush. At my school we have to have 2 official events where there is free food and no alcohol is allowed. If you have these sober opportunities go and talk to the guys, find out what is important to them whether it be acedmeics, sports, service, or just partying. If you're in college you should be able to determie how your morals and ideals meet with a fraternities.

Most "unofficial" rush events as we call them that have booze are just a way to get young freshman to join because they like to party. Every fraternity parties so don't base your descision on that. Make an effort and you'll end up a lot happier.

I'm not saying don't go party as a rush, being apart of a fraternity is about being able to balance out your social and acedemic life. Definitelly hit up the houses on the weekends and see how the guys you met during the week relax and unwind. Just be wary of the guys who want you to chug 12 beers on a Sunday night.

I don't really agree with asking around campus for others opinions. If you end up asking one fraternity about another you'll get a lot of bias and rumors start too easily and stick with a fraternity for too long. You're better off sticking with your gut. Also if you know people already in a fraternity either from high school or classes whether you like them or not don't be afraid to give them a 2nd chance, don't let one bad egg ruin a possibility of a great opportunity.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

As The others have said get to know the brothers at rush. At my school we have to have 2 official events where there is free food and no alcohol is allowed. If you have these sober opportunities go and talk to the guys, find out what is important to them whether it be acedmeics, sports, service, or just partying. If you're in college you should be able to determie how your morals and ideals meet with a fraternities.

Most "unofficial" rush events as we call them that have booze are just a way to get young freshman to join because they like to party. Every fraternity parties so don't base your descision on that. Make an effort and you'll end up a lot happier.

I'm not saying don't go party as a rush, being apart of a fraternity is about being able to balance out your social and acedemic life. Definitelly hit up the houses on the weekends and see how the guys you met during the week relax and unwind. Just be wary of the guys who want you to chug 12 beers on a Sunday night.

I don't really agree with asking around campus for others opinions. If you end up asking one fraternity about another you'll get a lot of bias and rumors start too easily and stick with a fraternity for too long. You're better off sticking with your gut. Also if you know people already in a fraternity either from high school or classes whether you like them or not don't be afraid to give them a 2nd chance, don't let one bad egg ruin a possibility of a great opportunity.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

That's a good question. How do you select people you have to pay to be your friends? I didn't join a fraternity in college, but many of of my friends did. Everything was peachy until time came that they didn't want to or couldn't afford to pay dues anymore. Once the dues shut off, their "brothers" were basically forbidden from having anything to do with them, and most wouldn't even speak with them any more.

Select wisely.

Ask around campus, find out what people think of different fraternities.

Rush is a JOKE. Its all about putting on your fake face, and getting pledges. Most I know of are the nicest guys on earth during rushing, but once you pledge, all that changes. If anything you should take away from rush, its what the events actually ARE. If its a fairly high dollar event, chances are the fraternity your looking at has the bank and good alumni to have good mixer events, etc.

Now if the one your looking at runs super low key events, they probably dont have the most $$ on campus, and might not be able to do as much.

TBH, dont listen to any of these guys saying, RUSH this! Rush that! Chapters vary by campus. I am an ATO (Alpha Tau Omega) alumni and I wouldnt tell you to rush ATO if you have one, because I dont know where you go to school, and cant say whether your chapter there would be good..

Come on, you are much smarter than that, one of the reasons to go to college is to meet different people, not hang out with people who are exactly like you. That is one of the few reasons why I do not like fraternities. That is just my point of view. I don't know if you agree with my answer. Simply put, I don't think you should join a fraternity, its a waste of time.

Chapters vary from school to school, so you can't generalize and say that "Sigma Phi Epsilon" is the best fraternity.

It was helpful for me to check out www.ratemyfraternity.com when I rushed. The site has reviews for a bunch of fraternities at most 4 year schools.

Fraternities only exist for partying and getting the girls in sororities. I didn't even put my fraternity on my med school application. Go for the organization that has the best parties and gets the hottest sorority girls. If you're not into that scene, why even join? You'd be spending lots of money to do character building stuff that you'd freely and easily get from volunteering as an EMT or something. Its all about the parties and the hot girls.

Ted,

Congratulations on
1. getting into a good university and
2. deciding to join a Fraternity.

I am not going to debate with everyone whether or not you should join a Fraternity, this is your decision. Joining a fraternity was one of the best decisions I made in College, the people you meet and the relationships you form will change your life. enjoy your time in College but keep your head down and don't lose track of the big picture and stay true to who you are.

Matt's answer is spot on, but also dont forget to look at your potential pledge class, these are going to be your pledge brothers for the rest of your life.

There are a few factors to keep in mind:

1. Do you like the brothers in the frat?
2. How is the frat perceived on campus? Do they have a good reputation? As funny as it sounds, a good way to gauge this is to ask around for any nicknames frats might have (e.g. SAE = Sexual Assault Expected) which are often good indicators of what people think of them.
3. Do you like the house? Honestly, some houses are much nicer than others and a great house often means great parties.

Lastly and most importantly, put great emphasis on the pledge class. They're going to be your brothers (the guys you drink with, hang out with, clean up from parties with, etc.) for the rest of college and it's important you have a good rapport with them. Specifically, consider joining a frat en masse with your buddies from freshman year. While the factors I mentioned above are important, being surrounded by close friends can make up for a lot that a frat may be lacking.

That said, good luck and most of all, have fun.

I did not join a frat in college after I transferred from a community college. I ended up mostly hanging out with people I already knew because I didn't get to meet people in the dorms either. I would have liked to branch out but you don't have to do it immediately. There is no harm in waiting until your sophomore year (or second semester freshman year) to join a frat as you can get a better gauge of which guys are cool and the reputation of each house. As a few guys stated above, rush is very fake so you don't want to be stuck with a bunch of people you don't like.

Dont hate me, I just have to say it:

Frats are like Unions. They say that they want to include you, that they care about you, say you are their friends, that they do community service and are going to help you make it through work or college.

Want real friends, and a real experiences? Make friends with the people in your dorm, people in your class, go to parties, get a part time job and actually make money as opposed to spending it (which frats take more time than a part time job anyways) or actually do some real volunteer work, I was a volunteer firefighter during HS and College, and it was WAY more rewarding.

Not trying to totally bash frats, i just see them as limiting the scope of possibilities for college.

Dont hate me, I just have to say it:

Frats are like Unions. They say that they want to include you, that they care about you, say you are their friends, that they do community service and are going to help you make it through work or college, all this is while they collect a check every month.

Want real friends, and a real experiences? Make friends with the people in your dorm, people in your class, go to parties, get a part time job and actually make money as opposed to spending it (which frats take more time than a part time job anyways) or actually do some real volunteer work, I was a volunteer firefighter during HS and College, and it was WAY more rewarding.

Not trying to totally bash frats, i just see them as limiting the scope of possibilities for college.

like I always say

" Fraternities... the best friends money can buy"

check them out. don't listen to people who say you are paying for friends are that everyone is the same in them. sure, there are things that draw you to the fraternity (fyi never call it a frat) that is similar to everyone else. my experience included a lot of different people. as we got older it made the experience even better. don't watch movies to get your ideas about fraternities.