College Fraternities

So I went to my first OSU frat party last at Sigma Alpha Mu (Sammy). It is the largest frat house in the country and they hosted an unbelievable party. Terrelle Pryor even showed up. The brothers were all very friendly and showed me a good time. I didn't think I would ever consider joining a fraternity, but now I am considering rushing for this fraternity. Do any of you have experiences with fraternities? What are the benefits of being in one? How much of a time commitment are they? What sort of hazing goes on?

Thanks in advance.

Most frats suck from my understanding. I was asked to join about 3 my freshmen year. Not all frats are D-bags, but most guys who join frats are those who cant gain friends on their own.

Now, this isnt always the case.. i got a bunch of buddies in frats and they are still cool as hell.

Whenever getting into a snowball fight with them, ALWAYS aim for their head.

Edit:

And back in MY day, they almost always dressed like UGA-Husker.

Manhattan said:

So I went to my first OSU frat party last at Sigma Alpha Mu (Sammy). It is the largest frat house in the country and they hosted an unbelievable party. Terrelle Pryor even showed up. The brothers were all very friendly and showed me a good time. I didn't think I would ever consider joining a fraternity, but now I am considering rushing for this fraternity. Do any of you have experiences with fraternities? What are the benefits of being in one? How much of a time commitment are they? What sort of hazing goes on?

Thanks in advance.

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I'd put money on it that they're just showing you a good time (aka Chrewy Chips Ahoy) trying to get you to rush...

Also, how did T. Pryor like your avatar?

Honestly Manhattan, frats are good for two things: getting drunk and helping you make friends.

If you need a frat to accomplish both of those things, then feel free to do it.

In my experience, 75%-80% of guys in frats are total dbags. Their personalities are exact replicas of the other guys they hang out with. These 75%-80% of guys only think about sex, getting drunk, rap music, and the next shirt in their wardrobe they can cut the sleeves off of to show their muscles. A good friend of mine is in a frat, and he said most of the guys in his frat are guys he wouldn't consider "friends", are tools, and the grades they get barely keep them out of academic probation. My year of experience exposed to some of it, but not all of it.

IMHO, join school related groups instead of a frat.

Ohhh boy...

First and foremost, Sigma Alpha Mu is a traditionally Jewish fraternity. They accept members outside of the Jewish faith/heritage today, but some would rather not be associated with the relationship. Make your own decision.

Second, in reponse to Cornholio, I don't understand the knock. What is wrong with looking presentable? I wear a polo, button-down, khaki pants or shorts, flip-flops and baseball hat 90% of the time when I leave the house (sometimes a T-Shirt) when I'm not going to the gym and I change into loafers and take my hat off at work. What is wrong with this look?

Third, fraternities don't really mean the same things in the South vs. the rest of the country. Outside of the South, you get a lot more of what you see on tv. Abercrombie & Fitch muscle shirts, roid rage, hair gel, roofies, bad grades, cars with spoilers (sp), and not so attractive girls. In the South you get....basically the opposite of all of that (cutting of the sleeves of their shirt to show muscles???!!!). Don't get me wrong, I'm sure you can have fun up there, but it's really not the same.

All in all, had I gone to a school outside of the South (minus and Ivy League school) I would not have joined a fraternity (and please, it's a fraternity, not a frat. Things can be "fratty" or "not frat" but don't say, I like that "frat"). The cultural differences would be a little too much for me. When researching fraternities, do a few things: Talk to older girls on campus who might have had experience with fraternities to get a better idea of which are good and which are bad (don't really know the reputation outside of the SEC) and go to a lot of different places, activities, and events to make your choice. Meet as many people as possible doing it. Don't get arrogant when talking to other fraternities if you get a bid (REALLY lame, not like this is NCAA football recruiting). Don't dirty rush fraternities to other fraternities. Have fun.

Wow. Fraternities taking a bashing here.

I was in a house at UNL. There were d-bags in my house, but the vast majority of the guys there were very, very down-to-earth. None of us (well, most of us) didn't come from wealthy families. Pretty much all of us were from pretty humble beginnings. None of us had trouble making friends, and while we drank, none of us drank more than any other group of college guys. Overall my experience in a house was pretty darned good.

However, there are a LOT of crappy houses out there. Some houses still haze, and it gets pretty bad. There are a LOT of guys out there who made that d-bag stereotype ring true, and there are a lot of bad things that can happen at a house that you wouldn't run into in a dorm. If you decide to Rush, go to your campus Greek Administration office and ask around. Find out if they'll tell you if any houses have been on probation recently, and if so, why. Do your due diligence on the house, because you can bet they'll do theirs on you. There's nothing wrong with checking them out before joining. You'd be foolish not to.

Benefits of Greek life, for me, was the camaraderie you step into immediately. The study groups helped immensely, especially the guys who had just taken the classes I was taking the year before. There are social gatherings with sororities that regular schmegular guys won't get into, and that can be both a benefit and a curse, since some of those girls are about as intelligent as a post – but they're usually quite nice looking. So it's a mixed bag.

I can't speak for campus life outside of a fraternity, so I probably don't know what I missed, or if I benefitted socially from going to a house. I can tell you that, about 20 years later, about half of my friends are still guys from my fraternity. And I met my wife there (she was dating someone else when she saw me, then it was all over).

I think nowadays, with the interconnectivity on campuses and the myriad things you can do, that the Greek System isn't as necessary anymore. I think you're going to find a bunch of stuff to keep you occupied, a bunch of ways to help you study, a bunch of people to meet, a bunch of activities to take part in, and a bunch of girls to meet, whether you're in a house or not. So maybe you don't need to go Greek. But it's worth checking out.

UGAHusker said:

First and foremost, Sigma Alpha Mu is a traditionally Jewish fraternity. They accept members outside of the Jewish faith/heritage today, but some would rather not be associated with the relationship. Make your own decision.

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That works out for me because I am Jewish. Half of the chapter at OSU is from New York and New Jersey, so there is a good connection already. Thankfully, no guidos. I'll be able to tell if I really like the fraternity in the coming weeks. I am also going to an AEPi dinner tomorrow. I have been told to avoid TKE.

Manhattan said:

UGAHusker said:

First and foremost, Sigma Alpha Mu is a traditionally Jewish fraternity. They accept members outside of the Jewish faith/heritage today, but some would rather not be associated with the relationship. Make your own decision.

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That works out for me because I am Jewish. Half of the chapter at OSU is from New York and New Jersey, so there is a good connection already. Thankfully, no guidos. I'll be able to tell if I really like the fraternity in the coming weeks. I am also going to an AEPi dinner tomorrow. I have been told to avoid TKE.

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"If you don't want to go Greek, go TKE"

Edit: I say this in COMPLETE jest, just wanted to clarify. Every greek letter organization has a derogatory moniker attached to it (as you will soon find). Nothing against TKE at all and they very well could be a great organization at OSU.

All stereotypes aside, I have one thing to say about frats, Nuance you will appreciate this; If there a good guy and in a frat, you won't know they're in a frat at all.

Before frat people bash me, I'm saying that the frat guys that aren't dbags are the ones not pressing it on everyone. They're the ones in for the actual benefits in academia. The ones in it for the title, drinking, and what have you are the dbags 99% of the time, at UNL at least.

GMoose said:

All stereotypes aside, I have one thing to say about frats, Nuance you will appreciate this; If there a good guy and in a frat, you won't know they're in a frat at all.

Before frat people bash me, I'm saying that the frat guys that aren't dbags are the ones not pressing it on everyone. They're the ones in for the actual benefits in academia. The ones in it for the title, drinking, and what have you are the dbags 99% of the time, at UNL at least.

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Bash you? Hell man, I completely agree with you. Just because I was in a house doesn't mean I don't loathe those arrogant douchebags that give fraternities a bad name. EVERYBODY hates those guys.

The house I was in was full of guys like the guys who post here - regular people, regular Nebraskans, regular Joes. Good guys. I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those popped-collar D-Bag fraternities. I'd rather be a K-State fan.

knapplc said:

GMoose said:

All stereotypes aside, I have one thing to say about frats, Nuance you will appreciate this; If there a good guy and in a frat, you won't know they're in a frat at all.

Before frat people bash me, I'm saying that the frat guys that aren't dbags are the ones not pressing it on everyone. They're the ones in for the actual benefits in academia. The ones in it for the title, drinking, and what have you are the dbags 99% of the time, at UNL at least.

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Bash you? Hell man, I completely agree with you. Just because I was in a house doesn't mean I don't loathe those arrogant douchebags that give fraternities a bad name. EVERYBODY hates those guys.

The house I was in was full of guys like the guys who post here - regular people, regular Nebraskans, regular Joes. Good guys. I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those popped-collar D-Bag fraternities. I'd rather be a K-State fan.

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Problem is: most of the fraternities (at least UNL) are like that now.

Perhaps things have changed since I was in college, but what always bothered me about fraternities was the homogeny. Essentially, you are in an environment in which the culture, thought processes - hell, to some extent even the dress - are basically the same. Without realizing it, most people in that environment adopt the same patterns. It can be constrictive, and very easy to forego opportunities to branch out - learn about others, how they think, and why.

I'm certainly not saying all houses are like that, or all people who pledge fraternities - but it was prevelent when I went to school, and I suspect it still is.

AR Husker Fan said:

Perhaps things have changed since I was in college, but what always bothered me about fraternities was the homogeny. Essentially, you are in an environment in which the culture, thought processes - hell, to some extent even the dress - are basically the same. Without realizing it, most people in that environment adopt the same patterns. It can be constrictive, and very easy to forego opportunities to branch out - learn about others, how they think, and why.

I'm certainly not saying all houses are like that, or all people who pledge fraternities - but it was prevelent when I went to school, and I suspect it still is.

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How is that different than being a Husker fan, or a Giants fan?

knapplc said:

AR Husker Fan said:

Perhaps things have changed since I was in college, but what always bothered me about fraternities was the homogeny. Essentially, you are in an environment in which the culture, thought processes - hell, to some extent even the dress - are basically the same. Without realizing it, most people in that environment adopt the same patterns. It can be constrictive, and very easy to forego opportunities to branch out - learn about others, how they think, and why.

I'm certainly not saying all houses are like that, or all people who pledge fraternities - but it was prevelent when I went to school, and I suspect it still is.

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How is that different than being a Husker fan, or a Giants fan?

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Then how is any of that different than being a member of the Westboro Baptist Church?

I think what AR is hinting towards, and he can correct me if I'm wrong, is almost a cult-like reference.

Football fans are not cult-like. Sure, we get together once every Saturday to enjoy the Huskers, but then we go our separate ways and all live completely different lives the other six days of the week. Fraternities are a 24/7 deal, being surrounded by your "brothers" all the time. You form bonds and pick up on the same things as everybody you live with. I don't pick up any characteristic traits from Husker fans other than the passion for the game. Otherwise, we're all completely different people. I think AR is hinting towards the idea that frat guys can become almost the same person.

I think that's completely different than being a fan of a football team.