And THIS old woman was partying from 4:00 pm until zero dark thirty. When you are past your peak, and all shriveled up, blah blah blah, the only recourse is this. Threw the cane away and grooved.

I am not gonna lie, it's almost a fact of nature. A lot of women who used to be very attractive but then slowly lost their looks are very bitter and sadistic.

That said, again, this whole rushing a fraternity as a grad student thing is not looking too promising....

:(

What do you call "sadistic"? Not agreeing with you because you have a penis?

Seriously, you need to stop posting on here and look into counseling. You sound really unhinged and resentful. I'm sorry you had a rough childhood, but that is not the fault of women everywhere.

This again? LOL

Good thing I was ugly to being with!

Putting me through hell on this thread rather than just keeping the discussion on topic. Look at the first argument I got into, who asked a member here to play the role of mother? Also, attacking me throughout the thread rather than just offering objective advice on how it can be done. Fortunately some people here gave me good advice (a lot of which came through PMs) but man, was all of the argument which as offtopic really even necessary?

I think this and several of your other comments reveal a fundamental misconception about GLOs. They do not exist primarily for you or anyone else simply to take what you need from them, be it "brotherhood", other relationships, business contacts, social status, etc. They have existed for 150+ years because they provide a symbiotic and highly valued relationship between the group and the individual.
I think I can speak for most people here on GC when I say we joined because we wanted to be part of something larger than ourselves, and in that process of joining and contributing over time we gained more than we put in, which is why we continue to be actively involved today.
GLOs don't focus on recruiting freshmen to make more money. Especially on the IFC side, where quotas are not a factor, it would be in a fraternity chapter's best financial interest to take as many new members as they could get -- regardless of freshman/upperclassman/graduate student status, collect the initiation fees, and immediately kick them to the curb. The fact that none do that proves the point. They focus on freshmen because that is the logical path to start the development process, transitioning from high school, that results in the kind of lifelong members we want.
Until you wrap your mind around this concept of giving instead of taking, I sincerely hope you abandon this idea of pursuing GLO membership. Neither you nor the group you would join would be happy with the outcome.

does not matter, all research I have done has practically confirmed that grad students cannot join IFC fraternities

well.

Might have to play around with the idea of getting a 2nd degree.

There is no guarantee that doing this would afford you membership in a fraternity - NONE. And to think that you'd put yourself further in debt (I say this because I *assume* mommy and daddy won't pay for a 2nd degree) for this reason is absurd. There are greater priorities in life than being Greek. Lack of fraternity membership won't define you, but your desperation to join a GLO just might if you keep up this line of thinking.

And the GIF above perfectly expresses my feelings as well.

We have letters. You have delusions.

Maybe you should play around with the idea of making friends.

GDI - if you’re still checking-in I wanted to chime in with my thoughts as a long-time lurker, first-time poster.

First, I absolutely empathize with you. I pledged a fraternity in college, was initiated and spent two years as an active live-in. I then moved into an off-campus apartment with a pledge brother. Due to an intense schedule with other activities I essentially had no more contact with my fraternity after becoming a townee. It's very easy to drift apart if you don't make an effort and, to my regret, I did not. I was also punched into a class society and decided not to accept it and regret that too. So I can, of course, understand your regret in having not pledged a fraternity at all.

THAT SAID, a few things to keep in mind ...

(a) the vast majority (80%+) of American college students are exactly like you and have also never pledged a fraternity, so though you may feel you are missing out on a certain experience, keep in mind you are not missing out on the "typical” American college experience,

(b) in professional life your fraternity affiliation, or lack thereof, will probably never come up despite popular fiction that says people will constantly be trading stories (it's been 10 years since I've graduated and my fraternity affiliation has come up exactly 2 times with clients and co-workers and both times it was because I mentioned it; maybe that's just the field or geography in which I work [advertising / NYC]),

(c) I know this isn't going to sound like logical advice from where you're sitting, however, if you are very active in your school's alumni association, the connection you will come to realize you have with fellow alumni of your school - even if you didn't know them as an undergrad - will be almost as enduring as the fraternal bond (though of a necessarily different type). The essence of the fraternity experience is the connection with a group of people who went through the same thing you did and it’s why fraternity brothers can feel a bond with a frater who is 50 years older. But the same thing is true, to an extent, with alumni of the same university.

(d) As others have said, you should investigate Freemasonry (this is, IMO, *inferior* to the bond created by a fraternity experience, but it is not worthless – you should focus your efforts , if you decide to go this route, on a Traditional Observance Lodge),

(e) You will absolutely create greater friendships and better life connections serving in the U.S. military, which is essentially its own fraternity, than you would in any fraternity. (Plus you will get even more and cooler stuff to hang on your walls than a pledge paddle and composite photo.) Consider joining the National Guard. If you don't want to spend 4 months in basic training, the Coast Guard Reserve has an accelerated training option for those with college degrees who aren't interested in becoming officers and you can complete it in (IIRC) 4 weeks plus some supplementary weekends.

Now, to your specific question:

REALISTICALLY, no one is going to pledge you as a graduate student and certainly no ‘top tier’ fraternity at your campus.

HOWEVER, having said that (I'm going to be extremely frank in what follows, and I apologize in advance as I know it will offend a number of people here, but I want to cut to the case) - at my particular university there were probably 2-3 houses in the "bottom tier" of fraternities (in terms of social standing), and I would not be surprised if they would have been willing to pledge a young graduate student (assuming their policies allowed it). If you are absolutely intent on doing this you should try to find a few houses on your campus that have low membership numbers and a low social standing (look for colonies perhaps) and make a soft email inquiry to their rush chairs explaining the situation. A non-residential fraternity could also be a clue - at my campus where all fraternities had been residential for the last century, an unhoused fraternity was essentially socially "untouchable" within the Greek system and would be anxious to take anyone. Again, I know this isn't exactly what you want to hear (and I’m sure I’m going to get flack from this off the regulars here), but I don't want to mislead you with platitudes.
Now, to the other scenario you proposed (a second undergraduate degree) - if you are going to get a second degree you could most probably find a lower tier house (or colony) willing to pledge you. I emphasize it would be lower tier.

Having said all this, if I were in your position I would not pursue pledging a fraternity. I would,
(a) become very active in your alumni association, (b) petition your local Masonic lodge for admission [I strongly recommend you look for a Traditionally Observant Lodge], (c) join a military reserve component. If you do those three things you will find yourself with more fraternalism than you could ever have achieved through a GLO.

You seem like a fine young man, so I wish you the very best of luck. Please feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss this more or have additional questions.

Dude, weren't you just banned? (No one else uses the word "townee")