New going into undergrad
 

Hey, i'm new to this and I was thinking about joining a fraternity but it is a graduate chapter. How would I join or could I join since it is a graduate chapter?

Are you talking about a fraternity which is a member of the NPHC? And are you currently an undergraduate?

Yes, and I will be this fall.

First, since your user name looks like it could be your real name, be careful not to divulge any further information on this message board, including where you will be attending school.

Once upon a time, it wouldn't be unheard of for someone to become an undergraduate member of an NPHC organization through an intermediate chapter, at-large/regional process or as an associate member of a graduate/alumni chapter.

However, as time went on and the NPHC grew, there weren't too many reasons left to maintain a non-traditional pathway to membership. Either there is a traditional chapter on campus, the possibility of a traditional chapter on campus, or access to a city-wide undergraduate chapter.

The reason I am saying all this is because it sounds odd to me that a freshman wants to join a graduate chapter. So maybe you don't have all the facts.

You should contact family friends, former teachers, and acquaintances from high school who are in the fraternity you want to join. They will have the best information for you. If there is no chapter already on the campus, you may want to find out why from your school.

But take your time. No NPHC fraternity takes first semester freshmen, and some orgs and many campuses do not allow second semester freshmen to join either. So focus on your grades and community involvement as you contact people you know for accurate answers.

Ok thank you for the information!

hijack: what's (or what was) and intermediate chapter?

It depends on the org. In DC, as late as when I was in college, the Omegas had an intermediate chapter which was intended for young alumni, men in graduate school, and undergraduates at colleges which did not have/could not sustain their own chapter.

In Alpha, intermediate chapters were strictly men in graduate and professional schools.

In some sororities, mixed chapters were graduates and alumnae in the same chapter. (This was prior to schools formalizing the "recognition" process for BGLOs, if they paid any attention to them at all)