Fraternity Rush Question
 

The college I am going to, Syracuse University, has deferred recruitment, meaning rush doesn't start till...January, I believe. Being the way it is, could I go to parties that are happening before then and say I'm interesting in rushing just to get to know brothers better? If not, is there any other way of getting to know people in the fraternity in the 4 or so months before rush week starts?

This is something that will be made ABUNDANTLY clear once you get to school. Some groups don't allow non-Greeks or non-invited guests to attend because of risk management issues, some groups don't allow those people to attend because they just don't want them there, and some groups invite everyone. It varies campus by campus. There are some campuses where open parties still exist across the board although they are getting fewer and farther between. But I would be VERY careful of the fraternity who throws wide open parties if everyone else's are closed. They're recruiting based on alcohol, plain and simple.

To repeat...you will become very aware of what is socially acceptable as far as freshmen males attending parties once you arrive on campus. At any rate, making friends with fraternity members in non-party situations (class, other extracurriculars, sports) is always a plus.

I'm making sweeping generalizations here, but the brothers will be falling over themselves to meet freshman and recruit them. Get to campus and see what the situation is--33 is right, every campus is different--but Syracuse is a pretty Greek school. At my alma mater, with deferred recruitment in January, the fraternities all held lots of open parties and also took freshman guys out for excursions (dinners, NASCAR races, horse races--depends on the culture of the chapter).