Joining a Frat
 

wassup guys? i have wanted to join a frat since i was a little kid. i haven't cared much about the stereotypes, i know that it would be ignorant to assume that an entire establishment was bad because of a few bad people. so, despite all my friends (and families) concerns, i want to join a frat now more than ever. i am a hs senior and i will be atending cornell university in the fall. i am an only child, so i have no older bro's to tell me about rush and all that, i am clueless about where to begin. what exactly is rush all about? what is life like as a member? is it better to belong to a local frat or a national frat? and, is there anything i should be doing at this time, or this summer to get ready? i really want to know more about the whole system so if you guys could answer my questions, i would really appreciate it. feel free to make comments or give me some pointers about where to being and what to expect. but the most important thing about fraternities to me(more for the folks, really) right now is the cost. what estimate should i give my parents? and with my school being so expensive, should i just forget about joining altogether? thanks guys.

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Mike

Call Cornell's Greek life office and ask for an average - some will be more expensive, some will be less but they should be able to give you a ballpark figure. Also when you ask them, be sure to ask what the costs are per semester to live in house and what they are out of the house.

I really don't know what Cornell's Greek community is like, but if it is anything like Miami University, you will have a chance to learn about fraternities before you rush. We have a weekend called Open House where freshman and/or sophomores who are interested in rush are taken around to each house by someone called a Greek Life Guide. Greek Life Guides are members of fraternities, but they are impartial during Open House, meaning they aren't supposed to say what chapter they are in.

There should be a Greek Affairs office you can call and talk to, even meet with someone when you start school to get more information. Try searching their website for fraternity or greek information. Oh, and one other thing, don't call it a "frat", that has a bad connotation. "Fraternity" is much better http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif

E-mail me if you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them if I can -- sejasba@muohio.edu

After a little searching, I found a part of Cornell's site that might be of some help (that is, if you haven't already found it), http://www.dos.cornell.edu/dos/fsadefault.html

Brian

[This message has been edited by BrianMUDU (edited April 12, 2001).]