[PhoenixAzul]

Hiya,
I did the opposite of you. I shipped off to Scotland for my MA and I'm going back soon to work full time.

Differences:
- Student unions are not as powerful as they are in British Unis. Some schools don't even have them. There may be a senate/representative council (on which you as a postgraduate will likely have a representative) and they are essentially the student voice.

- As a whole, lecturers are called "professor" by default, regardless of their degree (ex. a MA/MFA is a terminal degree in most art fields, so they would never have the honor of being "Doctor" so "Professor" shows respect for their achievement/knowledge. However a BA/BFA is sometimes enough experience to teach in a certain field, so "Professor" shows respect for their teaching position). Except in the case of a lecturer holding a doctorate, then they may prefer Doctor, or go by Professor as well. Professor is generally seen as more respectful than Mr/Ms in an academic context. However, I've had lecturers who have preferred to be called Fred, Jane, etc. It just depends on their preference. Most will state their preference if they have one. If one isn't stated, opt for "professor" until you know otherwise.

- Sports are a big thing. And not just "anyone" can play/sign up as a general rule. The equivalent to clubs is intermurals, where it is more for fun, rather than representing the university.

- Greek Life doesn't really have any equivalent in British culture. I had TONS of questions about it when I lived abroad, but I can guarantee you that it is absolutely nothing like what you get fed on SkyTV. It is a lot of work, time commitment, and self investment. If you can handle that and work on your PhD, you're a better time management person than I, mate.

- Depending on what you're doing as a PhD, you may be a teaching assistant. Meaning you'd likely be leading a tutoring session or lecturing yourself. This means that you are officially in a position of authority, and therefore responsible as an employee of the university. This might preclude you from involvement in a fraternity/sorority, as it could present an appearance of impropriety...(ex. girl is failing your lecture class, girl is seen flirting with you @ fraternity event, girl works hard and brings her grades up but someone could say that you raised them for her b/c of her/your perceived advances at the party).

My advice would be to see if there are openings as a house master/house supervisor/house adviser or house assistant. It would mean that you'd get the general idea of what fraternity life is like, have some peripheral involvement in activities, provide a role model/confidence for the guys in the house, and you'd have a lot more time to study and focus on your degree, without having to pledge or do pledge activities and you'd earn a stipend (if not a stipend, just room and board which is WORTH IT). This is a pretty standard gig for graduate students in the US...but bear in mind you're responsible for making sure they don't burn the place down or kill each other.

Another thing: this is terrible to say, but PhD spots, especially paid/paying ones, are tremendously rare and competitive things. Some professors do not have a high opinion of Greek life, and openly advertising your desire to join a fraternity as a PhD might be translated into "i'm not serious about this research" and could perhaps influence your placement in the lab. Not saying this is the case, it certainly isn't at all places, but it is something to be considered.