What is a midlevel house?
From what I've seen generally it's the upper half that changes over and over in the spectrum. The lower half either chooses not to grow and enjoys that or they just stop caring totally and die out. Those that die are easy to distinguish from the ones that are small and the brothers care about each other but not a high profile. But in the other half of fraternities, I've seen large houses become the medium ones and the medium ones become the large ones where they keep competing to be more. What you said about high turnover is definitely applicable here.
I'd just say go with where you feel best. Chances are that if you like those guys and join the house that's right for you, you also tend to care more and also to work harder during rush, competition, etc.
But Firehouse is right - you'll end up with some envy at not being around a huge house and it depends on what your personality is like.
-Rudey
Quote:
Originally posted by Firehouse
I'll offer you the best advice I have and it is based on a great deal of experience. First, I do strongly encourage you to join a fraternity. All of the attractive, life-long advantages are really as strong as advertised.
That said, if you are on a campus where the fraternity system is fairly stable, strong and established the the best advice is to choose either a small house or a large one, but DO NOT COMPROMISE and join a mid-range house thinking it will give you the advantages of both. Here's why:
Small fraternities and large fraternities ("small" and "large" being defined by the context of the campus) have distinctly different personalities and offer distinctly different advantages. In the end, what's important is what you want.
Small fraternities do have a greater closeness and day-to-day familiarity that is not possible in the large house. The atmosphere is more relaxed and less competitive. Those personal relationships are likely to remain strong across a lifetime. The disadvantages are that small houses cannot compete on campus with the large houses, specifically in terms of intramural sports, relations with what are perceived as the top sororities, and for the high-profile popular rushees. If you want to share greek letters with the student body president or the captain of the football team, you're going to be very lonely.
The large houses offer prestige, a championship pedigree and morale based on competition and success. Men who join large houses tend to be more ambitious and aggressive. The disadvantages include a high rate of membership turnover meaning that if you don't come around for a semester or a year, you are likely not to recognize a lot of faces when you come back.
The quality of the lifelong friendships are pretty much the same either way you go.
The mistake is joining a mid-level house that will likely never achieve top, large fraternity status, nor offer the relaxed, non-competitive atmosphere of the small house. Fraternities in both extremes of the spectrum are comfortable and happy with their identities. With the mid-size house you get lots of arguing about what theyr should be and an inconclusive identity. they may be one thing one year, and launch off in another direction the next. Maybe they'll find the right place for them eventually, but you only have four years, and you want your experience to be a stable as possible.
As for me, I'm a large fraternity guy. But I understand the appeal of both, and both are attractive for their own reasons. All the best to you in making your choice.
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