Fraternity Choice Help

[young243]

Hey, I'm a senior in high school and am going to tennessee next fall for school, all of my friends are going to either WVU or Washington and Lee so I thought it may be a good idea to joi na fraternity to meet some new people. The only thing i dont know is which would be the best for my kind of interests. What i am asking is could someone descibe to me pretty much like what each fraternities strongs points are. Like which ones have the best intrmural teams or which is usually the most stuck up? thanks

[DeltAlum]

Some people may give you some grief for asking this question. It, or one like it pops up reasonably often.

The real answer is that there is no answer because none of us really knows you.

Each chapter has its own personality. Different chapters of the same fraternity may vary wildly from one school to another.

Of course, most everyone thinks his/her chapter/national is the best.

Go through rush and find the group of men that you feel the most comfortable with.

That's the only real answer -- because we are all as different as the chapters.

Best of luck to you.

[33girl]

I doubt very much that you'll get anyone naming names here. And even if they did, how would you know if they were right? I mean, someone could get on here and say "all the Alpha Betas are jerks" even if they're the nicest guys in the world, because that one person doesn't like Alpha Beta.

The best thing to do is go through fraternity rush with an open mind and join the one you feel most comfortable with. Try to meet as many of the fraternities as you can - don't just go someplace because your roommate is or because you see good looking girls there.

Also, don't listen to anything your friends at other schools say about the fraternities there. Every chapter of every national fraternity is different. The Mu Nus at WVU could all be jocks and at Tennessee, they could be the brains who don't know which end of a football is which.

Good luck - but enjoy your senior year before you start worrying about all this!

[rocketgirl]

best advice is to go through rush at your school and find out which group is best for YOU. that's all that matters and that's why rush is designed the way it is...so that you get to know the members and the fraternity and they get to know you.

[a.e.B.O.T.]

All fraternities are nice on paper. Their national projection is usually positive, because, i mean, who National Office is going to what there fraternity displayed like rectums, and I am pretty sure no fraternity was built to look that... It really does depend on chapters and etc. The only time that should come into consideration is if you would be a founding father at that school, and even then, its what you make it. So, it may sound like everyone is dodging your question, but it really doesnt have an answer that would honestly help you.

[adpiucf]

Young, welcome to Greek Chat. Call the office of Greek Life at your university and ask what fraternities are represented there. Ask for any information about fraternity recruitment to be sent to you.

Here on Greek Chat, we don't "rank" fraternities as "best" and "worst"-- 1) it's not our place to do this, and 2) reputations of fraternities vary from campus to campus and even vary on the same campus from year to year. Also, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Everyone on here believes his fraternity is the best! It was the right choice for him! Go through fraternity rush to find the best choice for you!

To prepare pre-college-- Look online-- many of the groups represented on your campus have websites. They list their accomplishments and mission on these sites. You'll get a feel for the chapters. You can also look at the national websites (the chapter of "XYZ" on your campus is just one branch of a large organization of many collegiate chapters and alumnae chapters). There may also be "local" fraternities who exist solely at your university, and are not affiliated with a national group.

Go through fraternity rush-- this is their membership selection process where you get to meet men from all the chapters, get a feel for who they are, their accomplisments and interests. This is the best way to find the "best" fraternity on campus-- it is the one where you feel most at home with the members and feel like you fit in. If the members feel the same way, they will give you a bid. Rush is a bit like an informal interview. You'll be asked why you want to join a fraternity, your interests, goals, etc. It's a great way to make friends and get a feel for what Greek Life is like.

In additon, there are Greek Organizations that are co-ed or male only that have a focus on one area-- like a business or music fraternity, community service, honor society, etc. Check these out, too. They will have their own separate membership selections from the fraternity rush at your school for the other groups.

Good luck! As you're still in high school, enjoy your senior year-- make good grades, get involved with a campus activity, do community service-- these things will make you a more well-rounded person and attractive to the fraternities at rush.

[young243]

ok thanks for the responses, i was tlaking to some kid when i visted tennessee last week nad he recommended this site.

[young243]

and since im doing my apps now i thought it would be a good diea to ask

[ZZ-kai-]

There a bunch of things you can do before going there. A few suggestions I'd like to make is:

1. check out their websites to see what orgs. are on each campus
2. e-mail the Greek Advisor for grade reports, so you can see how each chapter approaches academics.
3. If intramurals/sports are important, check out the intramurals page of the schools website to see who is competitve and who is not.
4. Stay in touch with some of the new freshman (last years seniors) and see if any of them go greek - if so, get their experiences from them to help determine your choice.
5. Read up on chapter historys - how long the chapters have been on campus, if they have House Corporations, see what awards they have won...etc.

When rush comes around, if you've pre-chosen any houses, then visit them during rush. If you haven't pre-chosen and all of them are in the mix, then try to attend every house at least one time, to get a feel for them. Trust me, it'll work out....you'll go where you want to.

[Rudey]

Join the fraternity with the smartest, wealthiest, most athletic, most personable guys who always have the hottest girlfriends.

That way you can't go wrong.

-Rudey

[Tom Earp]

Rudey, guess that lets Yours out!


young243,

as has been stated, check out National Sites, Check out Schools Site and Chapters Site.

Remember, Sites are a form of Adv. Want to look good.

But, there is always a But, check out the Chapters during Recruitment, and find who You feel the most comfortable with. It will be a whirlwind I am sure.

Since You didnt mention what school I think We all took is as U T, Knoxville! If not, there are a ton of great schools in Tn!

Look, find and join! Nothing sweeter that Being Greek! Been doing it a long time on My end. Must be a reason!