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Originally Posted by fpLAX
Seems pretty competitive but from what I picked up some fraternities aren't as restrictive? Or are ALL of them going to want a southerner or instate person unless i'm basically amazing. Also just wondering but say I go to one of these competitive schools and my brothers fraternities on campus there, would they think any different of me or would it help?
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I think it is important to define competitive here. Sorority rush is highly competitive because there are quotas- i.e. limits- on the number of pledges a sorority can accept in any given formal rush period, and also because there is a process known as matching where an entity other than the chapters and the rushees makes the final assigment of pledges to chapters. So the ladies are competing not only against other rushees, but a pretty rigid and very complex numbers game.
Fraternities are not like that. There might be quotas somewhere, but every campus I know does not have any kind of numbers restrictions on pledges- a chapter can take all the pledges they want. So when you are rushing a fraternity, you are really only competing against other rushees- and the final decision about giving you a bid will come directly from the chapter without any other outside party able to forcibly affect that decision.
From that standpoint, I think "competitive" is a bit of a misnomer when it comes to fraternity rush. What is really going on is that you are presenting yourself to a chapter and they have to decide if you are a good potential pledge. When it comes to top tier chapters (the chapters that have the best social calendars, biggest budgets etc.), there are always tons of people who want to get in who really are not cut out for it. But that does not make it competitive in my mind- just highly selective. I keep tabs on rush data and even some of the top tier chapters at my school have pledge class sizes that vary quite a bit from year to year. So it is not like they are pledging up to X number of guys and stopping after that.
Since your brother is a Pi Kappa Phi, you are considered a legacy. Whether it hurts or helps depends on the reputations of the chapters where your brother is a member and where you might seek membership. It is not even about good vs. bad- many northern chapters have negative perceptions of southern chapters and vice versa purely on cultural differences. But generally speaking I think this helps you since it gives you a legitimate connection to any Pi Kappa Phi chapter when it comes to making first contact. Your brother would just contact the chapter you are interested in and say "my brother is coming to your school and I would like him to rush our fraternity". Quick, easy and the right way to make first contact.
If I may, please let me offer some additional thoughts since you are clearly going about this the right way- asking good questions and starting the process early,
1. Make sure your Facebook photos and profile reflect you and the image you want to present to fraternities- especially if you start networking through there. This has been a big problem for people coming here for advice before, and in at least one case it probably ruined the guy's chances at the kind of rush results he wanted.
2. First contact is best done through a friend or acquaintance who knows the chapter. Calling them directly yourself is not necessarily going to ruin your chances, but the higher the reputation of a given chapter- the less likely they are to want to talk to you unless you are introduced through someone they know. Having that introduction tells them that someone they know thinks you would be a good candidate. You calling yourself suggests you have noone to vouch for you, and that sends a bad message.
3. You are applying to a lot of schools. I never did that, so hoping others can correct me if I am wrong, but I suspect you would be wise to not have people make contacts on your behalf until you know what school you are attending. Or at the very least, have it narrowed down to 1-2 places if you need extra time to make a decision.
4. Once you settle on a school, read up on the Greek Life section of the website for that school and sign up for fall rush as soon as you can. While not all chapters bother with the rush lists, many do- including good and top chapters. So make sure your name is out there. And when they see you are out of state, that can be an incentive for them to contact you since the fact you are not local is a logical reason why you are not generally "known" yet.
5. Once you settle on a school and contacts are made on your behalf, be financially prepared to make 3-4 visits during the spring/summer months to any rush events you are invited to. If you plan carefully and are discreet (i.e. don't tell people at the chapters you are visiting other chapters on the same trip) you can hopefully hit events at 2-3 chapters on a single trip.
5. Be careful about committing too early. Lesser chapters will often try to push guys into taking a bid before they have a chance to see that they could do better. Being from out of state, you are at some risk for this unless you go into rush knowing a lot about the chapters at a given school. Once you find a place that just "feels" right, go for it. But be sure you rush at least 3 chapters before making that decision so you have a basis for comparison.
6. You have done the wise thing posting the schools here that you are interested in and leaving it at that. From there, people can read your thread and contact you privately to discuss individual campuses and chapters. Talking openly about specific chapter reputations in the forums can, for obvious reasons, be problematic for you. Keep on being discreet and you will be fine.
Sorry to be so long winded, but I hope this helps. Again, you are going about this the right way and I wish you good fortune in your search. Do keep coming back as the year progresses to report on your status. Lots of people read this forum and can learn from your rush process.
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