Im starting at ISU this fall and need some help choosing a fraternity. In all honesty Im wonder which one has the most fun, throws the best partys, and has the best group of guys to meet and be friends with. I know that there are many reasons to join a frat such as academics, by major, charity work, future buisness connections ect. All fraternitys will have these advantages, so if I could get help with my question on the social aspected of which to choose that would be great! Thank you everyone in advance.
Help choosing a fraternity
- Thread starter new2011
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my best advice.... dont join one and make friends and connections yourself.
Im a senior and i may not have as MANY connections but I can tell you I still have some of the best friends of my life and i think it was because i WASNT in a frat
In the case u are committed on finding a house... I have a ton of friends in pi kapps and also sigma pi but choice is ultimately going to be yours i suppose
Im a senior and i may not have as MANY connections but I can tell you I still have some of the best friends of my life and i think it was because i WASNT in a frat
In the case u are committed on finding a house... I have a ton of friends in pi kapps and also sigma pi but choice is ultimately going to be yours i suppose
if you are a top, tke. if you are a bottom, beta. adelante, if you have a pretend girl friend. if you like to go hoggin, farm house.
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Have you gone on any of the recruitment functions (do they still allow that during the summer)? If not, I believe they do a recruitment week in the fall & maybe in the spring, too. That would have been one very good way to gauge the social aspect of various fraternities as well as seeing how 'tight' the brothers actually are. Of course, there will be smaller groups of guys that are closer than the whole house but, in reality, most houses are going to have a fairly active social calendar (barring they aren't on probation).
Basically, find a group of guys you are comfortable with, feel you can trust what they say and are willing to allow you not rush into signing with them until you've weighed your options.
You should also talk to people, especially girls, from your hometown who go to ISU and get their take on it. It will certainly help if they're in the Greek system, too, if only as a fairer assessment of potential houses.
You'll find 2/3rd's of the fraternities are very similar, have the same type of guys & throw parties which are fairly equal, for the most part. Seriously, look at as many houses as possible, meet as many of the guys (not just the rush chairs & president), ask about mandatory requirements of new guys/pledges and don't be afraid to join different houses for dinner. You can tell more about a group of guys during the day, when they're sober than you can when everyone is getting ripped at a party.
Having said that, I was a Sig Ep (VP of Recruitment for two years) & still have many friends I keep in touch with or hang out with (been out a decade) in Sigma Chi & Beta, as well as a few guys from TKE, PiKaps, PhiDelt, Lamba Chi, PiPhi (for guys) & Delts. You'll find, through activities like Homecoming, VEISHEA, Greek Week, etc, as well as serving on committees, you will have a very solid foundation of very good friends and future contacts.
Good Luck & feel free to PM me w/any other questions.
i will be a juniot this year and i joined Pi Kappa Phi during my freshman year.. best decision of my college life. Lots of people here will degrade the greek system and ISU and say that its just paying to make friends but thats not true at all. I lived in friley my freshman year, and when i moved in house my sophomore year it was actually cheaper even after house dues, etc. The parties are awesome, but there is also tons of really fun events with the sororities and cool competitions all across greekland.
PM me if you really are interested in Pi Kapps and let me know what guys you already know from our house!
PM me if you really are interested in Pi Kapps and let me know what guys you already know from our house!
I agree with you; I'm a Pi Kapp alum and wouldn't have done it any other way. Being out of school for 10 years now, I have utilized a lot of the contacts I established in the greek system, something you often don't get by living in the dorms.
There's opinions, and then there's trying to give advice on something you've never experienced.
Another Pi Kapp alum here. Good, honest fraternity that is in place for the right reasons. Definitely worth a look if you are serious about the Greek system.
Since it sounds like the OP had already had his heart set on joining a frat I don't think he was looking for criticism on the greek system. Shame on you guys and your anti-greek posting.
I think that you should go to as many of the recruiting events and come your own conclusion on which frat to join because it really is a personal decision. Also remember to look at the other guys the frat is recruiting and think to yourself if you can really be friends with these guys.
I think that you should go to as many of the recruiting events and come your own conclusion on which frat to join because it really is a personal decision. Also remember to look at the other guys the frat is recruiting and think to yourself if you can really be friends with these guys.
I went to several recruiting events with several friends that ended up joining. Best decision of my life was not joining. A couple that joined regretted it. They made good friends but you can make same good friends in dorms and your classes. Don't need to pay to get friends and spend time at meetings.
I'm an alum of Beta Theta Pi on campus, but I'm not gonna do a shameless plug of it because ultimately it's your decision where you want to go Greek. What you need to do is go to the Office of Greek Affairs website (Go Greek. Expect More. : Greek Affairs) and check out what the greek system has to offer and preference what type of fraternity house you like (big house (aka number of men affiliated with the fraternity) vs. small house, cold airs (one room full of bunk beds) vs. no cold airs (living in a room with 1-3 other people), dry vs. damp vs. wet house (in regards to the fraternity's alcohol policy), etc.). Once your preferences are made the Office of Greek Affairs can help narrow your search down to a few houses that meet most if not all of your preferences. But as someone said earlier in the thread, look at as many houses as possible and meet as many guys as possible. The house you join is the one where you'll be a brother for life.
Also - if you want to join a house AND move in right away your freshman year, I'd recommend figuring out your house before August 1st. That's the dorm cancellation deadline date and if you decide to move in right away after August 1st you have to pay 15% of your contract. The fraternity you join might be able to help you cover that cost, but don't quote me on that since I don't know all 29 fraternity policies.
Happy hunting and glad to hear you want to go Greek! If you have any other questions feel free to shoot me a PM.
Also - if you want to join a house AND move in right away your freshman year, I'd recommend figuring out your house before August 1st. That's the dorm cancellation deadline date and if you decide to move in right away after August 1st you have to pay 15% of your contract. The fraternity you join might be able to help you cover that cost, but don't quote me on that since I don't know all 29 fraternity policies.
Happy hunting and glad to hear you want to go Greek! If you have any other questions feel free to shoot me a PM.
