Hello,
I am interested in joining a frat at my school. However, I heard that being in a frat is usually reserved for those of higher income students who can pay the monthly dues. My income is around 40,000 so I fear that I would spend more time trying to pay off the costs of being in a frat instead of spending time with my brothers/sisters. Can lower income students join frats or is it better off to join different organizations? Thanks.
Definitely you’re going to have to pay some dues. Usually, if there’s extra money leftover, money will be refunded to you once your tuition bill has been paid, so if you’re full-ride, you could get money back to help pay for fraternity dues.
So can lower income students join frats? Yes. Should you? That’s really a personal decision in what you are looking for and what you can pay. You might have a better time joining other campus organizations that are cheaper. Who knows? For me, I’m looking to get in and out of college with as few expenses as possible since I’m paying for school on my own.
It’s going to depend on how much dues are, whether payment plans are an option, and whether dues scholarships are an option (some orgs have them)
Unfortunately I don’t have a full ride. I get some of my financial aid from scholarships, but the total amount comes out to 20000. I guess its probably not a good decision to join one.
I know it varies upon each frat, but can someone tell me the average costs to join?
At my university, the lowest is $400, and the highest is $3,000.
Rather, I think all but one is within $400 - $1,000.
@cameraphone which group is the one with $400?
I’m not sure which one.
@cameraphone okay thank you. I’ll take a look into it before i decide.
Fraternity dues vary chapter to chapter.
Because you are not in the position to pick and choose which fraternity has the cheapest dues, I suggest that, if you were to rush, you go in aware of the possible costs and look into the costs of the chapter. It wouldn’t hurt to look at your budget beforehand and see what your are and are not willing to pay.
is that 400 a year or a semester? My chapter is currently 350/semester, but Niquii is right, it’s kind of useless to talk vaguely. Just wait until you’re on campus and find out the dues you actually get to choose from. Some orgs’ dues include room and board and it comes out less than university housing.
Since I am commuting next semester, I don’t know if joining a frat would be such a great idea. Probably have to look to other organizations to join
With the income that I have, and the fact that my brother is going out of state, I think i may have to pass up on this opportunity.
Perhaps you should consider why you wanted to join a frat in the first place. I’m sure there are a lot of ways you could get a similar experience at a much lower cost. Fraternities really aren’t worth the cost unless you have the money to burn.
You need to pay the dues, those alcohol drinks aren’t free.
@candycrusher Look into non-Greek fraternities if you want. They tend to be cheaper and allow more flexibility.
It’s very difficult to join a frat and live off-campus, unless you already were there for a few years and are living senior year off-campus. My sorority had dinners every weekday that were mandatory for new members, there were weekly chapter meetings and weekly pledge meetings, and when we were pledging, the commitment rose to 10 or more hours per week.
It is often difficult to become involved with campus activities if you are a commuter - first stop is if the university has a commuting student group. Some commuters try to cut it close - only be on campus when they have classes, but the best experience is when a commuter can commit to be on campus 9 am to 5 pm (or a little later for clubs) most if not all weekdays, and plan to be on campus part of the weekend.
I don’t think the money is an issue, they will help you out or give you a job if you need to work off your dues. My sorority was more worried about making each and every meeting and party we had to go to - no “I have to study for an exam, I can’t make the meeting”. In that regard, it depends on your major whether it makes sense to join a frat or social club (and that you plan to commute).
Could you have a talk to your parents about how you will commute and if you will need to pay them rent? Some parents expect their child in college to be home most of the time and don’t get wanting to stay on campus to develop a social life.
ok thanks for your help guys
It’s a choice. If you think a social club is worth your limited money, then join. If you don’t, don’t.
@rhandco i major in engineering, so its probably harder for me now to join one anyways. I commute because of financial reasons only.