<p>I'm an international student and I have a largely negative view of fraternities and sororities. I know you can't really judge Greek Life according to what you see on TV or in the movies but I keep getting this strong sense that 80% of the time frat people drink and party together which is the kind of social scene in which I'd feel a little awkward and uncomfortable. Is the stereotype right or is it just Hollywood hype? Thanks! :)</p>
<p>Hi there! I’m part of a PHC sorority (the equivalent of a social fraternity), and for these social organizations it’s definitely true that everybody gets together and drinks. You’re paying dues in order to organize parties, events, and themes. So yes, I’d say the prevailing stereotype is, for the most part, true. However, keep in mind that whilst many do party, there are exceptions to each rule in each fraternity or sorority house. Additionally, it depends on how big Greek life in your school is. I go to an SEC school where Greek life is prevalent. In conclusion, it’s just like anything else in life, and depends on many things. Generally speaking, however, I’d say that the stereotypes hold true.</p>
<p>I am in a fraternity, and like the poster above me, at an SEC school with a large greek scene</p>
<p>Every social fraternity throws parties on the weekend so yes alcohol plays a large part of greek life. However, there is so much more to being greek than getting hammered 3 nights a week. Fraternities/Sororities provide numerous philanthropic, leadership, and social opportunities that you honestly would be hard pressed to find anywhere else on campus. This allows you the chance to meet all kinds of people that you never would have without being in a fraternity/sorority while being able to gain important experience (that will look good on a resume) from organizing events and leading people.</p>
<p>Drinking does not have to be a part of your greek experience if you do not want it to. Although it is a stereotype for a reason I know plenty of greeks who either rarely drink alcohol or even don’t drink it at all.</p>
<p>My advice to you is rush and see if you fit in anywhere. Usually there is a something for everybody and remember all kinds of people are in each fraternity so you should have no trouble making friends even if you don’t drink alcohol.</p>
<p>You’re going to be hard-pressed to find a frat that does not drink at all. Almost all of them do. Even professional frats will have an occasional party. You don’t have to participate of course and that is completely fine, but if you’re looking for a frat in which no one drinks or parties, you are going to be out of luck.</p>
<p>@Zekelee3</p>
<p>As far the social scene goes when you are in a good fraternity there is going to be parties and socials scheduled every week. There are also other things like philanthropies, community service, and a lot of school related things that fraternities take part in also. </p>
<p>I’m just curious but what country will you be coming from?</p>
<p>Thank you all for the replies. Perhaps I will consider joining a fraternity.</p>
<p>@Spydersix: I’m a Korean from Singapore. :)</p>
<p>It depends on your school but sometimes they even have Asian frats. However they don’t normally have socials or mix at all with the white sororities, they mix with Asian, Hispanic, and black ones, just so you know.</p>
<p>^Forget that you just saw that don’t join any of those stupid weird frats. Rush an NIC fraternity that’s recognized by the school’s IFC. That’s the most important thing you can do!</p>
<p>When you go through rush don’t be afraid to ask questions like:
Do you guys have a house?
Are you on campus/off campus?
How active is your social calendar?
Which sororities do you social with?
How active are you in the Greek community? (that means IM sports, Greek Week, Greek Sing, Homecoming, and holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and Easter)
How strong is your alumni network?
How much are dues?</p>
<p>The most important thing besides making sure you join a NIC fraternity recognized by the IFC is the brotherhood of the fraternity itself. You want to join a fraternity where you fit in with the guys there. </p>
<p>Also when you go through rush. I don’t know if this was just my school but here’s a basic outline of what’s going to happen so basically go to the Greek Involvement Fair. Sign in at every frat that you like (pick more than one at least) which probably means giving them your name, what year are you, and phone number. What is going to happen is they are going to invite you back to their rush events and anytime they are having people over they are going to text you what they’re doing. Make sure you go out to all of these events if you are serious about joining a frat. Also when you are there network your way so that you meet as many of the brothers of that house as you can so you can gauge if you like them are not. Also one of the most important things you can do is attend one of their parties to see what girls they can attract. </p>
<p>For the last rush event it’s going to be formal dinner. They will tell you that it’s a shirt and tie event (make sure you pack a shirt, tie, dress slacks, and formal shoes when you go off to college). </p>
<p>After that if they like you they will give you a bid to join their frat and now you can choose to accept it or not. </p>
<p>You can’t go wrong if you follow what I said above. Study your greek alphabet so you know which houses you’re going to during rush. </p>
<p>Here is a list of the NIC fraternities:
[About</a> NIC | North-American Interfraternity Conference - advocating and assisting the fraternity experience](<a href=“http://www.nicindy.org/about/]About”>About Interfraternity Council (IFC) - NIC | North American Interfraternity Conference)</p>
<p>^I think the normal frats are better as well, but at my school at least, an Asian person would have trouble getting into them.</p>
<p>Yeah funny how that works in the SEC. Greek life up… academics down…</p>
<p>(Yes I know Vandy is a good school)</p>
<p>I don’t think it has anything to do with the quality of the school, just that your typical frats and sororities tend to be mostly white, at least at larger schools.</p>
<p>Asians are also sort of looked down upon at my school so that’s another factor.</p>
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<p>Small world. I’m in an IFC fraternity at UF as well.</p>
<p>It’s going to depend which fraternity you join. At SEC schools and many others you’ll generally find the “top” fraternities fit the stereotype of partying and hazing pretty well, while others to a lesser extent.</p>
<p>Don’t waste time studying the greek alphabet until after rush is over and you have decided to pledge somewhere. Also, do some research and make sure you are ready for a successful rush (this includes asking proper questions, having the right clothes, etc.)</p>
<p>Being a minority won’t really hurt you with most fraternities and if it does you don’t want to be with those low lifes anyways</p>
<p>Well, if you want to just have a normal boring life in college, you don’t need to enter a fraternity since if you join one, it will initially start your party life. You won’t be able to find a fraternity that doesn’t include drinking and partying otherwise no one will join.</p>
<p>You don’t necessarily have to learn the Greek alphabet but at my school that has 40+ frats it will just be easier that way because the map shows the letters not the actual address of the frats (and the letters are the first thing you’re going to see walking up to the houses). </p>
<p>-So learn the Greek alphabet
-Do research as stated on the Greek website of the school
-Don’t ask questions that can be answered on the Greek website (some of the questions stated above are great ones)
-look presentable during rush (don’t dress like an idiot with baggy cargo shorts and flat brim hats and such but dress like the guys that are interviewing you)
-Get the scoop on what frats to stay away from on that campus such as here it would be Sammy, Aepi, ZBT, TKE, and sometimes SigEp (balanced man chapters).
-At SEC schools I heard you need letters of recommendation
-take a light course load during the semester you’re going to rush</p>
<p>That’s pretty much all. Frats don’t discriminate by race and if they do they’re the ones you want to ignore. As long as you have the qualities that they want usually well rounded, social, athletic, and smart then you shouldn’t have a problem.</p>
<p>I don’t want my posts to make it seem like most frats discriminate by race because most don’t. The reason Asians can’t really get into frats/sororities here has to do with how they are viewed at my own school, and I don’t think that’s how it is at all schools. You’ll probably be fine.</p>
<p>I’m in an IFC fraternity at UC Berkeley.</p>
<p>Yes, fraternities do party, and to be honest, there’s always alcohol (which parties don’t?). Yet, like the above posters said, there’s also a bunch of other stuff we do.</p>
<p>In terms of race: it shouldn’t be an issue, but I personally find that there’s still a strong correlation between race and Greek involvement. I think this is mostly due to the fact that people of different races tend to have different cultures, and when you’re talking about a brotherly bond, sometimes, what can be accepted as a cultural differences in most situations will pose serious issues.</p>
<p>I go to a very diverse campus, so there’s good representation of most races in the fraternities and sororities. However, one thing I’ve noticed about chapters on other campuses is that the limited racial representation is quite visible!</p>
<p>there are 2 fraternities on my campus that will flat out not bid you if you are a minority.</p>
<p>That’s because you go to UK which is a bottom tier SEC school and a bottom tier school overall. They bring in mostly in state kids and kids from surrounding areas who couldn’t get in their respective state schools.</p>
<p>I am not going to pretend like UK is some great school but calling it “bottom tier” is laughable and pretty damn ignorant. The school is easily the best in the state when you account for education, campus environment, name recognition, and networking opportunities. UK is also a tier 1 university and far better than the majority of universities out there. Once you get out of the Ivy League and a few other top programs it really doesn’t matter what school you go to as long as its in the top 250 or so.</p>
<p>You are wrong again on why some fraternities are racist. Its not because UK is “bottom tier” but because its in the south. The same problems are WORSE at the other SEC schools (all of which offer a good education) besides maybe Florida and Vanderbilt. You will probably find the same problems in old north eastern universities as well when it comes to joining a fraternity.</p>
<p>Sorry to burst your bubble</p>