<p>There are additional expenses during the first semester. On many campuses, it is actually cheaper to live in a house and eat under there meal plan. One friend saved $2,000 from what he would hav paid if he was on the campus meal plan in a dorm, so expenses can vary. Many also find that by joining Greek life that it is easier to join things on campus. For instance, you automatically have an intramural team, tailgate parties, homecoming festivities, etc. Also, pledges on most campuses are required to attend study tables so GPA can actually be higher. It also helps to have a house full of people that can recommend classes, profs, share old tests, etc.</p>
<p>I was in a fraternity (we never called it a frat) at U of Michigan in the early to mid 70s. 10-11 of us that graduated together are still in frequent contact (thanks to email) and have reunions every 10 years. </p>
<p>Our fraternity has changed dramatically - the brothers think of themselves as tenants, not members. Physically, the house has seen better days, compared to the condition of 40 years ago. The house is an architectural gem, designed by a renowned Detroit architect who designed many of the houses on campus. The living styles of members has changed dramatically. Pre-internet, we all watched tv and listened to music together. That does not happen now.</p>
<p>Rush is crucial to get a handle on the âvibeâ of the house. Is it a fraternity of members or a rooming house of disconnected tenants?</p>
<p>My D goes to UT and is in a sorority. JC40 is correct that the dues are very expensive thereâŚeven the sorority dues are around $3000.00 for the yearâŚhowever, D will be living in the house next year and it is saving us about $3000.00 over what we paid for her private dorm this year. We have been thrilled with her experience and so has she. With that being said, it is not for everyone. I would have him check it out though since there are 40 IFC fraternities at Cornell. Most likely he would find a group that he likesâŚit is a LIFELONG bond and an instant âgroupâ to belong toâŚgood luck!</p>
<p>Watch âAnimal House.â Seriously. Maybe add in âRevenge of the Nerds.â Northeast fraternity experience is more like these movies (without the extremes) and will not have much in common with the big schools in the south. Like the Deltas and the Omegas, each fraternity will have a distinct and identifiable personality.</p>
<p>One will be full of football players. Another will have the crew team. A couple will be mostly rich white kids from NYC and Long Island. At least one will be EE and CS majors more likely to be discussing their physics homework on Saturday nights (Acacia 25 years ago). Cost for most will be similar to dorms and a meal plan.</p>
<p>The self-selection that goes on in the fraternity system is pretty accurate. Your son will have to show an interest in joining, and the brothers will have to want him there. Kids sometimes make a mistake in the decision, but it usually straighens itself out during the pledge period.</p>
<p>The best part of the system is that the connections and friendships will be automatic and will last a lifetime. The worst part is the constant distraction available if he has trouble dedicating himself to his work.</p>
<p>So seriously, what does a fraternity spend $1500 or $3K or $5K - $10K per person in dues on? Because Iâm thinking partiesâŚ</p>
<p>Some of the money is on parties (themes, formals, t-shirts for every fundraiser, event, pictures, etc). That amount sems very high, though. First year you also have initiation fees, badge,etc. Sororities are NOT generally spending their money on parties, since most Pan-hel groups donât allow dues/fees to be paid for alcohol and most houses are dry.</p>
<p>Other expenses include the chapterâs national dues, or the purchase, repair, and mantenance of house furnishings. Sonâs fraternity just had to buy 6 (yes, 6!) new couches.</p>
<p>My daughter´s sorority dues at Cornell per semester was $650-month. We didn´t spend any more than that. All of her sorority functions were cover by her dues. When D1 lived at her sorority (they were required sophomore year), her total costs (dues, room and board) were actually lower than when she lived on campus. Most frats will allow their members to live at the house all 3 years, and many of them do because it is cheaper than living on campus or off campus.</p>
<p>As others have mentioned, Cornell has close to 40 houses, so there is a house to fit every type. Fraternity rush is not as intense as sorority rush because there are just more of them. Freshman fall semester is when frats start actively recruiting their members. They have specials events where they invite freshman guys to attend. They have after parties to get to know new guys. By the time rush week comes around, most guys know where they are going to pledge.</p>
<p>It´s different for women. Sororities are not allowed to recruit in the fall, it all happens during the rush week. It is a very set schedule. There are only 10-12 sororities, so sometimes people don´t get into their top choice. My daughter´s sorority never hazed. Spring semester is a lot of fun for those new babies. They get a lot of gifts from their older sisters, and they go to mixers. I think it is more difficult for guys. They do more crazy things, and a lot of them try to take easier courses spring semester to cope with pledging.</p>
<p>Oh grow up magnetron. Animal House is a movie, not a documentary.</p>
<p>Sorry, my bad, what I meant to say in post #28, she had to pay $650/semester, not per month.</p>
<p>I am still getting over the shock of that a movie is not a documentary. Who knew!
Pizzagirl got ways with words.</p>
<p>Wow, oldfort! $650 a semester?! Was this recent? Is it a national sorority? I have never heard of dues that low. Are all of Cornellâs sororityâs that low?</p>
<p>Thanks oldfort. Do you happen to know if the fraternities are in the same cost range?</p>
<p>Magnetron, Pizzagirl: Iâve seen both movies. Thatâs why I posted :)</p>
<p>I just double checked D1´s bill, 550 for Social, 335 for food (she is allowed to eat there sometimes). This is for a sorority, and it is a national sorority, and they don´t buy alcohol or throw parties for students in general. Fraternity Social is probably higher.</p>
<p>Since I work for a national sorority, I think I can offer an explanation of $650 per semester. Those are duesânot room and board. If a member lives in the chapter house, he or she will also pay room and board. Typically, the dues are allocated for social events, non-resident use of the house (perhaps a meal a week for those who donât live in), local Panhellenic dues, national scholarship fees, technology fees, insurance, chapter supplies, etc.</p>
<p>When we open a new chapter as we will at VCU, Louisville, NYU and Vanderbilt next year, we provide each prospective new member with a detailed list of all expenses. Depending on the quality of the Greek Life office, every campus should have this information for every fraternity or sorority.</p>
<p>Cornellâs IFC maintains a website with lots of great information, including details of the 4/20/2011 anti-hazing resolution and penalties (under the ânewsâ tab).</p>
<p>OPâI was surprised when my son joined a frat this year (he sounds like your son). Especially since one of the reasons he chose Brown over Dartmouth was the âless frattyâ culture. However, once at school, he decided that he really liked the guys in his house and would be guaranteed great housing (and avoid the housing lottery). His dues are something like $600 a semester. His frat is known for lots of community service and I know they play lots of video games (at least he does). I think our Animal House notion of frats does not necessarily fit every situation. Your son may or may not decide to join once he gets there. A lot may depend on what his friends decide to do.</p>
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<p>I would agree with avoiding Greekchat. I think it can be useful for prospective new members about to undergo a Southern rush, but otherwise I feel that it can be mean-spirited and leave the wrong impression of Greek life.</p>
<p>I never belonged, but had a lot of friends who did at U Michigan, where I got the sense that there were some âeliteâ frats that were pretty snooty, a pre-med frat, a Jewish frat, etc. I never saw the intense polarization of Geek vs. Greek there, except for non-Greeks being annoyed at the parties and fundraisers and stuff that seemed to be a big part of Greek life back then. I got the impression that getting access to sororities was a big part of the appeal, but I have no first hand knowledge, and probably everything works differently now in the Facebook era.</p>
<p>Wow, there are a lot of misconceptions about fraternities out there and many have been documented in this thread. Watch âAnimal Houseâ as though it was a documentary, PLEASE!!!</p>
<p>As I said in my previous post, the fraternity (never call it a âfratâ) was self sufficient. In that way, we were much cheaper than the dorms or even having your own apartment. In addition, when you cooked (and some other jobs) you got paid. Not a lot of money, but gave me some spending money for the week. We had a desk in the kitchen so I would bring my books down and study there between tasks in the kitchen. </p>
<p>We had our share of parties, but they werenât all the time. After all, having members get tossed out of school only decreased the number of people footing the bill in the fraternity. So it was kind of the opposite of what you might think. If a brother got into trouble with his grades, the other brothers would try and tutor that person. Some did wash out, but they had to work at it (meaning there were other issues there). </p>
<p>Many brothers keep âbiblesâ on the classes they had taken; collections of their class notes, homework sets, quizes and tests. Most profs were aware that this was going on and changed their quizes and tests every year. But those bibles were still great study guides for the brothers taking the same class the following year. Kids from the dorms would come over to our house to study and take advantage of those bibles. Other houses did the same kind of thing. </p>
<p>So, it really does vary greatly by college, even for houses that are part of a national fraternity (as most are). Go check it out. It canât hurt and you may miss something great if you donât.</p>
<p>OP, my son sounds a lot like yours in many ways. He was strongly opposed to the idea of fraternities, to the extent of being turned off by Cornell because he saw some when we were driving around, and completely rejecting Princeton because of th eating clubs.</p>
<p>He ended up going to Dartmouth, and joining a fraternity. He said that a number of his friends who joined this house were people whom he thought would never have joined a fraternity. </p>
<p>He has held various house offices, and it has been, in my estimation, an opportunity for personal growth for him. </p>
<p>So you never know. I would approach it with an open mind.</p>
<p>BTW, I have no idea how much it costs. The cost of being a fraternity member and living in the house are part of the COA covered by financial aid.</p>