<p>what are the pros and cons of each? all the research i've seen makes greek life seem really great, but i'm a bit weary of it. I guess it stems from the whole if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is mentality i was raised with. anywho. lemme know what you think...</p>
<p>Where are you going to school? There are gigantic differences in the experience depending on where you are (and what kind of group you join).</p>
<p>Don't join a frat if you're not a tool. If you are, have fun. Also, about 90% of frats ruin grades unless you're in one of those engineering frats that basically make it a nerd club.</p>
<p>University of Oklahoma and im a girl lol</p>
<p>My suitemate's in a frat. I'm not. Apparently his bar tabs are huge. My bar tabs=0. I spend my money on better things than overpriced drinks.</p>
<p>My grades are also apparently better. And I see him get wasted like a good once a week.</p>
<p>Although it's likely I'll develop a drinking habit in law school.</p>
<p>Bottom line, my conclusion is along the lines of nickkov88. I'm not into the whole brotherhood thing.</p>
<p>I didn't go Greek. I never had any interest in it. I enjoyed living in the dorms, meeting new people, encountering new ideas, and all of that.</p>
<p>I did have a Greek roommate my first semester -- I had a different roommate in the second semester because the first one flunked out. And of course there are regular hazing/alcohol/drug death stories about fraternities.</p>
<p>So I'd say, if you do choose to pledge a fraternity, be careful not to get too caught up in the excesses of that sort of life. There are fine people who've been in fraternities and sororities, and there certainly are a lot of people who enjoy it. If you choose to pledge, I hope that you have a great experience and are surrounded by great people. On the other hand, it's not worth risking your grades, your safety, your self-respect or your life over, and some pledges are asked to do those things. If you find yourself being asked to risk those things, I hope you'll walk away.</p>
<p>From the University of Oklahoma Panhel Scholarship webpage StudentLife.ou.edu</a> - Panhellenic Scholarship</p>
<p>OU Panhellenic sororities recognize the importance of scholarship. Many chapters have study hall hours to assist with time management. Tutors are available to guide students in their individual coursework. Academic achievement is promoted by national sororities, individual chapters and the Panhellenic Association through distribution of thousands of dollars in scholarships awarded annually. </p>
<p>Each semester the academic performance of every sorority is tabulated to determine an all-sorority grade-point average. The spring 2006 semester grade-point average was 3.29 and 3.24 for the fall 2006 semester. Since Spring 2004, the average all-sorority grade-point average has been above 3.2. This number has been consistently higher than the undergraduate all-women grade-point average. The OU Panhellenic Association has been recognized by the National Panhellenic Conference for its outstanding scholarship programming and performance. </p>
<p>The Panhellenic Association does not require a specific grade-point average to participate in Formal Recruitment. However, each sorority has a minimum grade requirement to be considered for membership and initiation. The average grade requirement for a freshman to join is around 3.2 and the average requirement for an upper class student is approximately 3.0. It is important to understand that if your grade-point average is much lower than the average chapter requirement, your opportunities of joining decrease.</p>
<p>Counter to what everyone else is saying - Greek life is the best decision I've ever made. Really the only thing I can say was a "con" was occasionally having to put up with the random BS that occurs in any group of 90 guys - there are some people you won't necessarily get along with and so on. But I'd still do a lot to help those guys out.</p>
<p>OU is a great Greek Community - we took a road trip there my senior year and had a great time. The one drawback that exists for most sorority girls is the cost - while living in the house is usually cheaper than the dorms, you aren't able to live in your freshman year so you have to pay University housing costs plus membership dues on top of that. </p>
<p>But other than that, only positives - you'll be at a big school, but have a smaller community to focus on, you'll have girls that are interested in how and what you're doing, you'll make great friends, there are lots of mentoring possibilities, more parties, better grades, plenty of opportunities to improve your leadership skills, chances to do good for the community and so on. I commend you on looking into it, and certainly respect your skepticism, but I think you'll find that if it's for you, it'll be the greatest thing you could have done to enhance your college experience.</p>
<p>Oh, and one other con...</p>
<p>Having to deal with people like those that have posted in this thread talking about something they have no idea what it is like.</p>
<p>Personally, I didn't rush. It's not my thing, and I so could not afford it. But I know plenty of lovely (and some not-so-lovely) girls in sororities. You're going to have to deal with....whether you're Greek or not. There are always going to be stereotypes of Greeks and of non-Greeks, but don't let those shape how you view Greek life. But don't think that you HAVE to rush. If you want to, and it's the kind of thing you're into, great. Have fun. But if it's not, don't be pressured into it by people. It can be a wonderful thing for some people, and there's no reason why, if YOU want to do it, that you shouldn't rush. </p>
<p>Also, often times, sororities have higher GPAs than independents because of the required study hours they have to do. So don't think you'll flunk out from all the partying if you join either; low grades happen, but if you're required to do 5 study hours a week, you're probably going to get SOMETHING done.</p>
<p>I recommend going Greek. Going Greek on a large campus( such as OU for instance) will really help you feel involved on campus as well as enhance your whole college experience! Also don't believe the stereotypes!Granted there are a few bad apples but that's not what it's about!</p>
<p>I'm not sure what the female equivalent of the elephant walk is, but it's probably way messed up.</p>
<p>Does anyone know anyone who actually hated being in a frat/sorority after joining one? Everyone who joins them says they love being in them, and everyone who didn't join because they assumed it would suck keep saying exactly that, that they suck.</p>
<p>I've heard all the stories of stereotypical frats or sororities, the excessive drinking, scary hazing, flimsy personalities, and I don't doubt some of that is true...BUT I have a friend who recently pledged at the school she attends and she is neither flimsy, a bully or an excessive drinker. She is kind, smart, and talented. If you do want to go Greek, find a sorority that you find fits you---don't necessarily go for the glamor and the fun, but more the integrity and the fun.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Each semester the academic performance of every sorority is tabulated to determine an all-sorority grade-point average. The spring 2006 semester grade-point average was 3.29 and 3.24 for the fall 2006 semester. Since Spring 2004, the average all-sorority grade-point average has been above 3.2. This number has been consistently higher than the undergraduate all-women grade-point average. The OU Panhellenic Association has been recognized by the National Panhellenic Conference for its outstanding scholarship programming and performance.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Not saying this is necessarily happening at your school, but I know at my undergrad location some of the fraternities/sororities were known to have massive homework databases for all classes offered by the school. I've known a person or two that never had to do homework, since all the problems had been recycled from previous years and they'd just copy answers out of old sets. Also had tons of former tests, which helped them a lot when studying.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Don't join a frat if you're not a tool. If you are, have fun. Also, about 90% of frats ruin grades unless you're in one of those engineering frats that basically make it a nerd club.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I still have never heard somebody in a fraternity say they wish they hadn't joined one. It is a great experience and the only people that have negative things to say about it are the people that didn't get into them. Sorry, try again in the spring.</p>
<p>"Also, about 90% of frats ruin grades unless you're in one of those engineering frats that basically make it a nerd club."</p>
<p>^ I swear to God this guy pulled that percentage out of his butt.</p>
<p>Link pls? lmao</p>
<p>"Does anyone know anyone who actually hated being in a frat/sorority after joining one?"</p>
<p>I've known many people, male and female, who decided that it wasn't worth their time, and so they quit.</p>
<p>But OP, right now, you don't have to decide whether to join a sorority. You only have to decide whether to rush. You can rush and not join; you can join and then quit. At a school like OU where the system is huge, I think you don't have much to lose by checking it out. There will probably be a rush fee, and it will be hot, but you'll get a chance to meet all the chapters and make an informed choice about whether it's right for you.</p>
<p>If you can afford it (it is expensive) just make sure you're joining the right one. Greeks aren't full of the scum of the earth that will ruin you, but neither are they paragons of intellectual and social harmony. You will have to dedicate a lot of time to whatever you join, just make sure you're joining an organization with people who have similar ideals as you so it's worth the sacrifice.</p>