<p>Can anyone offer some recommendations for laid-back, non-arrogant fraternities?</p>
<p>Your son should spend the three open house nights (during the upcoming rush)traveling from fraternity to fraternity with an open mind. The fraternities really show their personalities during the rush events. My S did not intend on joining one but decided to participate in the rush events just to be able to say he “did it” and is now a member of one that suited his personality.</p>
<p>Mamalumper~ Well said! My son is member of a fraternity that suits him perfectly, he has found brotherhood in the true sense of the word.
Charli~Pm me if you need more info</p>
<p>My son asked me if I knew any fraternities he should make an effort to see. The last thing I wanted to do was to give him advice based upon what houses were like 30 years ago when I attended, so I kept my mouth shut.</p>
<p>I did tell him to make sure he eats breakfast at Sarge’s (smile).</p>
<p>If he does not already have a couple of particular fraternities on his radar (ones he has been hanging out at throughout first semester) the best advice is to visit as many houses as possible during open houses. Fraternity rush at UVa seems to be a process of mutual selection, but unless you visit houses for yourself (and not rely on reputation) you can’t know the brothers and they can’t get to know you. Many houses seem to be similar, and many are vastly different from one another</p>
<p>It was explained to me that rush runs south of Beta Bridge for the first night and north of Beta Bridge on the second night. The personalities of most of the houses on the south side are very different from the north side, and a student should not be turned off after only the first night.</p>
<p>^^ What happens when frats move ? Which happens…</p>
<p>“Most” is probably an overgeneralization. “Many” is probably fairer.</p>
<p>I would agree with what most have already said: tell your son to go into rush with an open mind, relax, and simply be himself. The good news is that the recruitment process for boys is MUCH more relaxed and low-key than it is for girls. (Sorority recruitment can be very intense.) Most of the boys really enjoy the whole rush experience. On the other hand, the pledgeship for the girls is the more “fun” part (presents, parties, cute get-to-know-you activities, etc.) whereas the pledgeship for the boys can be pretty intense for some fraternities. Good luck!</p>
<p>I was just remembering what rush was like 30 years ago. The drinking age for beer in Va. was 18, and it was all the free beer you could drink. It was out of control. A few houses were trying to imitate the new movie Animal House.</p>
<p>At that time, the neighborhood association made the city police crack down on noise from the fraternity parties. During a band party, we saw a cop out front with a noise meter. The president of the House and I closed every window in the house as quickly as we could to contain the sound. We looked out and saw the cop give us a thumbs up - we had just barely passed the noise limit. Our president then went out and invited the cop to come back to the party after his shift was over. Most of my fraternity brothers are now successful medical doctors.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the Tavern closed last month.</p>
<p>[C-Ville:</a> Development - The Tavern closes; building’s fate to be determined](<a href=“http://www.c-ville.com/Article/Development/The_Tavern_closes_buildings_fate_to_be_determined/]C-Ville:”>http://www.c-ville.com/Article/Development/The_Tavern_closes_buildings_fate_to_be_determined/)</p>
<p>Actually, that was supposed to be the joke. I was kidding about what it would be like if I tried telling my son to do everything I did 30 years ago, including considering the same fraternities and going to Sarge’s. Sarge’s once tapped a keg for us at 7 AM.</p>
<p>I was a UVA premed way back when, and in a house. I don’t remember any houses where most brothers were interested in medicine.</p>
<p>Can anyone explain how the 2nd/3rd/4th invites work for UVA fraternity rush? My son has 9 or 10 second invites, 1 or 2 for sure he’s not interested in. 3 or 4 he’s interested in and the rest not sure yet. I’m assuming he needs to prioritize his time by going only to those houses he’s really interested in or at least wants to see more of. Do 3rd invites work the same way? Do most guys get a bid or are there lots of them who are just left bid-less? My husband and I were both Greek at different schools but this process is a bit different from what we experienced “back in the day”.</p>
<p>If there is a current student reading, please weigh in, but as I understand it, fraternity rush is in the “first invite” stage, which goes for three nights. Most houses have a couple events each night to allow rushees the opportunity to go back to multiple houses. With a number of first invites, your son can probably cut those houses he is absolutely sure is not interested in, since it would be hard if not impossible to get back to 9 houses over the three nights. If there are a couple houses he is REALLY interested in, he might try to get back to them more than once to show his serious interest. </p>
<p>Each round the fraternities will reduce the numbers invited back, and by third round they may be down to 2 to 3 times the number they are hoping to pledge. Thirty is considered a huge pledge class; most are around 20; and some houses aim for even smaller classes.</p>
<p>A small number of guys end up with more than one bid at the end of the process each year, but a fairly large number end up not getting a bid. Most of those probably know that is coming before the end, as they haven’t received any third invites</p>
<p>All in all, though, the process is much more “mutual selection” than sorority “recruitment,” since the guys choose which houses to go to in the first place.</p>
<p>Hope things work out for your son they way he wants them to.</p>
<p>UVaDad: the fraternity I was in was half-Jewish and always had the top average GPA. However, we were horrible at intramural sports. Jewish guys couldn’t jump.</p>
<p>Stressmama~I would suggest he dedicates his time on the houses he likes.It is kind of like colleges safety, target, reach. Be aware than, an invite is not a bid, last year a lot of kids ended with no bids in the end. UVa has so many kids coming out that a good number are left behind. It is not a fun process.</p>
<p>Yes, it makes sense to not narrow down your choices too soon, because a student may not get a bid to pledge their first choice house. </p>
<p>It that really true that there are many students who are left with no bid from a fraternity? I was under the impression that many fraternities were having trouble getting enough members. Part of the problem is that many houses are not in good condition, and some people would prefer not to live in them. Also, the rules have reduced some of social attractiveness of fraternities.</p>
<p>I hear second-hand that it is much more competitive to become a member of a sorority than a fraternity.</p>
<p>From information I have heard, 2education’s analogy to the college admissions process is apt. There are fraternities that could fill their houses several times over, and there are those who have trouble getting the number of pledges needed to remain financially viable. </p>
<p>Since the rushees choose where they go during the Open House rounds, the houses in the latter category have trouble getting rushees to give them a look. If guys don’t come through, they can’t invite them back, much less give them a bid. </p>
<p>Most houses are only looking for about 20 pledges a year – so with 28 IFC chapters, that’s around 560 pledge slots a year. I haven’t seen anything about this year’s numbers, but in the recent past there have been around 800 who have registered for IFC rush. </p>
<p>Sorority recruitment is competitive, but in a slightly different way. First the process is much more regimented by ISC, which appears to follow the national Panhellenic “recruitment” rules – which dictate things like how many recruits can be invited to each round. Also, since all girls are required to attend open house at each house, they are all technically in competition for each sorority. For the guys, the number “competing” for a bid are only the others who came by for Open House, which reduces the initial pool, somewhat.</p>
<p>Hey, Im a 1st year and I am currently rushing! lol
So you get first invites, which is a big group
then second which is a little smaller
and finally third which is really small.
Then bid, some frats let you go back to your dorm and decide, and others make you pick on the spot. It just depends. Take it from me, every frat is totally different. My definition of “cool” may not be someone elses definition of “cool”. Have any questions let me know!</p>