<p>I am going to be a senior in high school, but when I off to college I really want to join a frat. From what I hear pledging can take up a lot of time and I also want to partake in research. Will pledging and being a member of a frat interfere with being able partake in research oppurtunities?</p>
<p>Being in Greek Life is a huge time commitment. The rushing process is just as time consuming. Yes, it will take away from your studies and consequently, your research.</p>
<p>My son is a member of a fraternity – they were told that the semester they pledge, the time commitment is the equivalent of a 3-4 credit course. After that semester, the time commitment depends on your choices – there will be weekly chapter meetings, but that is probably only 1-2 hours a week(I am guessing). Beyond that, it depends on how involved you want to be, in philanthropies, committee work and weekend partying. Certainly, my son’s pledge brothers and friends are active academically and within the fraternity – they are engineering, pre-med, pre-law etc. Undergrad research can be done, but probably not the semester you pledge. </p>
<p>I have a friend now completing a PhD who found his undergrad research job because of connections made at his fraternity. Pledging is pretty time consuming, though, so you might want to be cautious of putting too much on your plate all at once.</p>
<p>Okay also I hear there are different types of fraternities. Are there any that have a solid amount of partying but also do other things that make your resume look good like volunteering and keeping a pretty good gpa</p>
<p>Generally you pledge early on in your college career, but don’t do research until a bit later. You should be fine.</p>