Help choosing a fraternity

[Clonefan32]

.... And that is why frats are made fun of on this board by people.

Gotta agree with you here, even though I was in the Greek system at Simpson just as the poster you criticized was. The "men" "gentlemen" stuff was almost enough to turn me away from fraternities in general, save the one I eventually ended up joining. My advice would be if you sense the slightest bit of "phoniness" to run in the other direction. Fraternities get good at putting on a show, they spend weeks leading up to recruitment rehearsing that show. Alot of that show is talking up honor, dignitiy, gentlemen, and whatever else the natinoal chapter wants them to throw at you. Don't buy it. In my experience, as soon as they start with the "brotherhood, gentlemen, honor" crap it is a guise for the fact that everyone in the house hates each other.

At the end of the day a fraternity is nothing more than a bunch of guys you'll spend time hanging out with and a great chance to network for your future. In my experience at Simpson, it was nothing more than a glorified dorm structure with less rules. The thing I keep with me though is that every year you can come back to the fraternity for homecoming or some other event and see your friends. This is something you just don't get living in the dorms, as if ISU is anything like Simpson they aren't having Friley Hall, Floor 3, 2001 reunions in the halls.

 

[aeroclone]

Are you implying that there is no such men in fraternities? I don't know the ISU Greek system. I can't be sure there are for sure good men in the fraternities. But something tells me that you live with the same predetermined mindset of all fraternities and their members that most people do.

I also stated above that I come from a private college whose atmosphere tends to be a bit different from that of a University. And also, where the Greek system is doing great things. I am completely ignorant to ISU's Greek system, and therefore tried to answer the OP's question to the best of my knowledge. If there is absolutely no good group of men in any of the fraternities, then don't join. If I misinterpreted your statement, I'm sorry.

Looking for some top men? I have just the place!

 

[VTXCyRyD]

Did anyone suggest Lamda Lamda Lamda?

 

[drmwevr08]

I was surprised to see the only frat that would have me discussed here. It is likely a much different equation at many schools but particularly ISU v. a small college like Simpson. I went through rush just to see what it was all about. As it turned out, with only 4 options, only one would take my goofy 18 year old self, and that particular one was a bit too goofy for me. I was happy to stay GDI and think it all worked out fine. At the time I would have been happy to badmouth the system too cause, hey, its fun to trash others! As long as youd secure with who you are and who you want to be, it will all work out IMO. I did tend to see a bit more exclusivity in the frats than I was comfy with, though.

 

[Ltrainer]

Did anyone suggest Lamda Lamda Lamda?

LOL! I concur!

 

[jsmith86]

.... And that is why frats are made fun of on this board by people.

You mean their habit of calling anyone who isn't in a frat a GDI isn't enough?

 

[Ltrainer]

Gotta agree with you here, even though I was in the Greek system at Simpson just as the poster you criticized was. The "men" "gentlemen" stuff was almost enough to turn me away from fraternities in general, save the one I eventually ended up joining. My advice would be if you sense the slightest bit of "phoniness" to run in the other direction. Fraternities get good at putting on a show, they spend weeks leading up to recruitment rehearsing that show. Alot of that show is talking up honor, dignitiy, gentlemen, and whatever else the natinoal chapter wants them to throw at you. Don't buy it. In my experience, as soon as they start with the "brotherhood, gentlemen, honor" crap it is a guise for the fact that everyone in the house hates each other.

At the end of the day a fraternity is nothing more than a bunch of guys you'll spend time hanging out with and a great chance to network for your future. In my experience at Simpson, it was nothing more than a glorified dorm structure with less rules. The thing I keep with me though is that every year you can come back to the fraternity for homecoming or some other event and see your friends. This is something you just don't get living in the dorms, as if ISU is anything like Simpson they aren't having Friley Hall, Floor 3, 2001 reunions in the halls.

Good input, and I can agree with a lot of it. I think at the end of the day, most of it comes down to personal experience. And, I failed to mention that. Everyone has different experiences and opinions on those experiences for almost anything in life. I have to agree that the consistency in housing is very nice. And the phoniness point is a really good one. During rush you really have to ask yourself if you honestly think that the house you are at will be like that for the majority of the year. I really do feel a good atmosphere in my house, and felt that this house had the most authentic people in it. But that, again, is a personal experience that I have. Whereas, had I joined the same house 3 years ago, I think my experience would have probably been A LOT DIFFERENT. I think that the OP made the mistake of asking everyone's opinion, when they failed to form their own.

With everything having been said by all other posters on this thread, perhaps throw all the advice you have gotten out the window and base your decision on your own personal experience. Either way, you will make friends, you will have the opportunity to party, and both decisions will have good and bad about them.

 

[Ltrainer]

You mean their habit of calling anyone who isn't in a frat a GDI isn't enough?

I actually just had to look up GDI. :S never heard it before.

 

[iahawkhunter]

You mean their habit of calling anyone who isn't in a frat a GDI isn't enough?

I had a HS teacher who once told the class, "You shouldn't call a fraternity a frat because you can't call a country a ****."

FTR, I was active with my fraternity in undergrad, and the only times I noticed the term "GDI" was in reference to moochers (usually girlfriends that would magically appear for study treats during finals week despite never being around other times).

 

[Ltrainer]

I had a HS teacher who once told the class, "You shouldn't call a fraternity a frat because you can't call a country a ****."

FTR, I was active with my fraternity in undergrad, and the only times I noticed the term "GDI" was in reference to moochers (usually girlfriends that would magically appear for study treats during finals week despite never being around other times).

Funny, that saying is still pretty common around Simpson.

 

[Bubbahotep]

I lived the life of both a GDI and a greek. Both were great, and since I graduated almost 20 years ago, I have good friends from both that I keep in touch with. It's all about the experience you choose to have, go in with a bad attitude, and you will never see the positive. And if you can't go greek, go TKE!