If you want to know about my Fraternity Recruitment experience so far...

[Izulde]

Visit the Dynasty Forums.

[ThunderingHERD]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Visit the Dynasty Forums.

Can you repost here? It's a bad neighborhood over there--I don't feel safe.

[Izulde]

I missed the informational meeting last night because I had class, so I go to the recruitment event tonight, not sure what to expect.

The first thing that happens is I get paired up with this one guy and we spent about half an hour going around picking up garbage. That was interesting and I figured it played into the whole philanthropy bit.

After we all hand in our garbage bags, we get split up into groups for touring of four houses. There's eight houses on campus, so four tonight and four tomorrow night. I got into an argument with this real dumbass who said Rice was the Broncos' shittiest receiver and that's why he's retired. Said dumbass also said all the NFL teams pretty much run the same system.

But then that debate dies out and we start touring the houses.

The first fraternity we visited was Lambda Chi Alpha, which I hated instantly because they don't have a frat house. Sorry, but to me, having a frat house to go hang out and/or live in is part of the frat experience. So no go, even though the guys seemed pretty cool.

Next up was Sigma Chi. Not the most beautiful house on campus, but it had its charming aspects and more importantly, I hit off with the guys right away and just had this ebb and flow of conversation going on. It really amused me that I was sitting on a couch, and on the couches around me was a good portion of the chapter all hanging on to everything I was saying and asking me questions. Just a really great feeling and a totally cool bunch of guys. I noticed quite a few girls there, and surmised to myself that sorority chicks must be part of the fraternity recruitment process and these girls were sizzling.

Then we went next door to Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Gorgeous house, slick video presentation, but something left me cold. These guys totally came across as complete assholes who think they're hot shit. Yeah the girls were hot here too, but a lot of them were real frigid and distant, not like the girls that were hanging out at Sigma Chi. Overall I got the impression that these guys are total pricks and full of themselves, so I dropped that one right away from my list.

Pi Kappa Alpha, the last stop for the night. Beautiful, beautiful house and the guy who gave me the tour was a really awesome dude. So I'm feeling good about this house. They're selective, have a great house, and have qualities that they look for in pledges that I have. I'm thinking they're going to be even better than Sigma Chi. I went out back and played sand volleyball for quite a while and got mad props for my play. Then the poker game started up and I dashed back to my dorm real quick for some dough.

I get back there and I'm all set for a night of fun, conversation, and poker playing, but then I get iced out and ignored. Only my tour guide was cool to me and talked to me at all, so I thought fuck this shit, dropped the Pikes from consideration, and went back to the Sigma Chi house.

An hour and a half later, I'm back in my dorm after having great conversation and rapport with some more of the Sigma Chi guys, some who I'd talked to in the earlier 20 minute session, others whom I hadn't had a chance to meet before. It also turns out that one of the guys's gf is in my Lit Survey III class, so we chatted a while too and I gave her a tip on how to avoid having to do a ton of reading for Friday, which she'll take. See, she's part of Delta Delta Delta, and last weekend was sorority rush weekend, so she was really busy with that and didn't have time to do a lot of the reading that we had to do for the class. We hit off really too. And no, I'm not going to steal a potential brother's gf even if she is hot and a cool chica.

So right now, it's seriously looking like Sigma Chi is my #1 choice. I especially like that every Sigma Chi member who gets higher than a 3.0 gets a scholarship and I need all the funding money I can get. Just an awesome, awesome bunch of guys overall though.

So tomorrow night are the other four houses on campus: Alpha Gamma Rho, Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Nu, and Sigma Phi Epsilon.

[GreenMonster]

What school do you goto.. ?

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by GreenMonster

What school do you goto.. ?

University of Wyoming.

[ThunderingHERD]

My translation:

Originally Posted by Izulde

I missed the informational meeting last night because I had class, so I go to the recruitment event tonight, not sure what to expect.

The first thing that happens is I get paired up with this one guy and we spent about half an hour going around picking up garbage. That was interesting and I figured it played into the whole philanthropy bit.

After we all hand in our garbage bags, we get split up into groups for touring of four houses. There's eight houses on campus, so four tonight and four tomorrow night. I got into an argument with this real dumbass who said Rice was the Broncos' shittiest receiver and that's why he's retired. Said dumbass also said all the NFL teams pretty much run the same system.

But then that debate dies out and we start touring the houses.

The first fraternity we visited was Lambda Chi Alpha, which I hated instantly because they don't have a frat house. Sorry, but to me, having a frat house to go hang out and/or live in is part of the frat experience. So no go, even though the guys seemed pretty cool.

I am for some reason snobbish when it comes to selecting a fraternity, though I have no reason to be.

Originally Posted by Izulde

Next up was Sigma Chi. Not the most beautiful house on campus, but it had its charming aspects and more importantly, I hit off with the guys right away and just had this ebb and flow of conversation going on. It really amused me that I was sitting on a couch, and on the couches around me was a good portion of the chapter all hanging on to everything I was saying and asking me questions. Just a really great feeling and a totally cool bunch of guys.

These gentleman were all as big a nerds as I and/or were desperate for any pledge they could get.

Originally Posted by Izulde

I noticed quite a few girls there, and surmised to myself that sorority chicks must be part of the fraternity recruitment process and these girls were sizzling.

No, I didn't talk to any of them.

Originally Posted by Izulde

Then we went next door to Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Gorgeous house, slick video presentation, but something left me cold. These guys totally came across as complete assholes who think they're hot shit. Yeah the girls were hot here too, but a lot of them were real frigid and distant, not like the girls that were hanging out at Sigma Chi. Overall I got the impression that these guys are total pricks and full of themselves, so I dropped that one right away from my list.

I was totally on these guys' nuts but they rejected me. The girls were very attractive, which leads me to believe that I have no chance with them.

Originally Posted by Izulde

Pi Kappa Alpha, the last stop for the night. Beautiful, beautiful house and the guy who gave me the tour was a really awesome dude. So I'm feeling good about this house. They're selective, have a great house, and have qualities that they look for in pledges that I have. I'm thinking they're going to be even better than Sigma Chi.

These guys are actually cool and for some reason seem to like me.

Originally Posted by Izulde

I went out back and played sand volleyball for quite a while and got mad props for my play.

I infuse polite interteam banter with undue significance.

Originally Posted by Izulde

Then the poker game started up and I dashed back to my dorm real quick for some dough.

Nobody really wanted me to join in on the game and I ended up revealing how desperate I was for their companionship--as if it wasn't already obvious.

Originally Posted by Izulde

I get back there and I'm all set for a night of fun, conversation, and poker playing, but then I get iced out and ignored. Only my tour guide was cool to me and talked to me at all, so I thought fuck this shit, dropped the Pikes from consideration, and went back to the Sigma Chi house.

I cried myself to sleep over this.

Originally Posted by Izulde

An hour and a half later, I'm back in my dorm after having great conversation and rapport with some more of the Sigma Chi guys, some who I'd talked to in the earlier 20 minute session, others whom I hadn't had a chance to meet before.

Ah, this just feels right. A fraternity as desperate for members as I am for acceptance.

Originally Posted by Izulde

It also turns out that one of the guys's gf is in my Lit Survey III class, so we chatted a while too and I gave her a tip on how to avoid having to do a ton of reading for Friday, which she'll take. See, she's part of Delta Delta Delta, and last weekend was sorority rush weekend, so she was really busy with that and didn't have time to do a lot of the reading that we had to do for the class. We hit off really too. And no, I'm not going to steal a potential brother's gf even if she is hot and a cool chica.

I only feel comfortable talking with ladies about class stuff, so that's what we did. Maybe she kind of used me for homework help, or maybe I she was just being polite and making me feel useful. Either way, I have no chance with her so I will pretend that I have scruples.


----------------

I love you man.

[sabotai]

They have Frats in Wyoming.

Huh. I thought all they had was alcohol and cow tipping.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by ThunderingHERD

My translation:



I am for some reason snobbish when it comes to selecting a fraternity, though I have no reason to be.



These gentleman were all as big a nerds as I and/or were desperate for any pledge they could get.



No, I didn't talk to any of them.



I was totally on these guys' nuts but they rejected me. The girls were very attractive, which leads me to believe that I have no chance with them.



These guys are actually cool and for some reason seem to like me.



I infuse polite interteam banter with undue significance.



Nobody really wanted me to join in on the game and I ended up revealing how desperate I was for their companionship--as if it wasn't already obvious.



I cried myself to sleep over this.



Ah, this just feels right. A fraternity as desperate for members as I am for acceptance.



I only feel comfortable talking with ladies about class stuff, so that's what we did. Maybe she kind of used me for homework help, or maybe I she was just being polite and making me feel useful. Either way, I have no chance with her so I will pretend that I have scruples.


----------------

I love you man.

Cute

And actually I was prejudiced against SAE to begin with because I think Coffee Warlord told me they were teh suk... or was that SGE?

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by sabotai

They have Frats in Wyoming.

Huh. I thought all they had was alcohol and cow tipping.

No, that's my home state of Wisconsin.

[ThunderingHERD]

I don't know. I once got beaten in front of Pike house though, so I'm a little biased against them.

[Vince]

Not a big fan of Pike -- though I'm not a big fan of Fraternities in general. GDI and proud of it.

But I have some friends who really enjoyed it, so hopefully you'll get what you want out of the experience.

[Izulde]

Yeah Pike seemed cool at first, but like I said, I eventually realized that one guy was cool and the rest were pretty much asshats.

[Izulde]

So the second round of house touring was tonight.

I actually showed up two hours early because I got the time wrong and had to quit in the middle of my fantasy football draft, which irked me a bit, but it worked out okay because I went to the house I liked best from last night. They fed me supper and I hung out with them until it was time to do the second half of the house visits.

First house, cool bunch of guys, but because of some political issues that I later found out about tonight, a lot of their members quit. And no, I won't detail the issues because I don't feel this is the proper place for it. While I came to understand why, their presentation still bothered me. I know they need new blood, but they came across as being too desperate for new members and that was a huge turnoff for me.

Second house, easily the most beautiful on campus. I mean, we're talking I'd love to live in this house my whole life kind of beautiful, but the people there seemed a little stuck up and snobby, so that made me kinda meh.

Third house was obviously a fraternity that cared more about partying than anything else and gave short shrift to everything else. While I like partying, I want a well-rounded Greek experience, so thanks but no thanks.

Last house is situated away from the other fraternities and sororities. Not really what I wanted to be honest. I want to be at the centre of Greek life. Furthermore, the guys at that house were all pretty of a specific personality type that, while I get along pretty good with my friends who are of that type, they're fundamentally different from my own personality.

So after the visitations, I went back to the second house from tonight because the place was that damn beautiful that I felt myself compelled to go there and hang out. I did for about twenty minutes and chatted with some more guys. Then one of the sororities came by and filled the house, and I noticed something. All the girls stood around talking to each other and ignoring all the guys, who were making idle conversation and looking bored with each other while eyeing the girls.

At that point, I was like ".... 'kay, forget this. The sorority girls paired up with the fraternity I like best are a lot cooler and less gender-centric than this." (I'd noticed there seems to be an affiliation and correspondence with fraternities and sororities).

So back I go to my favourite house where they all greeted me again and I sat and listened to a couple guys in the house play guitar and sing. Then I joined in on the poker game that started up and learned two new variants of poker that I didn't know before. Even came out a buck ahead.

So yeah, my #1 frat from last night is even more clearly my top choice now and I put it on my preference form as my first selection. Number two was the gorgeous house fraternity. I couldn't help it, that's how much I loved the place. For my third choice, I just kind of closed my eyes and picked one at random, and it turned out to be House 4 from last night.

I'm feeling pretty good about my chances of getting into my first choice, because I seem to mesh really well with the guys there and most of them know my name by now, so there isn't that crack-slipping thing to worry about that I've heard about so far on here.

If I get a bid from them, I'll be ecstatic and accept right away. If I don't and get one from one or both of the other two, then I'll probably take most of the 72 hours before I decide, and really mull it over.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by ThunderingHERD

My translation:



I am for some reason snobbish when it comes to selecting a fraternity, though I have no reason to be.



These gentleman were all as big a nerds as I and/or were desperate for any pledge they could get.



No, I didn't talk to any of them.



I was totally on these guys' nuts but they rejected me. The girls were very attractive, which leads me to believe that I have no chance with them.



These guys are actually cool and for some reason seem to like me.



I infuse polite interteam banter with undue significance.



Nobody really wanted me to join in on the game and I ended up revealing how desperate I was for their companionship--as if it wasn't already obvious.



I cried myself to sleep over this.



Ah, this just feels right. A fraternity as desperate for members as I am for acceptance.



I only feel comfortable talking with ladies about class stuff, so that's what we did. Maybe she kind of used me for homework help, or maybe I she was just being polite and making me feel useful. Either way, I have no chance with her so I will pretend that I have scruples.


----------------

you and i are brothers. bravo. i was thinking THE EXACT SAME THING for all the points involved. the only thing i thought differently was when he "got iced" at the poker game, my translation was:

the frat guys talked about me behind my back while i ran to get some dough and they came to the conclusion that i'm a fucking dweeb and decided to make it obvious to me i wouldn't fit in with them by giving me the cold shoulder. i didn't want to be involved with a fraternity that was affiliated with a sorority comprised of hotties anyway.

also, when he was talking to that guy's GF, i also felt the translation was:

i have absolutely no game whatsoever, so i'll play it safe and talk to a girl i have no chance of getting just so there won't be any tension or pressure. i'll immediately position myself into the "friend" role by talking about school and class, rather than parties and drinking.

hey, Herd, let's do some more of this. this is fun.

[ThunderingHERD]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

you and i are brothers. bravo. i was thinking THE EXACT SAME THING for all the points involved. the only thing i thought differently was when he "got iced" at the poker game, my translation was:

the frat guys talked about me behind my back while i ran to get some dough and they came to the conclusion that i'm a fucking dweeb and decided to make it obvious to me i wouldn't fit in with them by giving me the cold shoulder. i didn't want to be involved with a fraternity that was affiliated with a sorority comprised of hotties anyway.

also, when he was talking to that guy's GF, i also felt the translation was:

i have absolutely no game whatsoever, so i'll play it safe and talk to a girl i have no chance of getting just so there won't be any tension or pressure. i'll immediately position myself into the "friend" role by talking about school and class, rather than parties and drinking.

hey, Herd, let's do some more of this. this is fun.

Great calls on both of those. Not has much ammo in the last post, or otherwise it's just more of the same, but I'll try:

Originally Posted by Izulde

So the second round of house touring was tonight.

I actually showed up two hours early because I got the time wrong and had to quit in the middle of my fantasy football draft, which irked me a bit, but it worked out okay because I went to the house I liked best from last night.

That's so like me, always screwing up! Stupid, stupid! If I don't get in with these guys I know this is why.

Originally Posted by Izulde

They fed me supper and I hung out with them until it was time to do the second half of the house visits. First house, cool bunch of guys, but because of some political issues that I later found out about tonight, a lot of their members quit. And no, I won't detail the issues because I don't feel this is the proper place for it.

Nobody here is really interested or would even care to ask, but it makes me feel important to know a "secret". Ok, ok, I'll tell you if you pay enough attention to me.

Originally Posted by Izulde

While I came to understand why, their presentation still bothered me. I know they need new blood, but they came across as being too desperate for new members and that was a huge turnoff for me.

I have read the assessment of my first post and am determined to show that I am a chooser, not a beggar--even though that's not the case.

Originally Posted by Izulde

Second house, easily the most beautiful on campus. I mean, we're talking I'd love to live in this house my whole life kind of beautiful, but the people there seemed a little stuck up and snobby, so that made me kinda meh.

I mention the appearance of the house so it will appear that I'm interested in something more than being in proximity to hot girls I'll never screw and guys that I think are so much cooler than me--and these guys definately were.

Originally Posted by Izulde

Third house was obviously a fraternity that cared more about partying than anything else and gave short shrift to everything else. While I like partying, I want a well-rounded Greek experience, so thanks but no thanks.

I obviously wouldn't fit in here because there is no way that I could do a keg stand without throwing up. Perhaps if they offered me a nice glass of Shiraz. I've been trying to come off as the "pensive intellectual" type, but these guys obviously wouldn't respond to that.

Originally Posted by Izulde

Last house is situated away from the other fraternities and sororities. Not really what I wanted to be honest. I want to be at the centre of Greek life. Furthermore, the guys at that house were all pretty of a specific personality type that, while I get along pretty good with my friends who are of that type, they're fundamentally different from my own personality.

It's really hard to continually come up with euphamistic ways to say, "I was very intimidated by these guys," but I think I did it nicely here. I don't really have any "friends who are of that type," but I'm hoping that statement makes the underlying reality less obvious.

Originally Posted by Izulde

So after the visitations, I went back to the second house from tonight because the place was that damn beautiful that I felt myself compelled to go there and hang out.

Nobody invited me back to any of the houses, so I just kind of wandered around frat row. I saw some guys hanging out in front of this house so I approached, very hesitant and awkward.

Originally Posted by Izulde

I did for about twenty minutes and chatted with some more guys. Then one of the sororities came by and filled the house, and I noticed something. All the girls stood around talking to each other and ignoring all the guys, who were making idle conversation and looking bored with each other while eyeing the girls. At that point, I was like ".... 'kay, forget this. The sorority girls paired up with the fraternity I like best are a lot cooler and less gender-centric than this."

It makes me feel better about my own awkwardness with the opposite sex if I project it on to others. I certainly wasn't going to approach any of the girls myself, but it would have been nice to see a lot of flirting going on so I could live vicariously through those guys. I could have even fantasized about getting accepted by them and being one of those guys when I got home.

Originally Posted by Izulde

So back I go to my favourite house where they all greeted me again and I sat and listened to a couple guys in the house play guitar and sing.

They greeted me! I'm totally in guys!

Originally Posted by Izulde

Then I joined in on the poker game that started up and learned two new variants of poker that I didn't know before. Even came out a buck ahead.

Take that Pi Kappa Alpha! These guys thought I was cool enough to play poker with them!

Originally Posted by Izulde

If I get a bid from them, I'll be ecstatic and accept right away. If I don't and get one from one or both of the other two, then I'll probably take most of the 72 hours before I decide, and really mull it over.

Oh, god. Please let me a get a bid from somebody. Anybody.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by ThunderingHERD

Great calls on both of those. Not has much ammo in the last post, or otherwise it's just more of the same, but I'll try:



That's so like me, always screwing up! Stupid, stupid! If I don't get in with these guys I know this is why.



Nobody here is really interested or would even care to ask, but it makes me feel important to know a "secret". Ok, ok, I'll tell you if you pay enough attention to me.



I have read the assessment of my first post and am determined to show that I am a chooser, not a beggar--even though that's not the case.



I mention the appearance of the house so it will appear that I'm interested in something more than being in proximity to hot girls I'll never screw and guys that I think are so much cooler than me--and these guys definately were.



I obviously wouldn't fit in here because there is no way that I could do a keg stand without throwing up. Perhaps if they offered me a nice glass of Shiraz. I've been trying to come off as the "pensive intellectual" type, but these guys obviously wouldn't respond to that.



It's really hard to continually come up with euphamistic ways to say, "I was very intimidated by these guys," but I think I did it nicely here. I don't really have any "friends who are of that type," but I'm hoping that statement makes the underlying reality less obvious.



Nobody invited me back to any of the houses, so I just kind of wandered around frat row. I saw some guys hanging out in front of this house so I approached, very hesitant and awkward.



It makes me feel better about my own awkwardness with the opposite sex if I project it on to others. I certainly wasn't going to approach any of the girls myself, but it would have been nice to see a lot of flirting going on so I could live vicariously through those guys. I could have even fantasized about getting accepted by them and being one of those guys when I got home.



They greeted me! I'm totally in guys!




Take that Pi Kappa Alpha! These guys thought I was cool enough to play poker with them!



Oh, god. Please let me a get a bid from somebody. Anybody.

Actually, I directly c/p'ed this from a Greek forum that a lot of Greeks read, which is why I obscured the names. I can go a little more in-depth here though.

Alpha Tau Omega was the first house we visited. It turns out their national group bought the house, then wouldn't allow any of the guys to break their leases for any reason. That pissed off a lot of members who then quit, leaving the chapter down to 10 members. Sad to see, because it's the oldest fraternity on campus (chartered in 1913) and they've done some really nice work with remodeling the place. But honestly, it was like they were a bunch of sad puppy dogs expecting to be kicked in the face or worse, and that's not a situation I liked. I want to be part of a chapter that's excited to be what they are and that meets challenges head on. I will say though, the alumnus was hilarious as hell that visited, and he's part of the original 1913 pledge class.

Second house was Sigma Phi Epsilon. Like I said, easily the most beautiful house on campus. I'll admit, these guys probably thought I was a dork. In fact, they were even more snobbish than Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Pi Kappa Alpha combined now that I'm looking back on it. Again, not something I want. I like a medium ground. So in some ways SPE and ATO are opposites. SPE is also a huge chapter.

Third visit was Sigma Nu. The vice pres gave the spiel and he just blew off everything about what the fraternity stood for and pretty much admitted they're there to party and only do enough academic work and community service to stay alive as a chapter. While Animal House was fucking hilarious, I want something more well-rounded and complete for a Greek experience and this is something I've told every fraternity during rush.

Last was Alpha Gamma Rho. This is an agricultural fraternity that has their house away from the other Greeks. All of the guys there were really into the outdoorsy stuff. I do like doing some stuff outdoors, but again, I like having indoor stuff too. Also really big country-western kinds of blokes, which isn't really my style. So there, it was a personality thing where we just didn't mesh.

As far as invitations to parties go, since you brought that up , last night I was invited back to Sigma Chi and Pi Kappa Alpha. Lambda Chi Alpha doesn't have a house and doesn't extend bids on Bid Day anyway, so I didn't feel like hanging out with them anyway. Sigma Alpha Epsilon didn't invite me back, but I didn't care.

Tonight, I got invitations back from Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Sigma Nu, and Alpha Gamma Rho. So yeah, they all invited me back tonight, but by that point, I was pretty much decided I most wanted either Sigma Chi or SPE, with the Pikes as an outside possibility since a couple of the guys there were pretty decent and I liked the house itself too.

So I went to check out SPE first, and talked with a few guys there and actually managed to get on with them pretty well. Then the Chi Omega girls showed up and after I stood and watched the lezzie-chatfest go on, I was like "Eh, screw it, I'm going back to Sigma Chi."

And go back I did and hung out and talked to some of the guys some more, a little more than I did earlier in the evening when I ate supper there, since I was more awake then. Then I joined in the poker game, learned how to play poker a couple different new ways, made a buck, and had a great time shooting the shit with them overall.

My guess is that if I get any bids, it'll be most likely from Sigma Chi. Maybe Alpha Tau Omega, too. Anybody else and I'll be shocked, although pleasantly so.

[Icy]

What is the point about fraternities? just party? Why to join one? Why do they want to recruit you? We don't have that in Spain so the only image i have about them is what the university movies show us, that of course must be exagerated.

Btw, great translations Hell Atlantic and ThunderingHERD

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Icy

What is the point about fraternities? just party? Why to join one? Why do they want to recruit you? We don't have that in Spain so the only image i have about them is what the university movies show us, that of course must be exagerated.

Btw, great translations Hell Atlantic and ThunderingHERD

It *is* exaggerated. Admittedly there will be fraternities like the Sigma Nu chapter on this campus that are about the parties.

But the large majority of fraternities and sororities is about a balance between parties, academic scholarship, and community service. Greek orgs frequently have higher GPAs than the average student body population and they do a *ton* of community service that the media doesn't report because it's not sensational.

Also, it's great for developing friendships and networking. The networking is huge when it comes to finding a job, especially in today's labour market.

[CraigSca]

Hey, I'm in Wisconsin right now. Where would I go if I wanted to meet Dreams?

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Izulde

An hour and a half later, I'm back in my dorm after having great conversation and rapport with some more of the Sigma Chi guys, some who I'd talked to in the earlier 20 minute session, others whom I hadn't had a chance to meet before. It also turns out that one of the guys's gf is in my Lit Survey III class, so we chatted a while too and I gave her a tip on how to avoid having to do a ton of reading for Friday, which she'll take. See, she's part of Delta Delta Delta, and last weekend was sorority rush weekend, so she was really busy with that and didn't have time to do a lot of the reading that we had to do for the class. We hit off really too. And no, I'm not going to steal a potential brother's gf even if she is hot and a cool chica.

No offense, but after the Dreams thread, the last thing you need is to be buddy buddy with another chick, even if she is taken. One conversation with her about her boyfriend in which you slip into Hallmark speak, and you'll be labeled "one of the girls" and invited over for cram sessions, to go to movies, and eventually, to watch the OC and paint each others' toenails.

Just calling it like I see it...

[Anthony]

in this thread, my friends are:

HERD and Ksyrup.

HERD, you are HA Approved. i don't know who my favorite forum member was (other than myself) but you've surpassed them. welcome, brother, to la famiglia.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

No offense, but after the Dreams thread, the last thing you need is to be buddy buddy with another chick, even if she is taken. One conversation with her about her boyfriend in which you slip into Hallmark speak, and you'll be labeled "one of the girls" and invited over for cram sessions, to go to movies, and eventually, to watch the OC and paint each others' toenails.

Just calling it like I see it...

the ruling on the field...STANDS.

good call K.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Izulde

So the second round of house touring was tonight.

I actually showed up two hours early because I got the time wrong and had to quit in the middle of my fantasy football draft, which irked me a bit, but it worked out okay because I went to the house I liked best from last night.

dammit! i was so over-eager to feel wanted and being courted by frats and to feel like i belong that i arrived freaking early. i hope i didn't show my hand too much, i want to keep up the impression that *i'm* the one being picky. i decided to return to the one place where the guys didn't look at me oddly and snicker and giggle whenever i left the room.

Originally Posted by Izulde

Alpha Tau Omega was the first house we visited. It turns out their national group bought the house, then wouldn't allow any of the guys to break their leases for any reason. That pissed off a lot of members who then quit, leaving the chapter down to 10 members. Sad to see, because it's the oldest fraternity on campus (chartered in 1913) and they've done some really nice work with remodeling the place. But honestly, it was like they were a bunch of sad puppy dogs expecting to be kicked in the face or worse, and that's not a situation I liked. I want to be part of a chapter that's excited to be what they are and that meets challenges head on. I will say though, the alumnus was hilarious as hell that visited, and he's part of the original 1913 pledge class.

being a sad case already, i wish to align myself with people who are at least slightly more engaging and happening, and likely to be around chicks that i'll want to be just friends with.

Originally Posted by Izulde

Second house was Sigma Phi Epsilon. Like I said, easily the most beautiful house on campus. I'll admit, these guys probably thought I was a dork. In fact, they were even more snobbish than Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Pi Kappa Alpha combined now that I'm looking back on it. Again, not something I want. I like a medium ground. So in some ways SPE and ATO are opposites. SPE is also a huge chapter.

since i'm admitting that they thought i was a dork, you can just imagine how much i'm really downplaying things and that they *really* made it obvious that they don't want my kind around, cock blocking them at fraternity/sorority smokers. someone threw a tomato at me and told me to "get the fuck out, dork!". those jokers, always kidding around.

Originally Posted by Izulde

Third visit was Sigma Nu. The vice pres gave the spiel and he just blew off everything about what the fraternity stood for and pretty much admitted they're there to party and only do enough academic work and community service to stay alive as a chapter. While Animal House was fucking hilarious, I want something more well-rounded and complete for a Greek experience and this is something I've told every fraternity during rush.

what? parties? fun? people who have experience having casual sex with attractive women? not for me. the only appeal i would have with this frat would be doing everyone's papers for them and helping to raise the fraternity average GPA.

Originally Posted by Izulde

Last was Alpha Gamma Rho. This is an agricultural fraternity that has their house away from the other Greeks. All of the guys there were really into the outdoorsy stuff. I do like doing some stuff outdoors, but again, I like having indoor stuff too. Also really big country-western kinds of blokes, which isn't really my style. So there, it was a personality thing where we just didn't mesh.

when i write stuff like this, don't i give the impression that i would be selective when choosing which one to join? i bet i don't sound like someone who wants friends and to be liked. jumping at the first frat to acknowledge me - nah, i wouldn't do that. also, i don't like outdoorsy stuff, i bruise easily and i'd get dirty. besides, when would i have time to watch Oprah?

Originally Posted by Izulde

So I went to check out SPE first, and talked with a few guys there and actually managed to get on with them pretty well. Then the Chi Omega girls showed up and after I stood and watched the lezzie-chatfest go on, I was like "Eh, screw it, I'm going back to Sigma Chi."

again, i'm excited to have a frat show some interest in me, so i'm going back to Sigma Chi. God forbid i try to be more outgoing and try to bond with people with more aggressive, assertive personalities than mine so i can learn to develop some manly traits that women would find attractive other than speaking like a poet to them - i'll just hang out with the guys who accept me for the dork i am.

[ThunderingHERD]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

in this thread, my friends are:

HERD and Ksyrup.

HERD, you are HA Approved. i don't know who my favorite forum member was (other than myself) but you've surpassed them. welcome, brother, to la famiglia.

Cool. Wanna fuck?

[ThunderingHERD]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

dammit! i was so over-eager to feel wanted and being courted by frats and to feel like i belong that i arrived freaking early. i hope i didn't show my hand too much, i want to keep up the impression that *i'm* the one being picky. i decided to return to the one place where the guys didn't look at me oddly and snicker and giggle whenever i left the room.



being a sad case already, i wish to align myself with people who are at least slightly more engaging and happening, and likely to be around chicks that i'll want to be just friends with.



since i'm admitting that they thought i was a dork, you can just imagine how much i'm really downplaying things and that they *really* made it obvious that they don't want my kind around, cock blocking them at fraternity/sorority smokers. someone threw a tomato at me and told me to "get the fuck out, dork!". those jokers, always kidding around.



what? parties? fun? people who have experience having casual sex with attractive women? not for me. the only appeal i would have with this frat would be doing everyone's papers for them and helping to raise the fraternity average GPA.



when i write stuff like this, don't i give the impression that i would be selective when choosing which one to join? i bet i don't sound like someone who wants friends and to be liked. jumping at the first frat to acknowledge me - nah, i wouldn't do that. also, i don't like outdoorsy stuff, i bruise easily and i'd get dirty. besides, when would i have time to watch Oprah?



again, i'm excited to have a frat show some interest in me, so i'm going back to Sigma Chi. God forbid i try to be more outgoing and try to bond with people with more aggressive, assertive personalities than mine so i can learn to develop some manly traits that women would find attractive other than speaking like a poet to them - i'll just hang out with the guys who accept me for the dork i am.

Hilarious. Five stars.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Third visit was Sigma Nu. The vice pres gave the spiel and he just blew off everything about what the fraternity stood for and pretty much admitted they're there to party and only do enough academic work and community service to stay alive as a chapter. While Animal House was fucking hilarious, I want something more well-rounded and complete for a Greek experience and this is something I've told every fraternity during rush.

I know you've already addressed this, but damn, frats have changed in recent years. In our day, community service meant not turning the stereo back up as soon as the cops left.

I'm impressed that you managed to remember all that Greek alphabet soup. If you can apply that to all your classes, you should be able to help all their girlfriends with their homework. And still have time for a rousing session of Scategories.

I think it's a great idea that the connected sorority visits during this time period. You'll learn a lot more from the girls that should affect your decision. Everything you mention about this makes me glad I stayed away from the frats - though at Michigan they were very unpopular while I attended.

Originally Posted by Izulde

The first thing that happens is I get paired up with this one guy and we spent about half an hour going around picking up garbage. That was interesting and I figured it played into the whole philanthropy bit.

I think they call this career day. At least if you spend too much time drinking and playing poker.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

I'm impressed that you managed to remember all that Greek alphabet soup. If you can apply that to all your classes, you should be able to help all their girlfriends with their homework. And still have time for a rousing session of Scategories.

He's already well on his way with one of them.

[Anthony]

Jim has redeemed himself in my eyes. the "rousing session of Scatergories" line hooked me in. well done. i would have gone with "Pictionary", but hey, that's just me.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

No offense, but after the Dreams thread, the last thing you need is to be buddy buddy with another chick, even if she is taken. One conversation with her about her boyfriend in which you slip into Hallmark speak, and you'll be labeled "one of the girls" and invited over for cram sessions, to go to movies, and eventually, to watch the OC and paint each others' toenails.

Just calling it like I see it...

Sadly enough, I can see this happening, though I'm hoping it doesn't.

[Ksyrup]

You act like it's out of your control. Don't let it happen!

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

I know you've already addressed this, but damn, frats have changed in recent years. In our day, community service meant not turning the stereo back up as soon as the cops left.

I'm impressed that you managed to remember all that Greek alphabet soup. If you can apply that to all your classes, you should be able to help all their girlfriends with their homework. And still have time for a rousing session of Scategories.

I think it's a great idea that the connected sorority visits during this time period. You'll learn a lot more from the girls that should affect your decision. Everything you mention about this makes me glad I stayed away from the frats - though at Michigan they were very unpopular while I attended.



I think they call this career day. At least if you spend too much time drinking and playing poker.

Well, just from my own initial impressions of the sororities, Chi Omega is the one that's most stereotypical in terms of hotness, vanity, and shallowness in its members.

Delta Delta Delta, on the other hand, appears to have chicas who are not only attractive, but intelligent and cool with depth to them as well. I haven't met any Kappa Kappa Gamma girls yet, and Pi Beta Phi didn't leave too much of an impression on me.

By the way, the Tri-Delta girl I've been talking to told me the bids broke down like this after sorority rush:

Delta Delta Delta: 23
Chi Omega: 21
Kappa Kappa Gamma: 17
Pi Beta Phi: 7

So judging from the pledge class members and from my cursory impressions, it seems as though Tri-Delt and Chi-O are the top sororities on campus.

The bid numbers from the fraternities obviously won't be in until after this weekend, but as soon as I can get them, I'll post them here for the hell of it.

[rkmsuf]

When is the part when you start punching guys in the dick and have madcap hijinks?

[wade moore]

We used to call them "Chi-Ho" at my campus....

For good reason...

[Swaggs]

I hear that "Just a spoonful of bourbon makes a Tri-Delt go down."

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Icy

What is the point about fraternities? just party? Why to join one? Why do they want to recruit you? We don't have that in Spain so the only image i have about them is what the university movies show us, that of course must be exagerated.

Well, all depends on who you ask. There's the Izulde (and many others on this board- they haven't posted here but there have been frat threads in the past) camp- it's for meeting new people, building your resume of community service and campus involvement, and networking for the future. Then there's the HA, HERD, et al camp which says it's about buying friends, padding your resume like a high schooler, constantly getting drunk, and being jerks to people not in a frat- basically, you buy your exclusivity. The truth, as is often the case, lies somewhere inbetween tho at Kansas it seemed a lot more the latter than the former.

SI

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Well, all depends on who you ask. There's the Izulde (and many others on this board- they haven't posted here but there have been frat threads in the past) camp- it's for meeting new people, building your resume of community service and campus involvement, and networking for the future. Then there's the HA, HERD, et al camp which says it's about buying friends, padding your resume like a high schooler, constantly getting drunk, and being jerks to people not in a frat- basically, you buy your exclusivity. The truth, as is often the case, lies somewhere inbetween tho at Kansas it seemed a lot more the latter than the former.

SI

Just curious,
Why do you need a frat to do academic work and community service? Are people afraid to do it alone?

[miked]

We had some good ones...

Alpha Cow Omoooga (Alphi Chi Omega)
Jamm-a-Vibrator (Gamma Phi Beta)
Delta Cow (Delta Tau)

Some more, I can't remember...too long. I wasn't in a frat either.

[Ksyrup]

We had a thread a while back that got kinda contentious. If I recall, Fritz and others were on the pro-frat side, I and others were on the anti-frat side.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Just curious,
Why do you need a frat to do academic work and community service? Are people afraid to do it alone?

Heck if I know- I was just being nice. I was never in one and still found ample opportunities out there. Doesn't fit as neatly on one line of a resume, I suppose.

SI

[Galaxy]

I hear ya SI.

We have two frats, but they are very small and not anything at all, and not the "pretty" people you would suspect.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

I hear ya SI.

We have two frats, but they are very small and not anything at all, and not the "pretty" people you would suspect.

At KU, and I'd imagine at most public universities, they tend to run school government just because the greeks are the only orgs able to put together cash to run. Plus, the voting rate is abysmally low across campus with a large portion being greeks since quite a few locations are at their houses and there is more or less forced voting.

SI

[Izulde]

Pref night's over. I visited every frat house except the one that isn't on campus. More details later.

[Ragone]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Pref night's over. I visited every frat house except the one that isn't on campus. More details later.

Over.. did you say over.. nothing is over until we decide it is.. was it over when the germans bombed pearl harbor? Hell no! and it ain't over now.

That sums up all i ever wanted to know about frats

[Izulde]

Since I'm fairly toasted right now after celebrating, I'm just going to c/p last night's story from one of the Greek forums I've been posting my rush story on.

Butterfinger:
Really cool group of guys but they don't have a house on campus, so no go. To me the frat house experience is too vital to be passed up.

Peanut Butter Cup
The fraternity with the most beautiful house on the campus, who seemed a little snobbish that had me sorta meh and who had the sorority girls over who only talked to each other.

Peppermint Patty:
Real nice batch of guys here, but too desperate for new members after political issues caused them to lose a bunch of guys.

Three Musketeers:
Party central who didn't pay much attention to the other aspects of Greek life, a huge knock in my preference rankings.

Dark Chocolate Twix:
My #1 choice fraternity and my favourite candy. The guys who have made me feel the most welcome all along and who I've felt the most comfortable with.

M&M:
Have their house away from campus and have a personality type that is pretty much the antithesis to mine.

Mentos:
The guys who were the real big snobs during my visit with them and who didn't sit well with me, even though we got on rather well.

Butterscotch Disc:
Loved the house and got on well with the guys until I went to join their poker game when I was ignored.

So I started off the night at Dark Chocolate Twix at their pre-pref night event. Food was absolutely fantastic and I talked some to some of the guys and got my tail kicked at the game we played, since it was my first time playing that type of game.

Then I found out that the formal version of Pref Night was out the window and that it was basically a free for all. So I said hell with it and decided to take advantage by touring every house except Butterfinger again.

I stayed at Dark Chocolate Twix until they showed the video to their first batch of potential pledges and I got tears in my eyes when I watched it. That's how beautifully it was put together.

En route to my next house, I spent about 15 minutes talking to this Tri-Delta girl I've gotten to know some from one of my classes, comparing the sorority setup with the fraternity setup. She said that while recruitment for the sororities is a lot less informal than it was in the past, it's still quite strict. Also, because my university is only 4% Greek, they tend not to cut girls from all houses, or at least my T-D acquantaince had never heard of such happening there. We came up with the idea of doing a cross-country research project on rushes throughout the nation as well and seeing how different regions, states, campuses, and fraternities/sororities handle rush, how selective they are, etc.

Next up was Butterscotch Disc, where the really cool guide I had spotted me right away and greeted me. Told me to help myself to food, drinks, et. al. A few more guys besides him talked to me this go-round and I played a few games there, too. Overall, I felt a lot better about this house than I did after getting snubbed, and I left wishing I'd put them at #2, rather than the random #3 I originally put.

To Peanut Butter Cup next, where I chatted with some more guys, including a really in-depth convo with this one bloke that got interrupted by this guy from my visitation group who'd mentioned that he was pissy about how not too many people from the fraternities seemed to talk to him, especially in Dark Chocolate Twix. That kind of irritated me that he did that, but since I knew he was feeling depressed about feeling shut out, I excused myself to go get some food, hung out a little while more, and then left. Still the most gorgeous house, but falling further down my list in spite of it. Also, one of the girlfriends of the guys I overheard complaining about how lame the whole thing was and how she couldn't wait to leave. This, I might remind, is also the same fraternity where the sorority girls ignored the guys. So yeah, by this point in the evening, Peanut Butter Cup and Butterscotch Disc had flipflopped places in my head, because of the sense of getting along with the brothers of the house.

From there, it was on to Mentos, which had a rocking party going on. Unfortunately, remember what I said about them thinking they were all that and a bag of chips? Well, that still apparently applied here because I was totally disregarded. After about twenty minutes, I got disgusted and started walking off, only to be caught by my guide from before. He talked to me some, but I got the feeling he wasn't all that interested or genuine. Bye-bye Mentos. You are *not* my Freshmaker.

Onward to Three Musketeers, which confirmed their Animal House stereotype in every way possible. The odd thing is, I actually got to really like these guys during this visit, especially after... well, I'm going to have to wait to tell you this story until after I finalize my bid. They invited me to go along with them partying, but I ended up declining. Still, I have to say these guys shot up from the back of the pack to #4. Excellent leap forward.

Peppermint Patty came next. My impression of these guys as a great group of fellows was further enhanced as I chatted with them more earnestly than I did last time, but it was still too depressing a place to be around. So, nope, this isn't the place for me.

Last stop was M & M, which, even though it was only about 9:45, was closed for the evening. This further cemented my feeling that they were sooo not right for me, as I'm a night owl, and there were already sharp personality differences to consider.

From there, it was back to Dark Chocolate Twix. There, too, I got an invitation to go to a party with them. This time, I accepted and hung out for an hour, but I'm afraid I wasn't much social in the least, and I left after about an hour without saying anything to anyone about leaving. As I walked back to my dorm, I couldn't but help but wonder if I'd screwed up by being withdrawn and leaving so silently.

But yeah, for now, here's the rankings in my head as of Bid Day Morning:

1. Dark Chocolate Twix
2. Butterscotch Disc
3. 3 Musketeers (These guys reminded me of my best friend back home who I haven't seen in a few years, so they sneak on up to 3rd)
4. Peanut Butter Cup

The other four are more or less dropped from consideration, due to reasons of just not being the right fit for me.

Time to hit the showers and get dressed. More to come later.

[miked]

Hmm...this story just took a turn for the confusing. I think we might need a diagram. Sigma Chi, Zeta Psi, Captain Crunch, Taco Bell...I can't seem to keep up here...

[Solecismic]

Where's Flasch? I bet he, GF and 3R can sort it out.

Meanwhile, I think Izulde just pledged Nestles Co.

[korme]

BROKE PHI BROKE

[Izulde]

So I woke up today, showered, and walked to the meadow area where they were handing out bids, my heart pounding and my head feeling a little light.

Would I get a bid or would I not?

I go to the table, where the guy is like, "You're Jestor Jestor right?"

"Yeah."

"I just saw you in here. Let me take a look."

He flips through the cards and I'm getting more and more tense by the moment.

Then he hands me the card and says something that I don't really hear because I'm too busy staring at it.

....

...

....

....

I got two bids!

Dark Chocolate Twix and Three Musketeers both extended me an offer!!!!!!

I quickly thanked the guys at the table who told me that if I was going to accept a bid to just go to the house in question.

Then I dashed away from the table and just stood under a tree for a while, wiping away tears of joy that were in my eyes. I've wanted to be Greek ever since high school and I was afraid by this time that I was too old to be accepted and I thought I'd blown it with Dark Chocolate Twix. Being Greek seemed like just a pipe dream and now, not one but *two* fraternities wanted me as their brother.

This probably sounds silly but that was a huge deal to me, to know that more than one fraternity wanted me and that I had a decision to make. It made me feel like I was somebody really special and that I was wanted.

So after I calmed down from my teary-eyed outburst of happiness, I looked at the card again. While you might have expected that I would have dashed off to Dark Chocolate Twix right away, I wanted to take some time to reflect on it. After all, 3 Musketeers had grown a lot on me over the week and I gave some very serious consideration to their bid.

But in the end, my footsteps carried me to the house of Dark Chocolate Twix and I became one of the newest members of....

Sigma Chi!

BTW

Butterfinger = Lambda Chi Alpha
Peanut Butter Cup = Sigma Phi Epsilon
Peppermint Patty = Alpha Tau Omega
Three Musketeers = Sigma Nu
Dark Chocolate Twix = Sigma Chi
M&M = Alpha Gamma Rho
Mentos = Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Butterscotch Disc = Pi Kappa Alpha

[gottimd]

Boy times have changed. When I got my bid, a few of the brothers busted in my dorm room with a few bottles of vodka and and doused me with it and then made me chug the other one, and then they had a party that night for all the bids. Right when the party ended, is when pledging started and it was all downhill for 13 weeks after that.

Handing out candy bars seems like such a girly thing to do. Did they decorate your door and bake you cookies too?

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Izulde

University of Wyoming.

Congrats for you, pal.

I considered it for about 15 seconds and then realized that I didn't want to be forced to spend time around people because they called me brother.

But I'm glad that you got offers and they don't discriminate against older folks

Jk..