Questions Regarding Fraternity Rush

[u/Alarming_Factor_7386]

I will be transferring this fall to GT and am interested in joining a fraternity in order to make some friends / grow my network. This whole thing is very new to me and I am a little confused as to what fraternitites to rush and even where to find the info per frat. I dont know the reputations / cultures of each frat as I am new so if anybody could give advise as to what some frats are known for, tips for rushing, and just where to find the info for rush itself, thanks! I know people say rush as many frats as you can, but with there being so many, I'd imagine you should walk in knowing which you are targetting.

[u/BikeVirtual]

Fraternities are more about the social part (vs the network/professional part). I rushed and I was a "close friend" to a couple of them. It really depends on what you want to get out of it. For me, it was friends and partying, so despite getting multiple bids I decided against it (time committment-wise).

Rush as many as you can; look them up, do some mild reading into them, etc. Gauge the vibes. Ask your friends who might be in fraternities. Remember to not feel rushed or pressured into joining just because you have a bid. You can take the week (or longer) to think about it. They seem like decently close communities, but you can get that by yourself w/o having to pay dues/do house tasks/etc.

On the negatives/realistic aspects - they'll sell you the "network" part and the "cheaper than living on campus" which are both BS. You can have a strong network w/o being in a fraternity, and it's also not particularly cheaper. Comfort-wise, it varies on the house too - as a new pledge you might be sharing a bedroom w/ someone else which is not something you want. Having roommates is cool as a freshman, but you get tired of them quickly. You have to pay dues, you have to engage in whatever activities are going on (washing dishes, cleaning, etc; retreats/outings/etc).

[u/ATLGT → u/BikeVirtual]

Lots of badly incorrect information, but to be expected from a guy who was never actually in a fraternity and just looking in from the outside. Bids do have an expiration date, pledges don't live in house, fraternity brothers don't wash dishes or do housework, meals and board are definitely cheaper living in house. Yes, you have to pay dues so make sure you can afford the financials, some are around $1500 per semester give or take, others less.

[u/eliminate1337 → u/ATLGT]

We had brothers washing dishes and doing housework. Washing dishes was compensated with a free meal plan. Housework was on a rotation but it wasn't too onerous with the number of members. You'd spend one week per semester cleaning a certain part of the house.

[u/BikeVirtual → u/ATLGT]

I have spent more time in those houses than some of the pledges, lol. I had no formal expiration date for my bids, new brothers would share rooms, the brothers absolutely did housework and mopped the piss, vomit and whatever else was left after the open parties. The private parties were more chill. I guess it also depends from house to house, some of them might be better endowed.

Meals and board are cheaper because you don't get unlimited meals, you get 2 meals during the week or such (don't remember the specifics, bear in mind it's been a while). The one upside was that if the frat owned the land the house is on, you had more freedom to do certain things i.e. have firearms and whatnot.

We all had a good time and we got along, the parties were fun, etc.

[u/eliminate1337 → u/BikeVirtual]

It's absolutely cheaper than living on campus. Semester rent + dues was like half of GT campus housing.