A fraternity, as defined by the The American Heritage Dictionary is "a chiefly social organization of male college students, usually designated by Greek letters."(pg. 523) This definition, however, is very limited and leaves plenty of space for short sighted people to believe the stereotype conveyed by the popular media, where fraternity members are depicted as drunks who accomplish nothing either scholastically or socially. Unfortunately, both this definition and media portrayals fail to mention the fact that membership in a fraternity is a life-long experience that helps its members develop social, organizational, and study skills during college, and that teaches true, everlasting friendship. As a matter of fact, fraternities have a long tradition of high academic achievement, and most of our nation's presidents were members of a Greek association. Fraternities can offer a lot of benefits for college students. The most important component of fraternity life is friendship. You'll never feel alone at college when you have your fraternity brothers around. In a fraternity you interact with many different fraternity brothers on a daily basis. There's always a fraternity brother around to play a pickup game of basketball or to help you out with a tough homework assignment. Most fraternities offer educational workshops on study skills, time management, stress management, study hall or study hours, in-house tutors, and award and incentive programs to help you achieve academic success. Fraternities emphasize leadership and the fraternity experience affords you the opportunity for hands on training in the operation of an organization. Many of these organizations provide off-campus housing for upper-class students, a fantastic social support network, and a close community to which you can belong during and after your time at school. Many of them have a strong presence on campus and even stronger commitments to public service. Whether raising funds for a charity or volunteering your time to help others in the community, you'll see that fraternities are committed to serving others. National fraternities can provide scholarship opportunities and can connect you with strong alumni networks when you're looking for jobs. Through your fraternity involvement, you'll learn how to manage your time and balance your academic work and fraternity commitments.
In contrast, there are some things you should consider before signing up to learn about every possible house during pledge week. Many social fraternities and sororities are big time commitments; this can be great, but if time is at a minimum for you, you may want to find out more about what is involved. Many social fraternities and sororities also have costly membership dues that must be paid on a regular basis. Make sure you consider these expenses when planning your finances for the
