# If You Pledged A Fraternity/Sorority In College: Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 1, 2015, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651 "2015-09-01T23:32:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/21 "2015-09-03T05:18:33Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Question from a non-Yank: what does “rushing” and “pledging” mean? You can learn everything you need to know by watching the movie _Animal House._ ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/22 "2015-09-03T16:33:41Z")
Fraternities were basically institutionally enabled underage drinking establishments when I was a member. Mine eventually got its charter revoked by not bending to new, tighter drinking rules and not paying its bills. ---
**Author:** ![Mixolydian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Mixolydian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mixolydian)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/23 "2015-09-03T16:50:09Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > I needed addresses to bill all those millions of “12 free records for a penny” accounts from Colombia House. My brother was arrested for this while a member of a fraternity…seems the credit card number they used ran its course. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/24 "2015-09-03T23:59:07Z")
Its smart nowadays because when they graduate from college they can open up their alumni book and start making phone calls. Its not perfect and its not a guaranteed job but it is another networking tool. I personally think many fraternities are getting away from the party hardy stuff because they are more concerned about getting a good job someday. One young man told me every member of his frat was going into some type of business field. So basically its just another network opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/25 "2015-09-04T19:18:28Z")
> [@Mixolydian](#): > > My brother was arrested for this while a member of a fraternity…seems the credit card number they used ran its course. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/26 "2015-09-04T20:46:15Z")
> [@gyrate](#): > > i joined a professional music fraternity, albeit quite a social one. Mostly i was in it for the singing. Lots and lots of singing. oas, aas, lls ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/27 "2015-09-05T05:09:34Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > Well, I associate the term “tap night” more with “secret” societies like Yale’s Skull & Bones, and I’m not quite sure how that all works Tap night wasn’t restricted to S&B and the other secret societies. Was also used for musical groups like the Whiffenpoofs and other social orgs. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/28 "2015-09-05T13:39:12Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > One young man told me every member of his frat was going into some type of business field. This has been true for the past 50 years, at least. > [@](#): > > many fraternities are getting away from the party hardy stuff because they are more concerned about getting a good job someday I doubt it. > [@](#): > > So basically its just another network opportunity. Networking begins with party hardy 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/29 "2015-09-05T14:09:24Z")
I didn’t pledge because I left that school before I did, but like other’s here, I had friends in the Sorority. When I got to school I discovered it was much more of a “Greek Life” campus than I expected. Lots of women joined sororities, and it wasn’t all the high school cheerleader types. The guys I was interested in hanging with weren’t the fraternity type (it seemed far fewer guys joined fraternities), but the women I ended up hanging out with were the sorority type. I ended up switching schools to a school that had almost no Greek life. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/30 "2015-09-06T18:27:36Z")
I half pledged–I didn’t go all the way. But my roommate wanted me to join, and the people seemed okay. I can’t remember quite what happened, but I kinda lost contact with my roommate over the summer, and I moved to a better dorm that was closer to my classes, and wound up not really joining. But, yeah, it was about friends and having something to do. I was not interested in partying, so I didn’t join one of those. Plus I was too scared of hazing from watching all those college movies. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/31 "2015-09-07T02:12:20Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > I personally think many fraternities are getting away from the party hardy stuff because they are more concerned about getting a good job someday. One young man told me every member of his frat was going into some type of business field. Half the people I know in business are alcoholics. If fraternities are getting away from the party hardy stuff, it is because hanging out in a homogenous clan of affluent drunken jocks may not be as “cool” as it used to be. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/32 "2015-09-07T10:15:44Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Half the people I know in business are alcoholics. > > If fraternities are getting away from the party hardy stuff, it is because hanging out in a homogenous clan of affluent drunken jocks may not be as “cool” as it used to be. They might be alcoholics but they also hold a job at a firm and can be a contact for a freshly minted business major trying to get their first break. ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/33 "2015-09-07T10:44:07Z")
I joined an extremely geeky “co-ed fraternity” (it was still a “fraternity” out of tradition but had gone co-ed many years earlier) in college. The members enjoyed drinking and partying, albeit much more responsibly that the other greek houses, but other than that did not conform to greek life stereotypes. It was a very diverse group of people that spent a lot of time playing board/video/role playing games. I joined because most of my friends at the time had joined, I enjoyed hanging out there, and needed a place to stay during an off term. I still regularly talk to many of the people I met there. So, definitely the last option for me. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/34 "2015-09-07T10:56:58Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Half the people I know in business are alcoholics. statistically, you know effectively 0% of the population. maybe you need some new acquaintances. > [@](#): > > If fraternities are getting away from the party hardy stuff, it is because hanging out in a homogenous clan of affluent drunken jocks may not be as “cool” as it used to be. maybe it also has something to do with the crackdown on moronic and dangerous hazing practices that these overgrown little boys can’t do anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651/35 "2015-09-07T13:30:15Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > oas, aas, lls That’s the one, yes. All hail etc etc [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-pledged-a-fraternity-sorority-in-college-why/729651.md?page=1)