Although formal recruitment has ended, there are still many opportunities on campus to become involved in greek life. Don’t think that just because you "missed the boat" and didn’t get a bid from a certain fraternity, that you are doomed forever. While the month of September is the formal recruitment period, during which most fraternities hold their major recruitment activities, the majority are continously looking for new members. Spring semester has no formal recruitment period, and is referred to as "informal Rush" by some fraternities that do hold events designed to attract students.
Even now, it’s not too late to join, or at least rush, a fraternity. Attending sporting events for a particular organization, going to a dinner, or any other activities open to outside students, can help you get to know the members of those organizations just as well as Rush would have and also gives them the chance to see if they would like to give you a bid. This also gives you a chance to see what the new members of that organization have to say as they go through the pledging process.
Community service events also give you a chance to get to know some of the brothers of different chapters and help them contribute to the community through philanthropy and volunteerism. Joining a greek organization can be a big decision for some students, and that is why some have elected not to join until their second semester, or even their sophomore year. While the majority of students who rush each year are freshmen, it doesn’t mean that being a sophomore, junior, or even a senior could prevent you from joining a greek organization.
For almost all of our groups, there is no limit on the amount of time you must have left at Rensselaer in order to become a member. Some of the best members of our fraternities are those who explored their options and took a year before deciding to join. It gives you a different perspective on greek life, and can help you in deciding which fraternity is the best for you.
In short, it’s never too late to join a fraternity. They are a unique outlet for student life at Rensselaer, and can provide a very different experience from that of an independent. While today approximately 30 percent of Rensselaer’s students are members of fraternities or sororities, it was once as high as 70 percent on campus. With a variety of opportunities on the campus to get involved in, it’s important that you keep your options open, but don’t discount greek living as one of those options simply because formal recruitment has ended for the year.
