some thoughts on frat life at au from a senior

I am graduating this semester and wanted to share my thoughts about Greek life (specifically rush) at AU.

1. AU is too small a school for rankings and tiers to actually exist.
2. There really is a house for everyone.
3. Meet as many bros as possible and keep your options open. Rush as many fraternities as you can. I went into rush thinking I wanted a particular fraternity and wasn't planning on looking at others. I'm glad I did. I ended up getting four bids and joined a fraternity that I would not have normally have considered. It's been a great ride.
4. The number of bids is determined based on the quality of the guys who rush. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. Sure, some fraternities might be aiming for a certain number of guys, but if you fit in, they're not going to reject you because they're "at capacity."
5. Frats at AU can be broken out into four different groups: stereotypical fraternity guys, nice guys, stoners, and miscellaneous guys who are struggling to keep their houses alive.

Stereotypical frats: AEPi, Delta Chi, Delt, PSK, and Pike
These five frats are probably the most active socially. If you’re a freshman, you’ve likely been to one of their parties. Of the five, Delt is probably the least “stereotypical” because they have a strong mix of jocks and bros – I would still keep them in this category. Pike and PSK are pretty similar but Pike definitely has more of a presence on campus. They are both very fratty. Delta Chi is really chill but they’re not very active on campus. Be warned, if you haven’t already formed relationships with a brother, you’re probably not going to get a bid from them. They select their pledges really early. AEPi is still the freshman frat. Some of their brothers are really cool and others are definitely out there.

Nice guy frats: Beta, SAE, SigEp, Sigma Chi, and ZBT
These five frats can probably be broken out into two distinct groups: Beta, SAE, and ZBT versus SigEp and Sigma Chi. SigEp and Sigma Chi are both very preppy and they have been around longer. SigEp in particular has an annoying sense of self worth that the other fraternities do not have. Sigma Chi is basically where all the Vineyard Vines guys go. Beta, SAE, and ZBT are newer on campus but they have grown tremendously. I think Beta started off really well but they have slipped in the past year or so. They are not doing as well in terms of recruitment. To me, they’re a wannabe SigEp. SAE has surprised me because they are definitely below radar but they’re getting good guys and they’re nice. ZBT is probably doing the best of the three. They just got chartered, have a nice house, and are really into philanthropy and stuff.

Stoner frats: Sammy and Zeta Psi
No one would dispute that these guys are awesome – but they’re also potheads. If you don’t smoke, don’t rush these guys.

RIP frats: Alpha Sig, Lambda Chi, and Pi Kapp
Alpha Sig was great my freshman year but they lost a lot of guys as a result of hazing issues and they don’t really have a presence on campus. Lambda never really took off at AU. They’re good guys and should be on the same level as Beta, SAE, and ZBT but they constantly struggle to recruit. Pi Kapp is going to die out. The guys are goobers and there is little sense of brotherhood. Their numbers are really low and they’re not doing anything to bring new guys in. I know ZBT kicked out a brother and he joined Pi Kapp because Pi Kapp desperately needed guys. The brother in question has now bankrupted Pi Kapp…