How Important Is It That I Join A Fraternity Or A Sorority As A Freshman In A North American University?

Fraternities and sororities can play a very important role in extra-curricular student life at many colleges and universities in North America, but especially those in the United States. In some cases, the proportion of students who choose to join a fraternity can be very high. For example, over 55% of male undergraduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are members of a campus fraternity and 26% of female students are actively involved in a sorority.

Whether or not a first-year university student should join a fraternity ultimately depends on the strength, size and role of fraternities on a given campus, what they have to offer to members and the student's own interests.

In many US universities, the larger fraternities can provide accommodation for their members, thus providing an alternative to on-campus residences and dormitories. Fraternities place an emphasis on communal living, close bonds, social interaction and participation in a large number of extra-curricular activities. Consequently, Greek letter societies can be a great way to meet people and make new friends, especially for out-of-town students.

On the flip-side, heavy drinking and hazing is still a problem on some campuses.

In Canadian universities, the proportion of students who join fraternities is far lower than in most US schools. Fraternities are usually smallest in those universities where there is a high proportion of part-time students, such as at Concordia University in Montreal.

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