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Hey everyone!
I'm in a fraternity and I was curious if there was any boost that came along with having membership as a soft.

Also, are there a lot of Greeks on these message boards?

Just curious.

No and yes.

I'm greek, I would guess a large portion of law school applicants are. Unfortunately, I highly doubt it does much of anything... maybeeeee if the admissions officer happens to have been greek (or your specific organization)...

m

Merely being a member of a frat is nothin notable and not, by itself, a soft.

Being Prez or VP is a decent soft, but still nothing groundbreaking.

I actually think it could a be a detriment to your app. Tread carefully.

being in a fraternity/sorority is not a soft

daryldixon wrote:I actually think it could a be a detriment to your app. Tread carefully.

ha. someone watched Animal House one too many times.

WestWingWatcher wrote:

daryldixon wrote:I actually think it could a be a detriment to your app. Tread carefully.

ha. someone watched Animal House one too many times.

Nope. But fraternities and sororities have a negative stigma in our culture, especially among serious academics. I think it is highly dependent on region though.

holdencaulfield wrote:Merely being a member of a frat is nothin notable and not, by itself, a soft.

Being Prez or VP is a decent soft, but still nothing groundbreaking.

I'm with this guy. It maybe shows that you have been socially shaped for BigLawBro work, which is a plus, but frats/srats are becoming more and more obsolete and are looking less and less reputable. With that that said, being in a leadership position is always a good sign of your 'leadership ability!', in whatever context that may be. Unless, of course, your frat's reputation is nationally abominable; in which case, you could be stereotyped. Probably not, but maybe. Merely being a member, as Caufield says, is just as significant as being a member of the Students Against Hippies in Trees Club. It says nothing. So if you were the guy always drunk on the porch and weren't really an asset to the organization, I wouldn't expect much of it.
Good luck!

I'm a greek as well. Softs don't matter and won't give you a boost unless you were like a Rhodes Scholar or something.

Numbers numbers numbers.

LOL, sorry I found this funny. I am a greek too but seriously this is not a soft.

Leave the frat off your résumé when you start applying.

Could you imagine what a terrible society we would live in if frat membership offered an admission boost? I don't even want to think about it.

Mal Reynolds wrote:Could you imagine what a terrible society we would live in if frat membership offered an admission boost? I don't even want to think about it.

Yeah because all attorneys and law students now are the most upstanding citizens and have never been immature..

Shut up and chug, pledgefucks.

drevo wrote:

Mal Reynolds wrote:Could you imagine what a terrible society we would live in if frat membership offered an admission boost? I don't even want to think about it.

Yeah because all attorneys and law students now are the most upstanding citizens and have never been immature..

That's what I'm saying. It would be even worse.

I don't know about that. I've seen some jabroni fraternities up north but down here this stuff is pretty serious. Most people (on row) at the school I pledged had jobs lined up for them as soon as they graduated. I've already made a lot of really useful connections for jobs and internships (I'm working for the Georgia state senate now) using those networks. I wouldn't blow it off.

I think the brass tacks here is don't count on it to be a soft. You could mention your role and commitment to the organization, and if you run into some adcomm who is also a Kappa-whatever than it's a good personal connection. But the chances aren't always there. I'm sure it's also important to explain the usefulness of your affiliation so the ad comms don't "fill in the blanks for you" if you know what I mean.

holdencaulfield wrote:Merely being a member of a frat is nothin notable and not, by itself, a soft.

Being Prez or VP is a decent soft, but still nothing groundbreaking.

+1.

Also, I would argue that the "traditional" Greek image doesn't necessarily apply to minority orgs. There is a lot of pride in being a member of a Divine 9 or NALFO org. Aside from the networking opportunities, minority greeks provide countless leadership and cultural opportunities. Especially for those URM not "in touch" with their culture in a traditional sense.

For example, MLK was an Alpha. The Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi was founded at a time where the KKK ran rampant in Indiana. They provided a life raft for AA students. Being Greek is nothing to sniff at, societal stereotypes not withstanding.

.

NYC2012 wrote:

Danger Zone wrote:Leave the frat off your résumé when you start applying.

Politely disagree with this, I left my sorority on my resume (I had a couple minor leadership positions) and have been accepted to my top choices. Nothing wrong with showing you're socially competent.

Sorry I meant to real jobs. Anyone with a pulse and an LSAT can get into law school nowadays.

Danger Zone wrote:Leave the frat off your résumé when you start applying.

Definitely disagree here - whether for jobs or for law school apps, it won't hurt you to leave it on there. Assuming the rest of your application is solid, it may help slightly, especially if you can leverage your involvement to highlight your capacity for leadership, your interest in philanthropy, etc. I don't mean to oversell this; it certainly won't be a game changer - but if it's something you've put time and energy into, leave it. Purely anecdotal, but I discussed Greek involvement in apps and I think I've slightly over-performed my numbers thus far this cycle (again, probably due to other factors, but it hasn't hurt me).

stef1330 wrote:jabroni

This word needs to make a comeback.

But yeah, admissions people won't care.

I'd echo what others have said. I highlighted my membership by discussing leadership, philanthropy, community service, etc. Mere membership is unlikely to bring much of a boost unless you make the effort to frame it in a relevant manner. As a yankee this is pure speculation, but I feel like Greek organizations have more prestige in the South. It can't hurt to simply list it in the off chance it helps make a connection though. Any negative preconceptions would be marginal in my opinion, especially if you've demonstrated elsewhere that you have your act together.