Fraternity worth it? Anyone can answer Forum

[Da1andOnlyPharo]

Hey so anyone in law school or a graduate can answer, it doesn't have to be someone that was in a fraternity. I normally would cringe at the thought of joining a fraternity but my guess is that law school frats are somewhat different than UG frats. The reason I'm asking is because I happened upon some admission materials for University of Michigan which I am planning on attending and they showed a bunch of rent costs for nearby apartment rentals; the average seemed to be around $800. There was also a flyer for a fraternity that said their rent was $450/month. So I'm considering it merely for the rent savings. Anyone know how much fraternity dues would be? If they're less than, say, $4000 a year, it seems like it'd be economically worth it.

On top of that, I've always heard of the other practical benefits of joining a frat. Networking, making friends, resume builder, etc. Does this apply to Law School the same way it does with UG frats? Are they competitive/hard to get in? What credentials do they look for when applying? Do they let 1L's in usually?

Whatever thoughts you guys have on this would certainly be useful. This is the first time I've entertained the idea.

[manofjustice]

bump. I am interested in this as well.

[atcushman]

Benefits of law school frats for me so far

access to outline data base!!! (this is priceless)
access to events where booze is served
access to alumni who have been consuming booze at said events
cost something like $60 for all three years

Worth it and just because you are a member dosent mean you have to be active.

You should double check to make sure this is a law school frat you DO NOT want to be living with UGs! There have been a number of threads on TLS debating whether it's a good idea to even live with law students so you should look into that.

The frat i joined didnt require you to do much some of the 2/3Ls came up and talked to us and invited us to join we signed up on the national frat site and then they had this initiation ceremony and we all went to a bar!!! The social/networking benefits are pretty legit even if your just using it for cheap/free booze

[Da1andOnlyPharo]

Thanks for the response. Would you mind saying where you go? And what frat you're in?

[ndirish2010]

There are law school frats? Crazy.

[Br3v]

There are law school frats? Crazy.

Yeah, what? How common is this?

[atcushman]

phi alpha delta

some prominent members

Willam Taft
Woodrow Wilson
Warren Harding
James Carter
William Clinton
Tom Clark
Warren Burger
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Stephen Breyer
Samuel Alito
Joseph Biden
Hillary Clinton
Christopher Bond
Sam Brownback
Robert Byrd
Christopher Dodd
James Inhofe
Richard Lugar
Lisa Murkowski
Richard Shelby
Arlen Specter
Joseph Lieberman
Gus Bilirakis
Roy Blunt
G.K. Butterfield
Marcia Fudge
Charles Gonzales
Bart Gordon
Al Green
Luis Gutierrez
Alcee Hastings
Timothy Johnson
Zoe Lofgren
Alan Mollohan
Dennis Moore
Michael Pence
Charles Rengel
Harold Rogers
F. James Sensenbrenner
Frank Wolf
Nydia Velazquez

[Br3v]

You're joking right?

[rad lulz]

phi alpha delta has a house at UMich, unlike every other PhiD chapter. I know someone who lives there and she says it's fun. It's not like a real fraternity where you chill w bros and wear loafers and croakies and slay box though.

[atcushman]

You're joking right?

about?

[atcushman]

OP/others interested in law frats this article may help

http://www.lawcrossing.com/article/2737 ... ternities/#

[Aqualibrium]

Aside from the house thing, you can get all those "benefits" without joining. The outlines you can get from upperclassmen or friends in PAD. The networking opportunities don't matter if you're socially awkward, and if you can get along with people and hold a conversation, every time you step out of the house is a networking opportunity. All that said, join if you want to...it can't hurt. Plus PAD has a few retail and rental car discounts for members.

[busted]

Law school fraternities are a complete waste of time and money.

[RodneyBoonfield]

Law school fraternities are a completely different breed from traditional college fraternities or "frats". You will not have anywhere near the same experience and should not waste your time. To put it simply, joining a law school fraternity is NF (see totalfratmove.com).

[atcushman]

I was bein a bit of a dbag posting the list of prominent members but I think to say they are a total waste is of time and money is bit of a joke too. I don't think it is really any more or less valuable than most of the other clubs you join. It was an easy way for me to meet 2Ls early and they held some panels the first few weeks of school that were pretty interesting including different techniques for outlining and briefing (I have a suspicion a few of the 2Ls are on here b/c the echoed much of the same advice). They also have coordinated a bunch of networking opportunities. I suppose its like everything else in that it is different at every school and every person has a different experience with them. Mine so far has been positive and I commit as much or as little time as I want.

[RodneyBoonfield]

LOL

[Da1andOnlyPharo]

Alright. Some varied viewpoints here. Still sounds like it'd be worth it to save money, but the other benefits seem pretty meh. Cushman, are you saying the dues for PHID are only $20 a year?

[atcushman]

I cant remember if there was a difference between payin per year or all up front but I paid $60 for all 3 years. I think you will find the benefits of joining any student club/org in law school pretty meh so the argument Rodney makes could be ALL law school orgs are a waste of time and money

[DaftAndDirect]

Phid is just a house with 25 people in it. Most of them are cool. You should all seriously consider living there.