The Best Decisions I Have Ever Made (Part 2 of 2)

If you read my previous post, you already know that recently my friend and I were pondering the best decisions of our life. While my “best” decision came to me immediately, my “second best” took a while. First, I attempted to narrow it down. Because I wanted to choose a decision that was completely mine, I eliminated the majority of my childhood because the people around me influenced those decisions too heavily. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I just wanted a decision that I could call completely my own.

I struggled to think of this decision; all that came to mind were relatively small decisions. Like joining a new club or deciding to study with a group rather than struggle through material by myself. While many of these decisions were good ones, they weren’t monumental enough for me to rank them as one of my best. And then it hit me. All of these decisions stemmed from the same place, Beta Theta Pi. It took me a while but eventually I realized joining a fraternity was one of the best decisions of my life.

When I first got to William & Mary, I barley knew what Greek life was. I had simply heard stories from my sister about what her sorority sisters were like. So when I went to my first rush event with my freshmen hall mates I was skeptical to say the least. Even after speaking with representatives from the majority of the fraternities I was still uncertain. They all said similar things, “brotherhood is important to us”, “we take ritual seriously”, “we have brothers that do this”, “we have brothers that do that”. Only after going through the pledge process did I understand what being in a fraternity was really about and what they were trying to say during those open houses. It’s something that’s nearly impossible to explain during a short encounter at “Meet the Greeks.”

Beta Theta Pi Fall Initiation 2010

The aspect that affected me most during my freshmen year was the presence of a support system that had already been through what I was going through. Most of the fraternities are big enough that if you wanted to try something new, chances are, there’s a brother that has either already done it themselves, or knows someone that has. I specifically remember several conversations I have had with older brothers that provided me invaluable advice. I always sort of realized this truth in the back of my mind but it wasn’t until last week that I really began to appreciate it. Last week, I was admitted into a club on campus, one I didn’t know that much about. Because I involved myself in my fraternity, I knew not one, not two, but three people I could call to discuss the pros and cons of joining this club. Having a support system like that during the transition time that is freshmen year is invaluable. My friendships with upperclassmen are some of the most valuable I have, and my fraternity was the catalyst that got them started. So here’s my message to incoming students: don’t be afraid of upperclassmen, they can help you in ways you could never imagine. And don’t worry, we don’t bite.

Another aspect was the friends I made during both the rush and pledge process. I was fortunate enough to have a pledge class composed of some of the greatest guys I have ever met. These are guys that I can talk to about anything and everything, from the zombie apocalypse to the macro-econ final. Although classes are extremely important, these friendships taught me that college is about so much more than just academics. I learned just as much, if not more, from my friends as I did in any classroom. While a class may teach you about calculus or Shakespeare, your friends have the uncanny ability to teach you about yourself. Again, these are friendships I never would have formed if I hadn’t rushed.

Now, don’t get me wrong, William and Mary is definitely NOT a school dominated by Greek life. I have plenty of friends that didn’t rush and chose to remain independent. At W&M, more-so than most schools with Greek life, I feel, that choice is respected by the Greek community, rather than looked down upon. I view Greek life at William and Mary as an incredible resource that can really help you through your four years here, the choice of whether or not to use it is up to you.

My fraternity helped me in nearly every aspect of my freshmen year. It helped me in my academics, athletics (Intramural sports anyone?), extracurriculars and social life. I can honestly say that the vast majority of the good things about my freshmen year stemmed from my membership in a fraternity. My summarizing advice to you: if you’re even slightly considering rushing, come out and listen to us attempt the impossible and explain what it’s all about.