Getting Involved

Here at Georgia Tech there really is never a moment a student should find him or herself alone in their dorm room with nothing to do. There are hundreds of organizations centered around everything from religious and cultural background to sports and arts interest. Beyond the 400 or so there is the Greek system, a web of 33 fraternities and 9 sororities within which I have found myself a home. I pledged myself to Theta Chi fraternity, Alpha Nu chapter, and through which have played intramural football and will begin intramural bowling soon. I have attended parties, dinners, and have already found it a valuable asset to my education. Beyond the fraternity, I have come to be involved in homecoming committees, merely to be able to spread my social wings. I realize that the Greek community is not necessarily the majority and if I am to one day become a representative of this community I must know more of them then just my brothers at Theta Chi.
It is odd to think that when I first came to Georgia Tech now two months ago, I had not planned on joining a fraternity, definitely not this semester, but not even necessarily ever. However, I found myself running into some old friends I had not seen since Governor's Honors Program, and they showed me that the fraternal system isn't necessarily like that depicted in movies such as Animal House. Of course, convincing me was easier than convincing my mother, which I spent almost two weeks doing before she was ready to hear that I had already pledged. It was not necessarily an impulse action, it was something I did as soon as I did because I realized that no matter the cost or the time it took to convince my mother that it would be beneficial, it was something that I would do eventually, so why not sooner than later?
My time inside the fraternity has gained me knowledge about the history of both itself and my new school. There are hidden benefits, things that aren't necessarily discussed during rush week but that are found after spending hours upon hours within the house and with the brothers. While at Theta Chi, I've shared many new experiences, some good some bad but I realize that in life there is more than just how well one does in class, but how they got there. I think that experiences and the abilities gained from them are more useful on achieving goals than grades, that the confidence and ambition gained from knowing that you don't just represent yourself but a brotherhood of men you pledge yourself to is something that will enable me to pursue with more persistence and vigor my beliefs, hopes, and ideals than I would be able to otherwise. I would recommend the fraternal system to anyone.