A few questions
 

I realize there is no way for anyone reading this to tell me what my chances of getting a bid are. However, I am a sophomore rushing and most of the other rushees are freshman. Do you think that helps or hurts my chances of getting in? Most of the frat members are sophomores and a few juniors. Also, if you could give me a guess, how many people do you think are in an average fraternity at a 10,000 student school? Thanks.

:)

What is an average fraternity?

And what is stopping you from seeing how many members there are when you're going through rush?

Being anything other than a freshman, generally, is a negative. How much it affects you depends on your school and whether sophomores pledge often. At my own school, for example, sophomores pledging was a very normal occurrence.

At some schools with a 10k enrollment, fraternity chapters could be 70-80 members. At other schools, they could be 20-30 members. It really depends on your school.

The term "average fraternity" is pretty broad and can vary so much from school to school. My oldest son attends a southern university that has right at 20,000 students and 14 IFC fraternities. Chapter memberships typically range from about 35 brothers up to almost 100. Several fall into the 50-60 member range. My son has several former classmates at Valdosta State which has about 12,000 students, and again, fraternities of various sizes. I know of one that has about 35 brothers and another that has over 60. (I also have a good friend whose son just pledged at the University of Georgia and his Fall 2011 pledge class alone has almost 50 young men!)

As Knight Shadow said, just check out the individual chapters at your school when you rush. You can also visit their websites. Many have member listings that are open to public view and you may be able to see a headcount there.

As for sophomore status being a negative, again, it depends on the school. I do know guys who have rushed and pledged strong chapters as sophomores, and doing so does not seem to be as difficult as it can be for sophomore girls participating in sorority recruitment. Fraternities are not limited by quotas like sororities are, so that can help. STILL, and sorry to keep saying it, but it does depend on your school and its Greek culture.

The major criteria to getting a bid is whether the fraternity members consider you to be a good addition to their brotherhood. Be open to learning about all the chapters and finding the right fit -- and think about what you have to bring to the table. Good luck with recruitment!

Sorry for not being clear. I'm trying to figure out how many bids they are giving out without asking them. Currently there are 19 members.

Also, does the president have the ultimate decision in who gets the bids, or is a group vote? I guess what I'm asking is if the president has more power in the acceptance process than the rest of the members. Thanks.

We don't know "them" so we don't know how many bids "they" are giving out. That's not something you should be worrying about, though. You need to put your best foot forward and hope for the best.

How members are chosen is not something that non-members are privy to.

Sure, but I think there could still be an answer to that question.

That doesn't make sense.

The way my fraternity chooses members may differ from the way Joe Smith's fraternity chooses members. Hell, the way my CHAPTER chooses members may be different than the way another chapter of my fraternity chooses.

Again, we are not "them" so we don't know. And as a non-member, it's really not your business. The only thing you can do is present yourself in a positive light so that the brothers can determine whether or not you are a good fit.

The president of the frat keeps inviting me to hang with the fraternity even out side of rush. Is this a good sign for getting a bid, or does it not really matter?

Your question has been answered.

It depends. We don't know what his intentions are. We can't read his mind.

My best advice to you is to hang out with these guys and talk to them. Strangers on the internet have no idea if a fraternity at your school wants to give you a bid or what a good sign is. I've hung out with people who I knew my chapter had no plans on giving a bid to.

If your father was in the frat you are rushing, does that give you a much better chance of getting in, or is that just a myth?

Sorry, im new to this whole frat thing. An explanation would be nice.