[andthen]

Originally Posted by weasuhl

I also posted: http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...d.php?t=140659

I'm now 99% sure I want to transfer out.

https://talk.collegeconfidential.com...prospects.html

Are my list of possible schools. It's a very broad list right now but I still have about a year to decide so in that time I'm sure it'll narrow. As of right now, I believe:

80%+ chance of admission at
University of Colorado at Boulder
Virginia Tech
University of Ohio
Washington State
West Virginia University
Western Oregon
Michigan State
Purdue University
Wake Forest University

With a decent chance at
California Berk (although i'm out of state)
Carnegie Mellon
Colgate University (possibly a bit more of a reach, not sure I want to attend)

Other colleges I'm not sure of.

Here's where greek life comes in..once again I'm not sure about joining the fraternity I received a bid and am currently pledging for. They just started this semester so obviously there are some kinks that need to be worked out, but nonetheless incidents that make me hesitant to join. I know some of you had great experiences in small organizations but since I will be transferring to a larger school there will be very nice greek organization houses, etc that I'll probably be attracted to. I'm just not sure if I want to commit to a social fraternity here to enjoy it for about 2 semesters and 3 weeks and then transfer several thousand miles away.

The catch here is that throughout my life i've done little service/philanthropy on my own time. The current calendar for the fraternity is, to me, overwhelming. I'm sure all of these things would look superb on a transfer application or resume. What I'm trying to say is, I'm not even sure if i'll be able to transfer without the fraternity's help. I definitely don't wish to "use" the fraternity for a resume builder, that's just immoral. I'm just really not sure.

I've tried looking into colleges "without greek life" and there are some prospects there, Western Oregon, Michigan State, for example. I've also considered I could always join a service fraternity at my new school. I'm just not sure.

As I said before, I really think joining the fraternity would make my experience at my current university better but i'm 99% sure I plan to transfer. I'm just not sure what to do. I'm about three weeks away from initiation, with a lot of doubts about how to spend the next three years of my life. Please, post away.

Also, although I'm sure the majority of you here are involved in Greek life, have any of you been in the situation where you transferred and there was not a chapter of your frat/sor there? More specifically, did you feel excluded from any social aspects or service aspects, any feelings of longing to want to be included, any feelings of regret?

Thanks. & if you actually look at the link feel free to chance me at the various schools, much appreciated!

Ok I'm going to provide a response with the assumption that you are 100% going to leave although I have no way of predicting the future. I did transfer from a small school with greek life to another small school without greek life. For me the decision was in part due to the major I wanted to pursue that wasn't offered at the college I started off with. As far as missing out on the social or service aspects with going to a school without greek life. I will be honest my course of study kept me plenty busy, and there was an abundance to get involved according to my schedule. That's the one great thing about college you have a variety of opportunities to pursue activities. I don't feel like I missed out on anything.

With regard to prospects and building up your resume in order to transfer to another school, at least in my case which was a while ago, the primary thing the school I pursued cared about were my grades. The secondary thing they looked at were the types of classes I was taking that contributed to my grades. For example if you have a 4.0 and taking a heavy science and math concentration its a lot different than having a 4.0 and taking heavy basket weaving concentration (unless of course you're pursuing the arts).

Secondly I am a bit concerned about your statement about nice greek houses at a larger campus that you might be drawn to. This is sort of like the analogy a person is focused on one thing at a moment in time, and then "oooh bright shiny object" With those "nice" houses may have various caveats, like higher dues, or requirements that you live in the house etc. So just because a house is "nice" be prepared for a potential trade-off.

In closing, really the decision to continue with the fraternity you're involved with while you remain at your current school is ultimately your decision. As is determining whether or not you want to transfer. Although I would encourage you to base your decision to transfer on what is best for you in pursuit of your educational and future career path. I wish you success on whatever you end up deciding on.