Tuesday, January 17, 2012
#1 - A Semester of Hard Works Makes a Brother for Life
My first semester as a freshman at Penn State was one full of excitement and opportunity; but at the same time, it was one full of stress, time management, and the occasional long night. Pledging a fraternity is in no way an easy task. Committing hours upon hours of my time to show my support and willingness to join the brotherhood was daunting among the acclimation and first semester schoolwork I was experiencing. Thinking it would never end, I kept my head up and before I knew it initiation time had come and winter break soon followed. Now that second semester had started and pledging is long gone, time seems infinite. I can now devote much more effort to class and school work, making new friends and chilling with old ones, extracurricular activities including my THON committee, getting in shape by lifting weights and running, and de-stressing at the end of the day by watching my favorite TV program. I do not regret my decision to join a fraternity or when I decided to enter into the process of becoming a brother. Although I may have neglected my friends more than I would have liked, I am now able to devote much more time to forming bonds and lasting relationships with those who mean something. By joining a fraternity, I am not only entering into a brotherhood for my time here at Penn State, I am entering into something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Many think "frat bros" are idiots who like to party and get with girls. In reality, they are much more than that. These guys are gentlemen who not only work to better themselves, but also work to better the school and community. Alpha Tau Omega (ATO), the fraternity I joined, is Penn State's top Greek fundraiser for THON and it has been for many years. I look up to the older brothers in the house with respect and look to them for guidance. They have a lot to teach me and I have a lot to learn.
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I felt pretty overwhelmed last semester as well, and having seen several friends go through the pledging process, and one even dropping, I'm sure doing so on top of everything else could not have been easy. This past semester was such an adjustment but it's great that you stayed committed and can go into this semester not only with it behind you, but also with a new family to call yours. In such a large school its so easy to feel lonely or homesick if you don't take the opportunity to get involved. Being so far from my life back in CT, and getting used to college, I'm happy to have found my place here in THON, afrotc, and more. It sounds like you've had no problem either. I also apologize that this comment is super long, but I'm not sure how long they're soposed to be haha. But anyways, hope you have fun canning this weekend !
ReplyDeleteI think it's awesome that you're in a fraternity! I'm in a sorority myself (Kappa Delta) and I have a bunch of friends who pledged this past semester. I know they went through a lot from pledging and I would see them super stressed out and miserable all the time. I'm extremely proud of all of them and you should be proud of yourself for sticking through pledging and finally having the honor of being a brother. Alpha Tau Omega is a great frat and I know they also do a ton of work for THON with ZTA. Being a part of Greek life is so amazing, and I'm sure you can agree with me that it's a lot of fun too! Enjoy your semester without pledging and again congrats on finally becoming a brother!
ReplyDeleteI've had students writing about the pledging process before--it sounds like it's a ton of work. Now that you're in it though, do you feel like the fraternity is supportive of your school work?
ReplyDeleteI feel they are supportive of my school work. Our chapter president stresses a good GPA over anything else. We are rewarded for getting a good GPA because it affects the rest of the house. In addition, many of the older brothers have gone through the same courses I am currently taking as a freshman. I can go to them for help or advice when I am struggling.
DeleteA lot of the boys on my floor pledged this and last semester, and it looked like a horrific process. But all of them that got initiated did agree it was all worth it. Congratulations on being a brother!
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