Mailbag: Should I Re-Pledge A Fraternity That I Already Pledged And Dropped?

Jared Borislow7 years ago

I received the following email on Monday, but I have a strict rule where I don’t open any emails on my birthday so I’m just now getting to it and all the other unopened messages in my inbox. I think I’m just going to skip over that “RE: Your Termination” email from our CEO Madison that I see in there, though. Unread, out of mind. Same goes for that “You tested positive for…” email from the doctor’s office. Why’s she clickbaiting me, anyways? Pretty sure I don’t need any extra motivation to open emails from her other than “you might die and/or your dick might fall off only to be consumed by ravenous opossums if you ignore this email.” And that’s why I’m ignoring it — out of principle. Luckily I still have health insurance until I open that email from Madison, so I’ll be fine given any outcome.

Need some advice:

So I am a freshman at college and my social life is pretty dead because I am not in a fraternity. I have a lot of friends from a fraternity I pledged but dropped due to a multitude of reasons who would give me a bid if I rerushed this spring quarter(on quarter system) or I can wait until fall(next school year) to pledge and would have a good chance to get a bid at a upper middle tier that I feel I might fit in better with from the guys I have met but it’s not a lock. Should I pledge spring quarter or roll the dice and wait for fall to try for the better house?

Let me know

P.S. love the podcast

It’s tough to give you a complete answer without knowing the exact reasons why you dropped the fraternity you’re considering re-pledging the first time around. There are some reasons, such as you not feeling comfortable there or disliking some core parts of the fraternity’s culture, that would lead to me telling you to not even consider re-pledging and to wait until fall and rush other fraternities. If you felt so out of place in this fraternity that you dropped in the past, you’ll most likely either A) Drop again or B) Stick it out and be miserable. If, however, you dropped this fraternity due to health reasons, family emergencies, or some other reasons that had nothing to do with you not liking the fraternity itself, definitely consider re-pledging sooner than fall if you still feel like you’d be a good fit there.

With all that being said, you have a few viable options.

1. Re-pledge the fraternity this spring quarter

If you still think you’d enjoy being a member of the fraternity you already dropped, go and re-pledge. However, don’t hesitate to drop if you end up not liking it again. You might get some shit from the brothers for pledging and dropping twice, but it’s better to get a little shit then join a fraternity that’s a better fit for you in the fall than it is to be stuck being a member of a fraternity you hate until you die.

2. Open up your options in fall

Just because you don’t re-pledge the fraternity now doesn’t mean you can’t in fall. Plus, if you wait until fall to re-pledge, you have the added bonus of being able to rush all the other fraternities while also considering re-pledging your old one to see if re-pledging is, indeed, the right option for you. It’ll suck to go even longer than you already have feeling like you have no social life, but this idea is probably the safest option. As an added bonus, you’ll get to be a member of a real fall pledge class and not a spring quarter pledge class wherever you decide to pledge, whatever the hell one of those looks like.

3. Start your own fraternity

It’s all the work of being in a fraternity with none of the fun!

Best of luck to you..