Admission To U. of I. gets tougher

[SnB]

i'm pretty much an asshole and i learned that assholes and douchebags aren't neccessarily a good mix...sometimes i rule thou.

k

[THEWOOD]

For one I don't need to buy my friends.  I would actually like to hear what is so great about a frat.  Everytime I've asked for an explanation from friends of mine who are in them, I get nothing that makes any sense.

 

 

You do realize it is an organization. People who say that you are buying friends do not know what they are talking about. It cost me less to live in the house then it would, had I lived in an apartment on campus.

 

It is a chance to be a part of something. Greek systems are very active in community service, fundraising and volunteer work. Yes we throw parties. Do you not attend house parties of your own? It is the same thing just on a much bigger scale.

 

The friends that I made in my fraternity are people who I will continue to be friends with for the rest of my life. I feel bad for someone who can not experience that type of friendship. The fraternity also opens up a lot of doors when you need to get a job out of college. People will help you get your foot in the door because you are a part of the same organization.

 

There is a lot more to it than you guys will ever understand, which is fine. We all make choices when we go to college. It really sounds more like you guys are jealous of the people who are in the fraternities/sororities.

[SnB]

There is a lot more to it than you guys will ever understand, which is fine.  We all make choices when we go to college.  It really sounds more like you guys are jealous of the people who are in the fraternities/sororities.

why would I be jealous when I can easily join one if I wanted to?

 

For me, I don't understand going into an organization and making friends with people with different interests. I make friends with people who have the same interest as me, not because we want "to be part of something".

 

I'll agree that organizations like these have a good premise, it's just, at least at our school, they're filled with alot of the wrong people. Kids at our school think about the greek system as a kind of "special party system".

 

The frats at our school are filled with "those guys", you know, the ones that everyone in your high school thought were jerks, but never told them because they were too popular.

 

So maybe I have a skewed view of the greek system, but from my eyes, there is absolutely nothing that makes me want to join one. I'll make my friends by who I get along with and have common interests with, and not just because "they're in my house".

 

It's definitely not about jealousy, because there isn't an inch of my self that wants to be around those kind of people.

[bmags]

why would I be jealous when I can easily join one if I wanted to? 

 

For me, I don't understand going into an organization and making friends with people with different interests.  I make friends with people who have the same interest as me, not because we want "to be part of something".

 

I'll agree that organizations like these have a good premise, it's just, at least at our school, they're filled with alot of the wrong people.  Kids at our school think about the greek system as a kind of "special party system".

 

The frats at our school are filled with "those guys", you know, the ones that everyone in your high school thought were jerks, but never told them because they were too popular.

 

So maybe I have a skewed view of the greek system, but from my eyes, there is absolutely nothing that makes me want to join one.  I'll make my friends by who I get along with and have common interests with, and not just because "they're in my house".

 

It's definitely not about jealousy, because there isn't an inch of my self that wants to be around those kind of people.

 

i have to say i've been to U of I a lot...and your greek system is ...seems...a lot different than ours at mizzou. Maybe its because our campus is such a dry campus (SUCH)...but your frats really did come off as the way you say it. Coming to college i never wanted to join a frat and in reality this is the only one i would have joined...due to friends who joined/lack of gay hazing ... NIU's frats were terrible too. So i guess its college to college.

[WCSox]

Not every frat/sorority member is a douchebag but most of the douchebags I've ever met belonged to one.

 

From my experience, there's a difference between the average Greek system people from large schools and those from smaller schools. Fewer of the ones from smaller schools seem to fall into the douchebag category.

[WCSox]

i'm pretty much an asshole and i learned that assholes and douchebags aren't neccessarily a good mix...sometimes i rule thou.

 

[Rowand44]

  It really sounds more like you guys are jealous of the people who are in the fraternities/sororities.

Well that makes 0 sense considering I could join a frat if I wanted to.

[IlliniKrush]

why would I be jealous when I can easily join one if I wanted to? 

 

For me, I don't understand going into an organization and making friends with people with different interests.  I make friends with people who have the same interest as me, not because we want "to be part of something".

 

I'll agree that organizations like these have a good premise, it's just, at least at our school, they're filled with alot of the wrong people.  Kids at our school think about the greek system as a kind of "special party system".

 

The frats at our school are filled with "those guys", you know, the ones that everyone in your high school thought were jerks, but never told them because they were too popular.

 

So maybe I have a skewed view of the greek system, but from my eyes, there is absolutely nothing that makes me want to join one.  I'll make my friends by who I get along with and have common interests with, and not just because "they're in my house".

 

It's definitely not about jealousy, because there isn't an inch of my self that wants to be around those kind of people.

 

I couldn't have said it better, this is perfectly logical and makes sense for U of I, for sure.

[aboz56]

So wait, since I wear North Face, I'm a douchebag.

 

Wow, great logic there.

 

[santo=dorf]

North Face sucks.

 

To me it looks like overpriced Old Navy gear with a 1980's NBC logo on it.

 

I'd rather wear my Sox jacket.

[Cerbaho-WG]

So wait, since I wear North Face, I'm a douchebag.

 

Wow, great logic there.

 

 

It's easier for us to thin out people we want to meet!!!

 

Alex, since you went to IU, you know that just about every f***ing frat boy or sorostitute wears North Face. They're probably just assuming that only frat/sorority members wear it, but it's not exactly hard to spot frat boys or sorority girls from miles away, especially at a state college.

 

As for UIUC lowering their admission standards, this means that IU gets more Chicagoan suburbanite rejects! Hooray, now I can be told by more future business leaders of America that I'm utterly worthless and I'll be scraping the bottom of the corporate ladder by triple majoring in something other than business. Hopefully they roll their SUVs bought by their parents on the way down I-65.

[THEWOOD]

Well that makes 0 sense considering I could join a frat if I wanted to.

 

 

You can attempt to join any fraternity you wish but that doesnt mean they will accept you. There is a rush and bid process. Then the whole pledging time which will really weed out who wants to be there.

 

On the topic of being friends with people who have the same interests, thats why there is so many fraternities. Each fraternity is different, and attracts different types of members. Yes there will be 2 or 3 that are basically the same but for the most part each one has a different type of crowd.

[Flash Tizzle]

So wait, since I wear North Face, I'm a douchebag.

 

Wow, great logic there.

 

Unless someone said something more specific concerning North Face that I missed, I said there's a large number of douchebags who wear it. I didn't group everyone together.

 

Honestly, I don't care what people wear. Everyone poses their personal style off of someone else. I only buy Abercrombie jeans--not becaues everyone else wears them or some gay model told me to, but they happen to be the brand which fits best. Similarily, more people likely purchase North Face clothing because of it's durability than the notion popular students prefer it.

Edited March 26, 2006 by Flash Tizzle

[AddisonStSox]

I agree with Snb and Krush on a lot of things; your position on fraternities, however, is not one of them.

 

I'm torn regarding the recent admissions change:

 

-On one hand, I believe this school needs to get back on track academically. U of I has lowered in rank since my first year here and I do believe this a positive stride in an attempt to raise those rankings. This is the state's flagship university for a reason; this is not a place for every Tom, Dick, and Harry. If this university wants to maintain the positive, national reputation it has in the work-force, raising admission requirements in our leading schools--Eng, Bus, etc.--is a good move. I've noticed there are a lot of students here that aren't on the same level academically as the rest of us. Period. Sorry to sound harsh there. This is probably a great transition into Affirmative Action and my passionate stance on that issue, but, that is for another day.

 

I've been told by multiple advisors that state-schools used to look solely at academic statistics when admitting students. I've also been told that that is no longer the case. I think they have been taking more things into consideration as of late--i.e. extra curricular activities, extenuating circumstances, and the like.

 

At the end of the day, however, I think it comes down to me being a pompous elitist in liking these changes. I do take pride in going to this institution. I worked my ass off in high school to get here and damn near killed myself my junior year of high school--suffering from some serious stress/chronic-pain issues. Frankly, seeing some of the idiots here really bothers me. I'll be applying to law schools in the next year or so and I like the fact that my UIUC degree means something out there. A degree from this institution should be viewed with at least some degree of appreciation, or respect, or whichever of the two terms makes me seem less of an elitist. These changes might help maintain that.

 

-On the other hand, I feel this school has some responsibility to its in-state students. Although I haven't gone over that article with a fine-tooth comb, it would appear at least some of our qualified in-state students are getting the shaft and that just isn't right. I don't know if this is an attempt to obtain more revenue from out-of-state students or there are some other things going on with those students that I just am not aware of, but, I don't like the idea of qualified in-state students being turned down by their state's flagship university. However, I also understand a school is not ranked on the students it accepts, but, the students it declines...maybe you understand my fence-sitting here.

 

 

I also see students here--mostly north of Green St.--that can not communicate with their fellow students...it's painful. They may be brilliant in certain fields, but, if they struggle speaking the language and other students are losing out in admissions on that, that also bothers me.

 

It is a tough situation. I don't quite know where I stand on it.

Edited March 27, 2006 by AddisonStSox

[mr_genius]

Are you really serious?

 

NU is the 12th ranked national university by US News.  I wouldnt say U of I is comparable academically.

 

it matters what your major is

 

for example, U of I is in the top 5 in the country for computer science. i would hire a U of I grad well before a Northwestern graduate for what we do at work.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

I also see students here--mostly north of Green St.--that can not communicate with their fellow students...it's painful.  They may be brilliant in certain fields, but, if they struggle speaking the language and other students are losing out in admissions on that, that also bothers me.

 

I'm not familiar with the u of i campus or champaign...but what's north of Green St?

[LowerCaseRepublican]

I'm not familiar with the u of i campus or champaign...but what's north of Green St?

North of Green is engineering/computer science, etc. Basically the really competitive schools to get into.

[AssHatSoxFan]

North of Green is engineering/computer science, etc.  Basically the really competitive schools to get into.

North of Green is where all the geniuses like me nerd up and south of green is where LCR goes to his crummy run down buildings and classrooms

[IlliniKrush]

You can attempt to join any fraternity you wish but that doesnt mean they will accept you.  There is a rush and bid process.  Then the whole pledging time which will really weed out who wants to be there.

 

On the topic of being friends with people who have the same interests, thats why there is so many fraternities.  Each fraternity is different, and attracts different types of members.  Yes there will be 2 or 3 that are basically the same but for the most part each one has a different type of crowd.

LOL, you can rush like 40 frats at a time. I have never heard from a person that wanted to get into a fraternity but couldn't get in...

[AssHatSoxFan]

EDIT I posted my statement in the wrong but I might as well add that at U of I if you were truely serious about getting into a frat there is no way that you couldnt

Edited March 27, 2006 by AssHatSoxFan

[THEWOOD]

LOL, you can rush like 40 frats at a time. I have never heard from a person that wanted to get into a fraternity but couldn't get in...

 

You obviously do not understand how the process works. Yes you can RUSH any number you like but that does not mean they will give you a bid. Yes some of the s***ty ones will let anyone and everyone in, but the top ones can and are very selective on to who they give bids.

[KWs OK for Me]

EDIT I posted my statement in the wrong but I might as well add that at U of I if you were truely serious about getting into a frat there is no way that you couldnt

I am one of these "fratboys" that a lot of people here seem to hate and I completely agree with this statement. I'm at another big ten school thought, not U of I. If you rush a frat hard enough odds are that you will get into it. Fraternitities are almost always looking to take as many people as possible at the beginning and try to weed them out as time goes on through pledging.

 

The one thing I don't understand is all the greek hate, maybe because at Wisconsin the greek system is relatively small as compared to IU and U of I. But, at least in my case, I don't think either way about people who aren't in frats, why the hell do they than think of me with such cliche stereotypes. A frat is a cheap place to live, a good way to meet friends freshman year, and a great place to have fun. It is no more or less than that in my opinion. People boast about their pride in whatever frat they are, but honestly who gives a f***? If they think that their house is something special and greater than everyone else than let them. You will always have people on both sides of this. Personally, I don't understand how people get so wrapped up in "the history and legacy of the house." Yea I know we get it in engrained into us during pledging (and trust me everyone tries their hardest to get the pledges into that, pledging was not an easy experience for me) but I never understood how someone can so blindly get attached to things like that.

 

On the U of I admission things, what this topic originally was, I have no problem with U of I raising their admission standards, however, I think they need to change their admissions procedures. If they are going to do a rolling admission with the deadline for early action (or something like that, I remember it was around November 1) I feel that they have to get back to people, all people on a timely basis. If they are on the bubble and not decided yet they should let them know that they are deferring their decision until Feb/Mar/Apr/May or whenever it is going to be. The 1 simple reason why I am not at U of I right now instead of Wisonsin is because U of I waited too long to get back to me. It took them nearly five months to send me my acceptance, and I don't think I was really that borderline of an admittance (top 1% SAT, top 3% ACT, National Merit Scholar, Top 20% high school class). From personal experience I feel like that turnaround time is important, but with such a large application base U of I has no real reason to improve these methods.

[G&T]

I was a Kappa Sigma at Marquette. Best experience I ever had. We actually prided ourselves on always getting guys who said they would never join a fraternity and thought it was stupid. I said the same stuff before I joined.

[Steff]

So wait, since I wear North Face, I'm a douchebag.

 

Wow, great logic there.

 

 

 

 

Oh gosh no. You're a douchebag for so many other reasons.

 

 

 

 

 

[bmags]

I am one of these "fratboys" that a lot of people here seem to hate and I completely agree with this statement.  I'm at another big ten school thought, not U of I.  If you rush a frat hard enough odds are that you will get into it.  Fraternitities are almost always looking to take as many people as possible at the beginning and try to weed them out as time goes on through pledging.

 

The one thing I don't understand is all the greek hate, maybe because at Wisconsin the greek system is relatively small as compared to IU and U of I.  But, at least in my case, I don't think either way about people who aren't in frats, why the hell do they than think of me with such cliche stereotypes.  A frat is a cheap place to live, a good way to meet friends freshman year, and a great place to have fun.  It is no more or less than that in my opinion.  People boast about their pride in whatever frat they are, but honestly who gives a f***?  If they think that their house is something special and greater than everyone else than let them.  You will always have people on both sides of this.  Personally, I don't understand how people get so wrapped up in "the history and legacy of the house."  Yea I know we get it in engrained into us during pledging (and trust me everyone tries their hardest to get the pledges into that, pledging was not an easy experience for me) but I never understood how someone can so blindly get attached to things like that.

 

On the U of I admission things, what this topic originally was, I have no problem with U of I raising their admission standards, however, I think they need to change their admissions procedures.  If they are going to do a rolling admission with the deadline for early action (or something like that, I remember it was around November 1) I feel that they have to get back to people, all people on a timely basis.  If they are on the bubble and not decided yet they should let them know that they are deferring their decision until Feb/Mar/Apr/May or whenever it is going to be.  The 1 simple reason why I am not at U of I right now instead of Wisonsin is because U of I waited too long to get back to me.  It took them nearly five months to send me my acceptance, and I don't think I was really that borderline of an admittance (top 1% SAT, top 3% ACT, National Merit Scholar, Top 20% high school class).  From personal experience I feel like that turnaround time is important, but with such a large application base U of I has no real reason to improve these methods.

 

i pretty much agree with everything in this post...and wow we had the same test scores but not that great class rank. I didn't apply to u of i for silly reasons which i've mentioned before (i had no idea what i was doing when i was applying for colleges) but wisconsin waitlisted me while a kid with a 3.5 gpa, top 10% act, no sat got in right away to wisconsin so i was like f*** this i'll do journalism at mizzou and haven't really looked back (except for our lame ass halloween.)