Frat parties are a fantasy that comes with the idea of going to college. We all remember pictures and videos of our graduated friends, seeing them dress up and get drunk at these themed parties that we had only attempted (and probably failed) to replicate in high school, and longed for the day we could either join the frat or attend the events. Then finally, the time came that you got to #college, and that dream came to an end very quickly. If you’re one of the boys who does decide to pledge and join the frat world, you’ll realize pretty immediately that these parties come with a catch or two, due to the stupidity of college students and (some) underage drinking. However, if you decide that you’d only like to be frat on the weekends and not pledge, just go to the parties. Congratulations. You now have until Friday to realize the exact same thing.
1. Frat houses get packed, fast.
If you arrive on time, which not many do, you’ll have the benefit of about 10 minutes to start drinking from the open bar before the line forms. Then everyone else will show up, and you’ll suddenly find yourself with a shortage of air and about 1 inch of space each way to move.
2. Fraternities are sexist about who they let in.
Many frat parties turn out to be 90% girls, 10% guys who belong to said frat. I’m not pinning all fraternities as being choosy or sexist about who they let in, but lets just say almost every frat invitation I’ve ever gotten has said girls and “insert fraternity here” guys only. And I know I’m not the only person who’s been asked “who do you know here?” regardless of if i’d only been there 5 minutes or 2 hours.
3. Themed parties are basically the same rules as halloween when it comes to girls having the excuse to wear minimal clothing.
Oh, an office themed party! Lingerie and a tie seems office-y, right?
4. Frat parties generally mean open bars or keggers, which ultimately equals drunk people.
Drunk people aren’t all bad, sometimes they’re really fun. But just wait until you find yourself surrounded by one of the the not-so-fun drunks and end up with vomit on your shoes, chances are it was the girl in the lingerie and tie.
5. Combine the facts that frat houses get packed and everyone inside gets drunk, and you’re left with a big, inescapable pack of sweaty people.
Sure it’s fine when you’re dancing and you get a little hot, but it’s less fine when you’re bumped against a shirtless soaking wet frat guy. Trust me when I say very few things are worse than feeling someone else’s sweat touch your skin.
6. We have to worry about things being slipped in our drinks
Not all frat guys are going to try to drop a roofie in your solo cup. But ladies have to have their drinks in hand and in sight 100% of the time just in case. Because you never know if the one time you “set it down for like, two seconds” is the one time you really shouldn’t have.
7. Cops
I know this may come as a shock, but it turns out that it’s illegal to consume alcohol if you’re under the age of 21, even if you’re a college student! Unfortunately, frat parties are located in frat houses, which are found in neighborhoods that can sometimes have neighbors, that aren’t too fond of loud music at 2 AM. Whether it starts as the cops getting called for a noise complaint, or the party actually gets out of hand, underage drinkers and anyone drinking with them can quickly find themselves caught up with the police if a party gets busted.
Frat parties aren’t all bad, but they are pretty scary and seriously not always fun. Be careful, collegiettes and remember that college isn’t all about sweaty dudes in Greek letters.