When I tell people I’m in a frat, they’re normally a little confused. Especially here in the south, a lot of frat guys fall into a specific category of college guy that I don’t exactly embody. I wouldn’t be considered your typical frat bro, so it’s a good thing that I’m not in your typical frat.

Last semester, I wandered into an interest meeting of what I thought was going to be some sort of college honor society I could sign up for and slap on my resume with minimal effort involved. I sat through a Powerpoint and filled out some paperwork while I listened to a group of undergrads talk about this organization they’re part of. The interest meeting wasn’t for an honor society, but for Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity. The word “fraternity” made me skeptical about the group, but I stayed and listened to their speeches and put the calendar of recruitment events into my phone, just in case I decided it might be worth my time.

By the end of the semester-long recruitment process, I was inducted in the Alpha Psi Class of Phi Sigma Pi. I had participated in a semester’s worth of recruitment events, weekly meetings and quizzes, a retreat for potential members, gotten a big, and interviewed with every active Brother (a misleading title, by the way, since the frat is Co-ed). Not only was the whole process worth the effort, I found an entire new group of friends and colleagues here at school that I belong to, now.

I know it’s sappy to say that the clubs and organizations you join are like family to you, but PSP is different than any other group I’ve been a part of. I had never interacted with so many different people, pursuing different fields, with different experiences and opinions all coexisting and supporting each other in one group. Brothers spend time with each other inside and outside of Fraternity events, study together, party together, and even live together. After just a semester of being involved with PSP, I feel like I know almost every single brother on a personal level - and if I needed anything, they would be there for me.

In college, sometimes it’s hard meeting people outside of your suite, or classes, or major. A lot of the time you see the same people fairly often and may have a hard time venturing outside your immediate circle. I’m really happy I did. I’ve met some of my best friends in school through Phi Sigma Pi. It’s important to meet people who challenge and encourage you - plus it’s always fun to have more people to hang out and party with.

For anyone at State who’s reading this, your chance to join NC State’s chapter of Phi Sigma Pi is coming up fast. We have interest meetings this Monday, January 23rd from 6 pm to 7 pm in Witherspoon 201, and Tuesday, January 24th from 7 pm to 8 pm in Talley 5101. There will be refreshments and tons of Brothers there to answer any of your questions about Phi Sigma Pi.