Questions to Ask in a Fraternity Interview
For a rushee going into a fraternity's rush or bid interview who knows the brothers will finish by asking what he wants to know. The 54 questions run in the order the decision does: The chapter, Time and grades, New members, Money and housing and After a bid, with a short last group for brothers on the other side of the table. Each one carries a note on what a good or a worrying answer sounds like and what to do with it.
Want questions from the whole vault instead? Try the random question generator.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
The chapter
Why did you pick this chapter over the others you looked at?
Why ask it
A name or one particular evening is a believable answer, and worth a follow-up about that person. If he gets there by running down the other houses, take note, because that tone usually shows up inside a chapter too.
What does an ordinary week in the chapter look like when nothing big is on the calendar?
Why ask it
Rush shows you the best week of the year, so ask about the dullest one. The reassuring answers are small: who eats together, where people study, who is around on a Sunday night. If the only things he can name are parties, that is the week you would be joining.
What are you looking for in a new member?
Why ask it
Brothers expect this one, and it is fair to ask early. How the vote itself works is often private, but what counts need not be: showing up to events, grades, whether a few brothers know you by name. If it comes down to who vouches for you, use the rush events that are left to meet more of them.
How would you describe the brothers here to someone who has never met them?
Why ask it
Ask for the range and not the average: who is the quietest brother, who runs things, who is hardly ever home. A chapter that can describe only one type has told you who it recruits. Compare the picture with the men you have met at events so far.
What kind of guy tends not to fit in here?
Why ask it
Brothers rarely get asked this, so the first reply is often a pause, and that is fine. A useful answer is a habit and not an insult: someone who wants a quiet house, cannot spare his weeknights or only comes around for the parties. If it describes you, better to hear it now than a month into the new member period.
What has been your best day as a brother so far?
Why ask it
An easy one that brothers enjoy answering, which makes it a good first question when you are nervous. Notice what kind of day it was: a road trip, an intramural final, an afternoon helping someone move. Where his best memory is set is a fair preview of what the chapter does well.
Which of the fraternity's values does this chapter live up to best, and which is it still working on?
Why ask it
Most fraternities have a creed or a list of values, and a brother may well be able to recite it. The second half is the test, since naming a weak spot takes more honesty than naming a strength. Follow up by asking for one thing the chapter did this year because of the value he picked.
What is the chapter known for on campus, and do you think that is fair?
Why ask it
The second half lets him own a reputation or correct it, and you have probably heard a version already. Afterward, check his account with someone outside Greek life. A big gap between the two is worth one more question before you accept anything.
What do the brothers disagree about most?
Why ask it
Money, how many social events to hold and how hard to be on members who skip things are the usual ones. A brother who names a real argument and how it was settled is being straight with you. 'We never fight' is not a credible thing to say about a house full of college students.
What service or philanthropy does the chapter do, and how many brothers show up for it?
Why ask it
The turnout is the answer. A brother who can name the event, the cause and roughly how many came is describing something that happens. A dollar total with no story behind it can mean a donation link passed around a group chat.
If a brother does not drink, what are his weekends like here?
Why ask it
Worth asking whether you drink or not, since it measures how much pressure comes with the social calendar. The best reply points to a brother who does not and is at everything anyway. A joke, a pause or 'nobody will force you' are weaker than they sound.
How involved are the alumni, and has one of them ever helped you with an internship or a job?
Why ask it
The network is part of what dues are sold on, so ask for one real instance: a resume read, an introduction, a summer placement. Find out whether new members meet alumni at a set event or only by luck. If you have a field in mind, say which, and see whether anyone comes to mind.
What surprised you most in your first semester as a member?
Why ask it
He has to answer this about himself, so it tends to come out less rehearsed than anything about the chapter. Surprises about workload or cost are the useful kind, and the follow-up is what he would do differently. No surprises at all means you are still hearing the pitch.
Time and grades
How many hours a week does membership take in a normal week, and in the heaviest one?
Why ask it
Insist on both numbers, since the heavy week is the one that collides with an exam. Then lay them over your own class schedule that evening. 'As much as you put in' is true of every club and tells you nothing, so ask what the brother across from you did last week.
Which events are required, and what happens when someone misses one?
Why ask it
You are looking for a short list and a way to be excused for a class, a shift or a family weekend. Fines and point systems exist in some chapters, so ask how it works in this one. 'It is all optional, but everybody goes' means it is required.
What night does chapter meet, and how long does it usually run?
Why ask it
A fixed weekly night is the commitment most likely to clash with a lab, an evening class or a job. Bring your schedule and check it on the spot. If you have a standing conflict, say so now and ask whether anyone has had one before.
Is there a minimum GPA to join and to stay active, and what happens to a brother who drops below it?
Why ask it
The number may be set by the chapter, its national organization or the campus, so ask which one applies and what it is. The second half tells you more: required study hours and a plan with the scholarship chair suggest the rule is real. A shrug suggests it lives on paper.
How do the chapter's grades compare with the campus average?
Why ask it
Some campuses publish a grade report for each chapter, so ask whether yours does and look it up yourself afterward. A brother who knows the figure without checking tells you grades get talked about. One who changes the subject tells you something as well.
Who in the chapter is in my major, and could I talk to him?
Why ask it
Name your major and see what happens. An introduction on the spot is about the best evidence of academic support you can get in an interview. If nobody is in your field, the study help being advertised will not reach your hardest classes.
How do brothers with a job, a varsity sport or a heavy lab schedule make it work?
Why ask it
Give your own commitment in hours a week so the answer has to be about you. A convincing reply points to a brother who does it and what he was excused from. General reassurance with no example usually means nobody has tried.
What happens to chapter obligations during midterms and finals?
Why ask it
A chapter that takes classes seriously clears its calendar and may keep quiet hours in the house. Ask what was scheduled in the two weeks before finals last term. A formal or a big new member event in that window shows you where grades rank.
How soon could I take on a position, and how many hours does one add?
Why ask it
Some chapters put new members on committees in their first semester and others keep the offices for older brothers, so ask what a sophomore here has run. The hours matter as much as the title, because treasurer or recruitment chair can amount to a part-time job. If an officer is in the room, ask what the role took from him in its busiest month.
New members
How long is the new member period, and what does a typical week of it involve?
Why ask it
Get the length in weeks and the contents of one week: meetings, chapter history, service, time with a big brother. A chapter that is proud of its program can describe it without hesitating. Vagueness about what a week contains is more of a worry than a long program.
Could I see the new member schedule in writing?
Why ask it
Programs with a real structure tend to have a calendar, either from the national organization or from the brother who runs the process. Being handed one, or told the date you will get it, is a good sign. If nothing is written down, ask who decides what happens each week.
What is the chapter's hazing policy, and who would I go to if something crossed the line?
Why ask it
Say it in exactly those words and watch how he answers as well as what he says. A good reply is quick and specific, and it includes someone outside the chapter you could report to. Rules differ by campus and organization, so ask how it works at yours. Laughing it off is an answer too.
Has the chapter been on probation or sanctioned in the last few years, and what changed afterward?
Why ask it
Some schools post conduct records for their student organizations, so ask the Greek life office whether yours does and read it first. An account that matches the record and names what changed is more reassuring than a spotless claim you cannot check. Defensiveness tells you the subject is still live.
Is anything in the process kept from new members until it happens?
Why ask it
A private ritual is normal for many fraternities and a fair thing to keep back. The line to draw is between a ceremony whose words are secret and activities nobody will describe. Follow up by asking whether you can decline any part of it and still be initiated.
What are new members expected to do for the active brothers?
Why ask it
Cleaning up after an event next to the actives is one thing. Errands, rides on demand and being on call for one person are another, whatever name they are given. Ask whether initiated brothers do the same jobs, which settles it quickly.
How late do new member activities run on a weeknight?
Why ask it
An end time is a promise you can hold a chapter to, so ask for one. If he cannot give it, or says it depends on the night, assume the process will cost you sleep and morning classes and decide with that in mind.
Who runs the new member program, and who does he answer to?
Why ask it
Often it is an elected new member educator, with an adviser or the national organization somewhere above him, though the setup varies. Ask to meet him before you accept. One person shapes most of your first semester, and ten minutes with him is better information than the whole interview.
How many of last year's new members reached initiation, and why did the others leave?
Why ask it
Nearly everyone finishing is reassuring. Where some left, the reasons matter more than the count: money and time are ordinary, and a vague 'it was not for them' deserves a second question. A sophomore will usually tell you more than an officer will.
How are big brothers matched, and what is a big supposed to do after the reveal?
Why ask it
Find out whether both sides get a say or pairs are assigned. Then ask what the job is in an ordinary week: a meal, a check on grades, someone to call at midnight. Where the whole account is the reveal night and the gifts, the mentoring is mostly a ceremony.
What would get a new member dropped before initiation?
Why ask it
Grades, unpaid dues and conduct are the reasons you would expect, with a warning before anything final. Be wary of 'the brothers vote' with no stated grounds, because it means the whole semester is an audition. Ask how many times it happened last year.
Money and housing
What are dues each semester, and what is the first-semester total with every one-time fee added in?
Why ask it
The new member term can carry extra charges, such as an initiation fee, a badge or a payment to the national organization. Ask for the itemized figure, in writing if they have it. A treasurer who can send a one-page sheet the same day runs a chapter that knows its own money.
What do dues not cover?
Why ask it
Formal tickets, apparel, trips, gifts for a little brother and fines are the usual extras. The best source is a second-year member, asked what he spent last year beyond dues. Add that to the official number before you take it home to whoever is helping you pay.
Is there a payment plan, and what happens when a brother falls behind?
Why ask it
A good answer is a plan arranged privately with the treasurer and nobody else hearing about it. Ask whether a late balance affects standing, and whether names are ever read out at a meeting. How a chapter treats a brother who is short one month says a lot about the brotherhood part.
Are there scholarships or reduced dues for brothers who need them?
Why ask it
Help can come from the chapter, an alumni group or the national organization, and some chapters have none, so ask what exists here, who to apply to and when. Asking does not count against you in a chapter worth joining. A cold reaction is useful to have seen early.
What would I be signing, and does it commit me for one semester or until graduation?
Why ask it
Ask for a copy of any membership or housing agreement and read it at home before you put your name on it. Check which parts bind you for a full year, the housing most of all. If a clause is unclear, take it to a parent or a campus office instead of relying on the brother's summary.
Is there a chapter house, and are members required to live in it at some point?
Why ask it
A live-in requirement changes your housing plans and your budget for a whole year, so get the year it applies and how exceptions work. If you have already signed a lease or a residence hall contract, mention it now. Where there is no house at all, ask where people actually gather.
What does a room in the house cost per semester, and does that include meals?
Why ask it
Write the figure down along with what it covers: meals, utilities, parking, summer storage. Then set it beside the campus housing rate yourself, since 'cheaper than the dorms' is a claim you can check in five minutes. Ask too whether you pay for the room over breaks.
Who owns and runs the house: the chapter, an alumni group or the university?
Why ask it
That decides who fixes the heat and who sets the rules, and it varies from campus to campus. Ask whether an adult house director lives there. Then ask to see a bedroom and the kitchen, since a tour during rush tends to stay on the ground floor.
Can people actually sleep and study in the house on a weeknight?
Why ask it
Ask what the place is like at eleven on a Tuesday. Quiet hours that brothers enforce on each other count for a lot, and so does a study room that gets used. The honest test is to stop by on an ordinary weeknight, and a chapter that welcomes that has little to hide.
After a bid
What happens between this interview and bids going out?
Why ask it
Get the steps and the dates: more events, a second conversation, a vote. Knowing when you will hear stops you from reading two quiet days as a no. Find out too how the news arrives, since a call, a text and a knock on the door are all possible.
If I get a bid, how long do I have to answer?
Why ask it
The deadline may be the chapter's own or one set by the campus fraternity council, so ask which. Pressure to accept on the spot is a reason to slow down. A chapter that wants you this evening will still want you after you have slept on it and called home.
Can I accept here while I am still talking to other chapters, and what are the rules on that?
Why ask it
Campuses handle this differently, so get the brother's answer and then confirm it with the fraternity council or the Greek life office. Saying openly that you are looking at two houses is fine, and a confident chapter takes it well. Being talked out of visiting the others is a mark against the one doing the talking.
What is the first week after accepting like?
Why ask it
Expect some mix of a bid day, a first meeting and a first payment, and ask for the dates of all three. The bill is the one to pin down, since it can arrive within days of saying yes. This is also the moment to ask who your point of contact is until you have a big.
If I start and it turns out not to be for me, how do I leave, and what would I owe?
Why ask it
Far easier to ask now than in week five. A good answer is short: you tell the new member educator, you settle what you owe to date, and people still say hello on the quad. Ask about refunds of fees already paid. Any hint that leaving is made awkward belongs in your decision.
Is there someone from last year's new member class I could talk to on my own?
Why ask it
The newest brothers remember the process best and have had the least practice at selling it. A chapter that hands over two phone numbers without fuss is confident in what you will hear. Ask him about his hardest week and whether he would do it again.
Who can my parents call if they have questions about the cost or the process?
Why ask it
Some chapters have an adviser or an officer who takes these calls, and an easy yes with a phone number is what you want to hear. It matters most when someone else is paying part of the bill. Reluctance to have any adult look closely is worth weighing.
If I do not get a bid this time, can I come back next semester?
Why ask it
Some chapters recruit in both terms and take men on a second try, so ask whether this one does. Follow with what would make a stronger case. 'Come to more events so more of us know you' is a plan you can act on, and it shows the brother was listening.
For brothers
What have you heard about our chapter, and has this week matched it?
Why ask it
For the brothers running the interview: start here. What he has heard tells you which reputation walked in with him, and you get the chance to confirm or correct it before he decides on it. The conversational questions for getting to know a rushee are in our Questions to Ask During Rush set.
What would you want to add to this chapter that it does not have yet?
Why ask it
A formal interview can ask for more than a rush conversation, and this is the question that does it. Strong answers borrow from something he has already done: run a team, organized a fundraiser, fixed a schedule. Do not mark him down for needing a moment to think.
Is there anything about the cost or the time that would make it hard for you to say yes?
Why ask it
Ask it one-on-one, kindly, with the treasurer's sheet and the new member calendar within reach. A rushee who names money has done you a favor, so reply with the payment plan and not with persuasion. If the real answer is that he cannot afford it, tell him what help exists and let him decide.
What do you do when a group you belong to is doing something you think is wrong?
Why ask it
Ask for a real occasion, from a team, a job or a friend group, and what he did. You are looking for the member who will speak up at the meeting and not afterward in the parking lot. A rushee who says he has never disagreed with a group has not answered.
How to use these in a rush or bid interview
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you walk in
Find out what kind of interview it is
Chapters use the word for different things: a ten-minute chat with two brothers, a panel in front of the executive board, or a sit-down once a bid is already likely. Ask the recruitment chair how long it runs, who will be there and what to wear. The length tells you how many questions you will get to ask.
Pick six, not the whole list
You will usually get only a few minutes at the end. Choose one from each of the first five groups and one more from whichever worries you most, with the hazing policy and the first-semester cost always among them. The rest can wait for a rush event, a meal with a brother or a message to the treasurer.
Look up what is public first
Many campuses have an office for fraternity and sorority life, and some post chapter grade reports and conduct histories. Ask whether yours does and read them before the interview. A question that starts from what you already found gets a better answer than one asked cold.
Bring your own numbers
Know what you can pay per semester and which evenings are already taken by classes, work or a team. With those in your head, an answer about dues or meeting night becomes a yes or a no on the spot instead of something to puzzle over later.
In the room
Answer theirs first
The interview is mostly about you, and your questions come at the end. Give real answers to theirs, then ask yours when invited. Opening with dues before anyone has asked your name reads badly, even though the question itself is fair.
Ask the hard ones plainly
Hazing, money and time are the three subjects rushees soften until the question means nothing. Ask each in one sentence, without an apology in front of it. Brothers in a well-run chapter have heard all three before and tend to respect the rushee who asks.
Put one question to two brothers
Pick a question from New members or Money and housing and ask it again of a different brother at a later event. Matching answers mean the chapter knows its own facts. Two different dues figures, or two accounts of the new member weeks, tell you to get it in writing.
Notice who answers
In a panel, watch whether one officer answers everything or the newer members speak too. Direct a question to the youngest brother in the room. If someone else answers for him, that is a small picture of how the chapter runs.
Write it down afterward
By the third house the details blur. On the way home, note the dues figure, the weekly hours, the length of the new member period and one sentence on how the hazing question was received. Those four lines are what you will compare when the bids arrive.
Reading the answers
Specifics beat adjectives
Names, dates, dollar amounts and end times are what an honest answer is made of. Brotherhood, tradition and loyalty are fine words, but a chapter that can offer only those has not answered. Ask for one example and see whether it arrives.
'You will see' is an answer
When a question about the new member process is met with a smile and a promise that it will all make sense later, treat that as information. Apart from the wording of a private ceremony, nothing you are joining should have to be hidden from you to get you to join.
Check outside the room
A brother's account is one source. The Greek life office, a member of last year's class and a friend who is not in a fraternity are three more, and none of them takes long. Where the versions disagree, ask the chapter about the difference before you accept.
If something worries you
You can turn a bid down, ask for more time or leave after starting, and none of those needs a reason. If what you heard suggests people are being mistreated, take it to the campus office that oversees fraternities or to the dean of students, and ask how reporting works there.
If you are running the interview
Tell him the format ahead of time
A rushee who knows it is fifteen minutes with three brothers, dressed as he would for class, arrives able to talk. Surprise formats mostly measure nerves. Send the time, the place and the names the day before.
Leave real time for his questions
Hold back the last third of the slot and say so at the start. A rushee who asks about cost, hours and hazing is doing what a good member does, so answer with figures and not with reassurance. Have the dues sheet and the new member calendar in the room.
Use the rush set for what to ask him
This page is written for the rushee's side of the table, and the For brothers group is only a start for yours. The full list of conversational questions for members to ask potential new members is in our Questions to Ask During Rush set.
Close with the next step
End by telling him what happens next and when he will hear, even if the honest answer is that you do not know yet. Silence after an interview is what rushees remember about a chapter, whichever way the vote goes.