Joining a fraternity may hurt grades, but boost income: study
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The University of Central Florida lifted a suspension for Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, which is embroiled in a rape scandal. (Fox 35 Orlando)
College fraternities aren’t just for partying and making friends. Turns out they can also lead to a more successful career.
Although the overall grade point average (GPA) of college fraternity members suffers by about 0.25 points, their future income rises by roughly 36 percent.
That's according to a research paper titled, “Social Animal House: The Economic and Academic Consequences of Fraternity Membership,” published by two economists from Union College in Schenectady, New York.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The slight drop in grades for a nearly 40 percent income boost might seem like a good tradeoff for many people.
“For this reason, joining a fraternity may be a rational decision that improves the long-term prospects of an individual student despite its damaging effects on a student’s grades,” the paper says.
The research suggests that fraternities increase social capital, "which more than outweigh(s) its negative effects on human capital for potential members.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The survey examined nearly 4,000 college alumni who have full-time jobs, and factored in such variables as gender and ethnicity.
Other studies have found that fraternity ife can lead to a higher GPA, and the social connections fostered in fraternity life can last a lifetime, MarketWatch reported.
The latest study determined there wasn’t much correlation between a lower GPA and alcohol-related behavior typically associated with college fraternities.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}However, when it comes to heavy drinking, researchers at Tel Aviv University and Cornell University found that college graduates' chances of obtaining a job drop by 10 percent, MarketWatch reported.