Living in a fraternity house has been one of the greatest experiences of my entire life.

I had to lay that out on the table before I began to write a column about living in a fraternity house. However, because this is for the Fall Housing Guide, I will not spend 500 words writing about how much I love it, but more of some of the pluses and minuses of living in a Greek house.

I’d like to start with the biggest complaint people hear about Greek housing: studying. I always hear other students and parents saying that it is impossible to study in a fraternity house.

In my house, we do not have this problem, except maybe on Thursday through Saturday nights. I never go to a library or somewhere else because everyone else living in the house is a college student as well. They understand the need to study and generally respect that.

Now, on to drinking. I have also heard people say that nothing happens in fraternity houses but drinking and drugs. Again, false.

We all understand that there is a culture of alcohol consumption in college.

However, attempting to single out fraternities as major contributors to that is picking out scapegoats, which is undeserving of a Greek system that is as well organized as ours. Sure it happens, but it also happens in every apartment across campus. Not much difference there.

So, I wanted to start by quieting two of the biggest rumors and falsities about living in a fraternity house, especially because these were two of the rumors in my head when I began living in the fraternity house.

Living in a fraternity house is just like living anywhere else, except with more of your friends in a concentrated area.

That’s what makes it such a great experience. Not to mention some other pluses, including the fact that somebody makes all your food for you.

However, I will admit some of the negatives. I really dislike the damages. I’m not saying inside the house, but outside.

For some reason, having Greek letters on the front of your house is an invitation for people to vandalize your property. This is a consistent problem, and I’m tired of dealing with it.

Really, that’s about it though. I would suggest living in a fraternity house to anyone out there involved with a Greek organization. I have lived in my house for over a year and I still enjoy it. There is nothing quite like having 40 of your best friends all living in the same place; what’s not to love?