A (pre-)professional family

As a freshman new to the UCLA campus, Eric Jeng was eager to explore the possibilities and opportunities UCLA had to offer.

His chance came in the form of a pre-business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi, of which he is now the president.

The now third-year business economics student said he joined because he wanted to get involved and make good use of his time to prepare himself for the business world.

Many students said they joined a pre-professional fraternity or society to get more involved on campus, while others wanted to learn about the careers they wanted to be involved in.

“I wasn’t involved in any (pre-medical) organizations in my first two years of college, so I wasn’t really advancing myself in that direction and was very ignorant about applying to medical school,” said Neil Maluste, a fourth-year psychobiology student and president of the pre-medical coed fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon.

Others just wanted to meet people or joined because their friends were also involved.

“Different people look for different things ““ research or clinical opportunities, social aspects, something that looks good on resumes,” said Richard Oberlander, a fourth-year business economics and pre-medicine student who is also in charge of recruitment for the pre-health honor society Alpha Epsilon Delta.

Most pre-professional fraternities do not have strict requirements, such as a minimum GPA or a major requirement, but instead look for students who are committed to the profession.

“(We look for) individuals who are passionate and genuinely interested in helping others and who would fit in,” Oberlander said.

A pre-professional fraternity combines the goals of a professional organization and the brotherhood values of a social fraternity, Maluste said.

“We’re similar to other fraternities in that there is an emphasis on brotherhood. We’re coed but we still focus on family, brothers and sisters. We’re bonded and tightly knit, just like a social fraternity,” he added.

The pre-professional fraternities have social events but also integrate elements that help prepare members for their future careers.

“We have fun, but at the same time we have workshops that are geared to the profession,” Jeng said.

Though the professions can range from medicine to law to business, many of the benefits are the same.

Networking and forming connections is a major benefit that many fraternities find important.

For example, research and clinical opportunities may be more accessible to members in pre-medical and pre-health fraternities.

“Nobody in the fraternity is only in the fraternity. Everyone is involved in other experiences, and we share opportunities with each other. … We always know when various programs are recruiting,” Maluste said.

Indeed, after holding a research position for over two years, a member of Phi Delta Epsilon made the position available upon his graduation exclusively to members of the fraternity by talking to his supervisor, Maluste said.

The fraternities also help with applications for graduate schools and jobs.

An Alpha Epsilon Delta alumnus was interviewing for a school on the East Coast and found the honor society’s prestige helpful during the interview, Oberlander shared.

Mentoring is another beneficial aspect that would be hard to find outside the fraternity.

“Older members share their wisdom about life, college and medical school. Now I’m the mentor, and it is definitely rewarding to educate younger students to help prepare them,” Maluste said.

While such pre-professional fraternities can provide support and assistance, it is not necessarily required for success in the profession. Rather, the individual is the key.

“We have a lot of opportunities, but it is up to the individual to grasp them. … How effective the fraternity is is entirely up to the individual,” Jeng said.

Many students believe it is possible to be just as successful without the fraternity.

Gloria Vo, a third-year psychology student, had joined Phi Delta Epsilon but decided to quit because she did not feel like it was right for her, she said.

“I think it wasn’t a good fit for me personally. I felt that I didn’t need a fraternity as much as I had originally thought,” Vo said. “If you’re persistent and resourceful, you can still be fine.”

Oberlander said he agreed that a pre-professional fraternity is not necessary to succeed in the career, but it can definitely benefit and offer many important experiences.

“Sometimes it’s not all about the end, but it’s about the journey,” Oberlander said.