Ask ten different people, you'll get ten different answers, with likely lots of overlap. I graduated in 2012 so I am relatively familiar with the Greek system at syracuse, albeit while not being a member of one (social fraternity at least) during my time, so take my opinions/thoughts with a grain of salt.
I rushed freshman year with my roommate and some of my buddies on my floor, mostly as a follower to them. I was relatively reserved compared to many others involved in the process, and because I wasn't all too invested in wanting a bid, I didn't really put much effort into trying to get one. My grandfather was actually the president of the DKE house at SU during his time up there. Greek life just wasn't for me. My neighbor ended up pledging Phi Kappa Psi, the only one of us to commit to it. During that semester I legitimately almost never saw him. He just was so busy running around that he was almost never at his dorm. That semester he ended up on academic probation. We lived in the engineering learning community in Shaw, so yes, we had challenging classes. Some people actually do better in school while they pledge because they have to really practice time management. My neighbor (who I went on to live with soph-senior year) wasn't one of those people. That's the first comment-- pledging is time-consuming and depending on how you manage time/stress, it's a challenge, regardless of how many "study sessions" the fraternity might conduct throughout the pledging process.
As for specific houses, each one has their stereotypes. Does every member fall into the stereotype? Absolutely not. But there is a reason they exist, and similar people tend to gravitate towards eachother. It's not rocket science. That said, don't get caught up in the social ranking of fraternities. Easier said than done when we are talking about 18-22 year olds. It's much worse with sororities though. You might be hot, but I'm not entirely sure behind your massive sunglasses, ugg boots, northface jacket, and extra large Starbucks frappa whatever (yes, non-sorority girls also dress like this). That all said, I had a bunch of friends in various houses that I met through class, gym, etc. Both fraternities and sororities. Formals are also a good time.
potential positives --> lifelong friends, connections, memories through bonding together, being a part of something, service events, partying with sororities-- not sure how much you think your son drinks, but it's more than likely more than you think it is. Sororities have hot girls. Partying with hot girls is fun. Simple. My senior year we had some parties at our house on Comstock with many of my roommate's fraternity members, and it was a fun time.
potential negatives --> difficulty finding time during pledging, doing things you don't feel comfortable doing/being told what to do, getting caught up in the social stigma associated with greek life, $, too much fun (maybe this is a positive
).
At the end of the day, don't let Greek life force you into anything, and don't think it's not possible to build life-long friendships without it. I agree with what others said-- pledging with close friends is definitely more appealing. Another benefit for underclassmen is having a place to party on weekends before 21. Much more difficult wandering aimlessly around Euclid searching for alcohol and girls when you aren't in a house. Things are different once you can get into the bars and develop relationships with people who have houses. Every now and then I wonder how things might have been different if I joined a house, but I don't regret anything. I lived with 5 of my best friends for two years, including my roommate in greek life, and it was absolutely amazing. As others said, you choose to be as involved as you want to be.
After all that, the moral is- no harm in rushing. Don't force anything. If you find a place you connect with, roll with it. If not, you'll figure it out.
