PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - William E. Even
AU  - Austin C. Smith
TI  - Greek Life, Academics, and Earnings
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.57.3.1018-9814R3
DP  - 2020 Mar 09
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/03/03/jhr.57.3.1018-9814R3.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2020/03/03/jhr.57.3.1018-9814R3.full
AB  - Using records from a large public university, we examine the impact of Greek social organizations on academic performance and labor market outcomes. To isolate the causal effect of Greek life, we exploit a university policy prohibiting students from joining a Greek organization during their first semester and a minimum GPA for eligibility. Regression discontinuity and panel methods reveal that Greek affiliation reduces student grades by 0.1-0.3 standard deviations. Greek effects are largest during the semester of pledging, semesters of increased social activities, and for males. We find no evidence that Greek affiliation improves labor market outcomes for marginally eligible students.