Let’s talk about Greek life for a moment. Most people have a fixed opinion on whether sororities and fraternities are the best thing or the worst thing about college. I’m in a sorority, but before I went through recruitment I was skeptical about Greek life. I love my chapter to pieces, but even I can say that there are both good and bad things about being involved with the Greek community.
PRO: Friendship!
There is an undeniable bond that grows between members of a Greek organization. The people in your chapter become a home base on campus, and I know that whenever I go to the house there will be people there that I love to spend time with. As cheesy as it sounds, these people will be my lifelong friends.
CON: Cost
Yes, Greek life is expensive. It sucks, but, in my opinion, it’s a fairly small price to pay for all the awesome things that you’ll get out of it. Dues pay for fun stuff, like booking an awesome venue for formal and activities for sisterhoods, but for a lot of chapters they also go towards maintaining the chapter facilities and donations to their signature philanthropy.
PRO: Networking
Being a member of a Greek organization is one of the best ways to make connections and advance your career. Not only can you network in your own organization, but being a part of Greek life in college opens up conversations with tons (about 9 million to be exact) of people around the globe.
CON: Stereotypes
A lot of people from my high school were shocked when I told them that I was in a sorority. Most of their responses were “you don’t seem like a sorority girl.” Myself, and probably many other members of the Greek community, get frustrated with these types of comments, especially since there is not one particular “type” of girl that chooses to go through recruitment. A lot of people assume that if you’re in Greek life you spend your weekends partying and you barely study. While those thoughts exist for a reason, it’s incorrect and ignorant to assume that everyone behaves that way.
PRO: Philanthropy
One of the best things about being in a sorority is having opportunities to help amazing organizations as well as support other chapters with their philanthropies. It’s an aspect of Greek life that people don’t normally think of, but for many it’s an important part of their membership and identity as a chapter.
CON: Alcohol and Party Culture
Partying culture goes along with the stereotypes of Greek life, but speaking only for myself, I have never been to a frat party. Unfortunately, frat parties and crazy formals are a large social aspect that comes with membership, but bad things can happen whenever alcohol and college students get together, whether it’s taking place on fraternity property or not.
PRO: Academic Achievement
Along with philanthropy, this aspect of Greek membership isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when Greek life is thought about. Most chapters have a strict GPA guidelines that their members must uphold in order to remain in good standings. Chapters will hold weekly group study sessions and it’s easy to find a study buddy in your house.
CON: Time Commitment
Is it really such a bad thing to have to spend time with people that you love? Not really, but being in a chapter is a huge time commitment due to weekly meetings, philanthropy events, social events and these events can conflict with other interests. Usually it’s manageable because chapters want their members to be involved in a variety of activities and explore their own interests.
Sororities and fraternities are a huge part of college culture. Everyone has different opinions and perspectives about Greek life that can stem from many issues involving their university. Hopefully this article has made you reflect on your opinions of Greek life, or even made you appreciate your chapter even more.