…as Told by an Ex-Sister
PRO:
Joining the Greek community at UMASS creates a sense of community and a “Home away from Home” environment which definitely makes the freshman transition easier.
CON:
Due to the limited size of the Greek community, as well as its tight-knit nature, there’s traditionally is a lot of “incest” between sorority sisters and the fraternity brothers. Hooking up with the frat bro your “sister” hooked up with last weekend becomes a disturbing norm within Greek life. D-R-A-M-A
PRO:
You never have to wander around the streets of Amherst looking for parties because your weekends are planned out months in advance.
CON:
You’re surrounded by people who are very similar in thinking, background, and interests. (some may consider this is a PRO, but diversity is an extremely important part of the college experience).
PRO:
Networking post-grad. Name a job and chances are that an alum from a chapter of your sorority, somewhere in the US, has filled that position.
CON:
You technically are paying for your friends. From house dues, to mixer and formal dues, you are absolutely paying to spend time together.
PRO:
You can put leadership positions you’ve taken on as an undergrad on your resume post grad.
CON:
Everyone has heard of the JFK Quote “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” I would like to call into question how sororities look at philanthropies with a play on that famous quote, and state “Ask not what philantrophy can do for you, but what you can do for philanthropy.“ I have first-hand experience with many ex-sisters not participating in philanthropy events if something was not being gained on their behalf. Philanthropy is based on giving, not getting. Throwing extravagent events always seemed counter-intuitive to me, especially if the money raised was less than the cost of the event itself.
PRO:
You get to live in a house, so there is someone around to do things with 24/7.
CON:
Hazing is not dead. If you’re under the impression that Sororities no longer haze their “New Members” (affectionately reffered to as “pledges”) because it is illegal in Massachusetts, you are sadly mistaken. Sororities run on tradition, and tradition will do as tradition has always done.
** Everyone has a different college experience, every sorority is different, and people have different opinions on the topic of Greek life. The reality of my disaffiliation came when I realized that the sorority I was a member of failed to consistently uphold the values that I had originally joined for. I do not regret a single day I was an active sister, and the memories I made will last me a lifetime but, ultimately, I needed to do what was true to myself and my moral character. Hopefully what I have written can help potential members weigh their options to go greek or not before deciding to rush**