Greek life seems to be all anybody talks about these days. Taking over our weekends, stealing our sleep, hijacking our social media. But what’s the motivation? What does pledging really mean? Eight freshmen going through pledging share their true thoughts on the process, giving us a bit of insight into the world of alpha and beta.
Guys say:
- I had different reasons for pledging originally, but I now see that it’s nice to meet people with similar values and become really close with them. Being in Greek life means a whole new world of people that you wouldn’t have met otherwise. — Jake Orbach, AEPI
- I wanted to join because I liked all of the guys I had met from the fraternity. If I hadn’t like them I wouldn’t have done it. I like the sense of brotherhood there is. Everyone in the fraternity legitimately cares about one another. — Ryan Donovan, ’19, Kappa Sigma
- I joined a fraternity because of social and economic opportunities it offers. In addition to that, I have five brothers, my friend group at home included around 18 guys so I’ve always been around a “brotherhood” and wanted to continue that in college. — Adam Goldmeier, AEPI
- I wanted to join Greek life because I wanted to open up my social circle of friends and be exposed to a whole new scene of people I otherwise wouldn’t meet. The pledging process is basically an initiating process where you’re introduced to the frat, you learn about the people in your frat, and you ultimately become best friends with your pledge class. — Daniel Givner, AEPI
Girls say:
- In the beginning it was hard for me to adapt to Greek life and pledging, but over time, I realized that pledging was something created to bring you closer to your pledge class. You’re going through the same experiences at the same time, which gives you reason to connect. — Alicia Cherem, SDT
- Pledging gets a bad rap most of the time because of certain stigmas and rumors, but I actually really like pledging. At first it felt like a huge time commitment but after hearing that other girls don’t even know the people in their pledge class, I am so grateful for pledging because it has given me the opportunity to get to know amazing girls who I now love and who I am so excited to spend the next three years with. — Hannah Stein, Phi Sigma Sigma
- The pledging process is actually really smart- it’s a time period for you to get to know your sisters and the people your going to be spending the next three years with. It’s all about getting to know a group of strangers you just met and turning them into family. — Talia Waitman, Theta
- At the beginning, it was really exciting to be a part of something new where everyone wanted to get to know each other. As time went on, I started to realize what a huge time commitment pledging was, but I’ve learned how to manage my time really well and have fun at the same time. The amazing girls in my pledge class and chapter and the amazing memories I have to come with them are what keep me going! — Sofie Levinson, Phi Sigma Sigma
Like anything good in life, joining Greek life seems to require time, dedication, and a positive attitude from the start. Pledging involves putting in a certain amount of effort and ultimately gaining a much greater reward. Whether your goal is to build lasting relationships, to network, or to simply meet new people, for your four years in college, joining Greek life can give you a community to call your own.