When I tell people I'm in a sorority, I get a lot of different reactions. Sometimes it's, “Oh my god you're the epitome of a sorority girl!” Other times, I hear “I bet you go out all the time and don't really care about school.” One time, someone asked me how many bows I owned (what?). Just to make things clear, I do like to go out... Who doesn't once in a while? It's college. I value my grades immensely, and honestly, I haven't worn a bow since I was five. But seriously, I don't blame people for believing these stereotypes. The media has told us time and again how superficial and even inhumane Greek life is. 

A decent amount of us have seen at least one movie or TV show centered around Greek life, be it The House Bunny, the TV show “Greek”, Legally Blonde, 21 and Up, or the classic film Animal House. Now I'm not saying that I don't love these movies and shows. The House Bunny is one of my favorite movies, and I'm pretty sure I knew all the words at one time or another. I'm just saying that while these films and shows are entertaining, Greek life is not portrayed accurately in any of them. Aside from the fact that The House Bunny's main character, Shelly, can't pronounce the word “philanthropy” (she pronounces it “fill-a-con-apee”), the entire concept of sorority life is inaccurate in the film. 

Before she came to college, one of my sisters, Lauren, thought that Greek life was all about partying and hazing. “All of my knowledge of Greek life was based on movies I had watched,” she says. “I just thought everyone hated each other. It all seemed so superficial and catty. I was afraid that I would join Greek life and be forced to go on weird scavenger hunts or something. But now... I realize all of that isn't true. People are actually genuine, and I wasn't hazed at all. I couldn't have been more wrong before.” 

This is a common misconception about Greek life. While the movies and TV shows may exhibit gruesome scenes of frat guys getting branded with their crests or sorority girls getting blindfolded and humiliated by older sisters, this could not be further from the truth at many schools, including mine. Antihazing.ucf.edu blatantly states on their website, “Any organization or individual that is found responsible for hazing will be subject to sanctions, which may include suspension or removal from UCF. It is also important to remember that hazing is a felony and it may result in criminal charges.”

Nine million college students are members of Greek organizations. Some sorority girls do go out every night and craft with buckets of glitter and consider a wet T-shirt contest to be a philanthropic event. Some deck themselves out in Lilly Pulitzer. Some never wear makeup. Some live and breathe their sorority. Regardless of what kind of Greek life member you are, I'm sure all of you were surprised to find out that the movies tell a completely different story. 

So why did I decide to go Greek, despite what I saw on the big screen? Well, I'm a firm believer in second chances. I attended a different school for my freshman year of college and I thought I had no interest in rushing. My best friend didn’t want to be in a sorority, so I followed suit. I soon realized it was the biggest mistake of my life. I watched my other friends go through recruitment and find their home, get their bigs, participate in countless philanthropy events, craft, and dress up to go on socials. For reasons other than my lack of greek affiliation, I transferred to my current school, UCF, and promised myself I would go through recruitment. Now it was my turn to find my home, get my big (and now little), and participate in my own philanthropy events. This is my second year as a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, and being on the other side of recruitment this year brought me and my sisters closer than I ever thought possible. Going Greek definitely changed my life. It's definitely not like the movies. It's better.