We all know the sorority girl stereotypes. We have heard them one too many times from family members, friends and even complete strangers. That certain look you get when you tell people you are in a sorority. For people who have never experienced Greek Life at all, it can be a hard thing to explain.  Â
The media often portrays us as excessive party girls who don’t care about school or our futures. We live off our parent’s money and we pay for our friends. These are just a few stereotypes that come with our letters. Most people do not understand or see what really comes with being a member of a sorority. Â
We do care about school. Most sororities require a certain GPA to be maintained to participate in chapter events. Chapters also require a certain number of study hours to be completed each semester. These requirements are huge motivators to study and keep our grades up. On most campuses, the all-sorority GPA is equal to or higher than the all-collegiate GPA. We do have futures to think about and we do care about them. Â
We are involved. Contrary to what most people think, we are involved in other things besides our sorority. We have jobs on campus or in the community. We hold leadership positions for numerous organizations that are not Greek affiliated at all. We are involved in groups for our major. Also, we have friends in these outside organizations. We don’t just hang out with the girls that wear our letters.   Â
We are not paying for our friends. Membership dues cover a house to live in and to be maintained. They also cover all chapter operations that range from sisterhood events to philanthropy events. Membership dues do not cover friendships, especially not the relationships sororities can offer. For most of us, our families are hundreds of miles away. The women beside you wearing your letters become your family. They cry with us, laugh with us and are there with us during some of the most stressful times in our lives. These women become our home away from home. No amount of money can buy that. Â
We give back to the community. Every sorority has a main philanthropy that they support and raise money for year-round. As well as working for our own sorority’s philanthropy, we also help support other organizations and their philanthropies. Many chapters also do service events to give back to their local communities. We go on alternative winter breaks and spring breaks to help give back to people around the country who are in need and gain friends along the way. We give back because we want to, not because we have to. Â
We are not excessive party girls. Yes, at the end of a week of papers and tests we want to celebrate. We love tailgating on game days and dressing up for the occasional themed party, but you will also find us at the library all day on Sundays getting ready for the next week of assignments and tests. We know when to have fun and when it is time to study.Â
Yes, we wear oversized t-shirts and rain boots with Nike shorts. We travel in packs and we drink way too much Starbucks. We wear our letters proudly around our campus and they are a constant reminder of who we are and what we represent. We are educated, involved, philanthropic and would do just about anything for our friends. We are honored to be apart of something bigger than ourselves. Everyday we are breaking the sorority girl stereotype.Â