Sororities and Greek life as a whole have gotten a pretty bad rap from society, but when I look at my Greek experience, I see all the ways we prove those stereotypes wrong. I never thought I would join Greek life as I don't really fit the preconceived notions of what a sorority woman is, but it has been an amazing opportunity in my college career. I have learned just how untrue the stereotypes of sorority women are through involvement in my chapter of amazing women.
1. Sorority women are dumb.
Actually, in my chapter we have plenty of girls with 4.0s and tons that make academic honor roll each semester. Something many people may not realize is that there are GPA requirements to stay in a chapter, so being smart has many advantages. Plus, in my chapter you get a pretty cool and coveted paddle for being the Biggest Nerd.
2. Sorority women are self-centered.
One of the main fundamentals of being in a sorority is doing service. We are involved in our own philanthropies, many service projects, national issues, you name it, sorority women are doing their part. We spend countless hours completing service each semester and are always up for new ways to give back to our community.
3. All we do is party.
Yes, we do like to have our fun, there's no point in lying, but let's be real -- who doesn't (and if the one person in this world who doesn't like having fun reads this -- please comment below -- I'd love to chat!)? In addition to having active social lives, as college students tend to, we also hold positions in our chapter, play on sports teams, act in theater, are members of other student organizations, do volunteer work, foster kittens, study together, participate in churches, take friends to the hospital, go to the Women's March, eat dinner together... Really the list could go on, so why are we only known for partying?
4. We haze.
In my chapter we do not haze. At all. We want to form bonds with our sisters based on trust and friendship, not by scaring them into listening what to do.
5. Sorority women are vain.
Follow us around during a typical week and you'll see it all. Sweatpants, groutfits, unwashed hair, makeup-less faces. We are definitely not ones to be made up 24/7 and have no problem looking like the hot messes all college students are. We're all human and human ain't always so kempt.
6. Sorority women are rich.
In my chapter, most women do some sort of work to make money during the school year and hold jobs during the summer. One common reason for this is to be able to support themselves during college, including paying dues. We work hard for what we have and don't just swipe daddy's credit card whenever we want.
7. We are all the same.
This couldn't be further from the truth. We're not all tall blondes wearing Lilly Pulitzer. In my chapter we all bring our own unique qualities and quirks to the table, which is what makes us so great. We have women of all majors, all extracurriculars, different sexual orientations, different backgrounds, and different qualities that make them the member we all love.
8. We're mean.
The Greek women I have met are some of the nicest and most kind-hearted individuals I have met in my life and that's not just to their own sorority sisters. We volunteer with kids with special needs, we help people in need even if we don't directly know them, we connect with other Greeks, we have friends outside Greek life, and we choose to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
9. Sorority women are fake.
As a sisterhood, we care about each other in a different way. There is an unspoken bond between us that is respected. At the end of the day, no matter what we are all sisters who value one another and will be there for each other. We are there when a sister is struggling, when a sister is achieving her goals, and when a sister just needs a hug or good laugh. We've all been there and we all know we can count on each other to be there for us.
10. We're in college to have fun.
As everyone says college is supposed to be the best 4 years of your life, so yeah we are here for fun, but that's not all. In addition to having fun we do so much more. Sisters have internships to further their career potential, they do summer research in hopes of going to medical school, they spend crazy hours rehearsing for their latest play, they sacrifice fun activities for studying, they spend hours at practice for their sports. We are busy, high achieving women that have fun.
So give us a chance to prove you wrong before you just go off the stereotypes you've heard.
