I came to college believing I wanted nothing to do with sorority life. In fact, I wanted to stay far away because I thought it was just like what you see in the movies all sunshine and rainbows and butterflies. I didn’t even like girls all that much. I went all freshman year without even glancing in a sorority’s direction. Sophomore year, I took the plunge. It was exactly like my nightmares with happy girls and chanting and smiles and pink. Everyone spoke so loud and we were yelling over top of the girls next to us. By the end of the weekend, I couldn’t hear and I had no voice. However, I joined one and found my “home” and that’s when things changed. I was suddenly around girls who weren’t constantly smiling and who had real lives and problems. It was a completely different way of life. I can admit now that sorority life definitely isn’t for everyone because it’s not just what you see in movies...it’s that plus more. So here’s a list of things about sorority life that you really don’t understand at all.

1. Family lines are sacred.

Every sorority has this thing called family lines and they’re actually pretty important to some people. When you first join you get what we call a big sister and then as you get older you are able to take a little sister. If it’s one thing you don’t do…you don’t screw over your big/little. We will disown you and act like you don’t exist (at least I would #guilty)

2. We actually raise a lot of money.

We have philanthropy events on campus that are mandatory and all the money raised goes to charity. We have to maintain philanthropy hours and volunteer. We don’t just party.

3. There are so many rules.

Contrary to popular belief, we do have rules. SO many of them. They’re all pretty crappy and they basically try to tell you how to live your life according to the standards of the organization.

4. We do pay a ton of money to be in the organization.

However, a lot of that money goes to having those big philanthropy events. We have to pay Nationals (the headquarters of your particular sorority) and PHC (the governing body of all sororities).

5. The dreaded hazing topic.

We don’t really haze…it’s a lie. Besides, if we did…we wouldn’t tell you because it would be ritual and sacred and bonding and all that jazz.

6. So about that all that partying…

Sororities don’t throw parties. Have you ever seen Neighbors 2? Go watch because REAL sorority life is more like the first sorority. We don’t have parties we get invited to fraternity parties.

7. We don’t all have houses we live in.

It sucks, but it’s also the truth. ODU doesn’t even have Greek housing.

8. We have GPA Requirements.

We actually have a minimum GPA we have to maintain as an organization and on our particular school’s campus. You have to have this GPA to have fun.

9. Probation, probation, probation.

Not only can our organization put us on probation (financial, academic, social), but the entire organization can also be put on probation by the university. We have to watch everything we do because it could come back and bite us in the butts.

10. We can get kicked out.

Yeah so that probation I was just telling you about? If you don’t get your act together, you can get kicked out and if your organization as a whole keeps screwing up, the university will take your charter (which is basically the document allowing you to be on campus. So, essentially, you get kicked off of campus.)

11. Recruitment=Weekend of Hell

It’s literally so bad that I have to give it sub-categories.

a. Early wake-ups

We wake up at the crack of dawn to do recruitment. It’s so painful to be happy that early.

b. You match everyone

You have no choice of the outfits and sometimes they’re ugly. Not everyone looks good in the same thing.

c. You scream chants at the top of your lungs.

You will not have a voice or hearing by the end of recruitment.

d. You smile the entire time.

My cheeks were so sore. You smile no matter what. You always seem like you’re having the time of your life even when you’re dying inside.

e. The 4 B’s

This was literally the worst part. You have to survive a whole weekend with no Booze, no Boys, no Bible and no Bong. That literally sounds bad, but those are supposedly touchy topics that they want you to stay away from. We’re also not allowed to drink or see boys that entire weekend. So it’s one big sober, estrogen filled weekend of hell.

12. They’re only their happiest during recruitment.

That’s because it’s all fake. These girls will smile in your face and, probably, pretend they like you and then, when you wake up the next day thinking there’s no way they wouldn’t want you back, you find out they didn’t invite you back.

13. We compete against each other.

We have this thing called big/little week and every sorority does it differently. Bottom line is your big sister spends a crap ton of money on you for a week by buying you all these gifts. The funny thing is we’re actually trying to one up each other on who buys the best things.

14. We have disagreements.

For crying out loud, we’re girls. There’s usually at least 100 of us on an average sized campus (which means more than that on bigger universities campus) so there’s no way it’s always going to be sunshine and rainbows.

15. They’re not all your friends.

Once again…we are girls. You’re not going to get along with them all let alone try to be BFF’s with them.

16. It’s not for everyone.

I can admit now that it wasn’t for me. Sure, I made it through alive, but there were days that I absolutely hated being there. I hated the fakeness of it. Don’t get me wrong, I love what my organization stood for. It just wasn’t for me.

**Disclaimer: this is my personal beliefs of what sorority life was like for me. By no means are all experiences the same. Besides, someone may describe these exact 16 statements in a very different way.