Before I get an angry mob of sorority girls coming at me for this article, know that I was in a sorority for two and a half years before I dropped in December 2019. I lived in the chapter house for a year and a half, I had a little and g-little, I've been on a couple of committees and I've seen formal recruitment from three different sides. I went through it freshman year, I recruited sophomore year and was on membership selection committee junior year. So, everything I say comes from personal experience.

1. It is VERY expensive

Daily Tarheel

I was in the cheapest sorority on campus and all the expenses related to my chapter, from membership dues to recruitment outfits, event tickets, required t-shirts, etc. cost me a little over $2,000 dollars per year. Living in the house is a little under $10,000 per year as well. It was an extreme financial strain that had depleted my bank account and made me give up every single penny I earned to just stay in good standing in the chapter. Housing was added to all of our student loans (as if tuition isn't enough) since nobody was going to pay $10,000 out of pocket as full-time students.

2. Is it extremely time consuming

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They deceive you when they say weekly chapter meetings are just about the only mandatory events you have to be at outside of recruitment. There's big/little reveal, philanthropy events, formal recruitment PRACTICE, informal recruitment, committee meetings, meeting with advisors from headquarters, new member lessons, initiation, pinning ceremonies, and so.much.more. Don't forget about all the social events to attend if you want to make friends.

3. Formal recruitment is a nightmare

Anna Kropov

Formal recruitment is the worst thing I have ever experienced in my life as a potential new member and a recruiter. Two entire weekends of talking to hundreds of girls in your house for up to 12 hours a day with very few breaks in between rounds, if at all, trying to make conversation with strangers who you have nothing in common with and some who treat you terrible if they don't like your chapter. It's exhausting, mentally tolling, and extremely stressful. Recruiters aren't allowed to wear whatever they want. Some adolescent decides how the entire chapter dresses, wears their hair, does their makeup, and more. Plus you all must be complimenting or matching each other. If the pref nightdress is pastel blue, you're not allowed to wear a navy, sky, or baby blue color. It has to be that shade. Heels are required, so get ready to spend 12 hours a day on them. And again, if you're asked to wear wedges, you can't wear your stiletto heels, that's not allowed. So, have fun dropping a butt load of money on super-specific outfits and uncomfortable shoes if, like me, you can't wear heels and will never put them on again in your life. Diversity? Nah, we don't believe in that. Everyone needs to look the same. Don't believe me? No worries, the recruitment chair will have everyone who's recruiting line up at the house for MANDATORY OUTFIT CHECKS. If you dropped $100 on a designer dress but it's the wrong shade, return it and buy the one that she approves.

4. The drama and bullying is real

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I have never faced so much bullying, gossip, and drama in my life as I have when I was in a sorority. I had decided to drop and then went through a break up on the same weekend last year, which resulted in an immense struggle with my mental health for the rest of the semester. Because of it, I was never in the chapter house (I hated living there), I skipped meetings to study, I didn't go to social events to save face with people I didn't like and I wasn't involved at all. Following this, all I heard were the whispers of how I was never around, not dedicated, a flake who never showed up, and more. I had a bad relationship with a girl who was in my fam so I decided to end our friendship because we literally never got along, but we were the hottest subject of gossip over chapter dinner for weeks. These girls openly tear their own "sisters" down because they don't like their lifestyles, knowing full well that she or anyone else could walk into their conversation and relate that information to others. But we're all accepting, kind and loving to our sisters, right? In your dreams. The public scrutiny is real. If you don't conform to the image the chapter has of who they want you to be, leave. They won't make your time there enjoyable. Trust me, I was the outcast for it.

5. The alcohol and drug usage is real

person smoking

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Literally the biggest concern on the weekends was where and who to get high with, (my chapter was known A O High to most students, and members themselves had a group chat with that exact name), what frat parties to get drunk at (don't get me started on how I've witnessed girls come home DRUGGED from the drinks they had at those frat houses) and what bars they were going to hit up on weekends. I would see messages in our group chats of sisters asking if anyone had a fake ID to spare for their underage friends more than once, I had to deal with screaming herds of drunk women coming home at 2 a.m. on school nights, and others smelling like weed after a night out. Don't get me wrong, I like to enjoy some drinks at the bars on weekends with friends, but I don't ever use drugs, nor does my student life revolve around blackout Monday, getting plastered at socials off the tab, or go out to get drunk every weekend. There is a huge party scene in Greek life, especially when all our socials and date parties were at bars where nobody monitored underage drinking.

To wrap this up, I'm not here to write a hate post against Greek life. My points come from personal experience and many anecdotes from close friends who also dropped their sororities for many of the same reasons I listed above. But especially because so many universities are virtual this fall, meaning recruitment and many aspects of sororities and fraternities will be virtual too, it just isn't worth throwing $2000+ a year away for friends, experiences and connections you can make in actual professional organizations related to your field and other student groups that are more catered towards your interests for a cost 10+ times cheaper. Save your time and money to dedicate it to making the most out of already expensive education. We all know that college tuition isn't cheap, so use your time wisely.