Have you ever heard a rumor about yourself that wasn't true? It doesn't sit well with you, to say the least. The media has given sororities a bad reputation with movies like "Legally Blonde" and "House Bunny" (although both are iconic) and it projects onto society. So instead of feeding you stereotypes, I'm here to spill some facts.
1) We don't pay for our friends.
Yes, we pay dues almost every month to cover chapter functions and venues for socials. However, it's definitely not to pay for friendship. People always wonder why sorority girls seem so close and just assume that it's fake, but it's really not! We spend a lot of our time together and truly enjoy each other's company. If I'm paying for my sisters' friendship, I'm definitely not paying enough.
2) We aren't clones of one another.
In my sorority, no two sisters are exactly the same. We have girls of various race, cultures, religions, and sexual orientation. I'm in a wheelchair for crying out loud! We embrace each other's differences and love our sisters even more for having them. Where's the fun in being exactly like the girl sitting next to you?
3) We don't party all the time.
Believe it or not, we probably care about our grades more than the average college student does.The only reason it seems like we go out more often is that we like to post pictures and make memories. We actually have study groups and donate hours of service to charity as much as possible in our busy lives.
4) All sororities actually get along.
I'm not sure why people think that one sorority hates the other, but this is not the case! At least on my campus, we all respect each other as a Greek community. Being in certain letters doesn't mean you can't be friends with a girl in different letters. I've met so many brilliant and beautiful young women whom I look up to within the Greek community, regardless of the letters on their shirts.
5) Sorority girls are smart.
First of all, you have to have a specific GPA to get into and stay in good standing with a sorority at all. The media portrays Greek women as being ditzy airheads without a clue, which is so far from the truth. All of my sisters are beyond brilliant; several are headed into the medical field to do amazing things and others are going to change the world with their beautiful minds.
6) We aren't all super rich.
It's important to be independent, especially in college! Some girls work to pay for dues, which is absolutely incredible. If you want something, you should work for it until you can get it yourself. Payment plans can even be set up for girls who struggle to pay on time (we're in college, everything is a struggle).
7) We aren't all girly girls.
Yes, we wear dresses, pearls, heels and lipstick, but I could name at least ten sisters off of the top of my head who would be totally down with going mud-riding and getting dirt all over the place at the drop of a hat. At the same time, there are just as many sisters who would probably cry if I asked them to get muddy. It goes hand-in-hand with the diversity aspect.
8) We don't think we're better than anyone.
Wearing our letter shirts around campus gives us so much pride and joy, but it definitely does not make us feel like we're better than you by any means. A sorority is so much more than what you can see from the outside. My letters don't make me better than you, but better than the person I used to be.
Regardless of any stereotypes you may have heard about sororities, you shouldn't believe any of them unless you've been in one yourself and have experienced it. I can honestly say that going Greek has been the best decision I've made in college thus far and I don't know what I would do without my amazing sisters. ALAM.
