Sororities often get a bad rap in the media, whether it’s for their recruitment videos featuring too much glitter, partying too much, or coming across as spoiled. There are a lot of negative perceptions that surround Greek life, which is why I didn't rush when coming into college my freshman year. I didn't picture myself as the typical sorority girl, but as time went on, I felt like something was missing from my college experience, so I decided to give it a try.

When I rushed and joined a sorority this past year, I found that they are made up of a diverse group of young women; there is no one type of “sorority girl.” My chapter is filled with driven women who each have different interests, goals, and livelihoods, and at the end of the day, we all share the same values and support each other. In reality, being in a sorority does not live up to the superficial stigma at all. Contrary to what the media and movies would have you believe, there is an emphasis on academics and philanthropy, and not once have I been forced to go to a party.

Most recently, I was told that being in a sorority was a “turn off.” I found myself annoyed — this person did not take the chance to try and get to know me, and instead assigned me to a perceived stereotype. Then I remembered that I too used to stereotype sorority girls and Greek life as a whole. In order to combat this negative thinking, many sororities across the country have been taking part in campaigns in order to prove sororities are more than the stereotypes.

Most recently, Ohio University’s Delta Gamma published a photo album on Facebook titled “Defying Stereotypes.”

The message is clear; sorority girls are more than their stereotype, and there is much more depth to Greek life than media and pop culture portrays. So before you make a judgement, think of the person behind the cliché.