As another school year and semester begins, another wave of freshmen and transfer students start at their new universities and colleges. Even before classes officially start, many students are already seeking out information on the attractions, social scenes and co-curricular activities that their college town has to offer. Many are intrigued by the prospect of getting involved with Greek life, whether hearing stories from family members, older high school alumni, or just them taking the initiative to see if what happens in the movies are true.

Sororities and fraternities operate quite differently, even more so between traditional and multicultural Greek organizations. What is universal, however, is the need to strike a balance between your many obligations and responsibilities as a college student. Joining a fraternity or a sorority requires a certain level of commitment, just as work, academics, and family life do. If you can successfully strike this balance between all areas of your life, you'll be able to find joy in your college experience.

First, remember that SCHOLARSHIP is your #1 concern as a college student.

If obtaining your degree plays second fiddle to any other reason for attending college, you might have your priorities off. Sure, college grants you more freedom than you were used to as a high schooler and offers you hundreds of ways to get involved almost immediately, but doing well in school is the most important thing -- considering the fact that without solid grades or even being on academic probation and suspension, you may not even receive a bid or be eligible to join a fraternity or sorority...or worse, you won't even be enrolled in your school anymore.

Second, you must be proud of the letters you're wearing, and genuinely bond with those you call brothers/sisters.

During recruitment (or rush), you will be able to check out just what organizations your campus has to offer. Greek orgs can scope you out just as effectively as you can gain intel on them. The best ones are looking to recruit members who espouse the ideals of their organization, but don't necessarily aim to be homogenous. What I mean is that they seek diverse members but also those who could work well with others. There is no point joining the fraternity with the biggest house or the wildest party antics if, at the end of the day, you don't feel a genuine connection or that you belong. The easiest way to avoid regret (I mean, I really hope this doesn't happen to people often) is to form true and deep friendships with the men or women you are joining. I am proud of my choice to go Kappa Sigma, where I have a sense of belonging, but know that I can be myself and my own person at the same time. Use the week(s) of rush to really narrow down your choices and make the best decision for yourself.

Third, you must be willing to participate, and at the appropriate times, step up and lead.

Greeks on campus strive to be the furthest thing from lazy. When there's so many positive things that need to be done for the community and the world, there's no reason that a national network of thousands of chapters can't put their numbers and their monetary contributions to work. Philanthropy is an important part of every organization, each of which has their own specific cause(s) that they support. The events that are hosted to raise funds or to raise awareness require months of planning by chair holders and committees, who work tirelessly to make these functions successful.

As well as supporting the national philanthropies, Greek organizations support each other and their universities, whether it be "mixers" where a sorority and fraternity mingle, or an on-campus event where they can show out in numbers. Fraternities and sororities want members who will attend events and give them a strong campus presence. It would be foolish to expect yourself to make it to every single event with no scheduling conflicts throughout your entire college career. But joining anything and then deciding to never show up should have you reflecting on why you joined in the first place, if not to use your talents in service and your voice and actions to lead. Being successful as a fraternity or sorority member is primarily up to you, and trust me, once you find out where it is you belong, you benefit tremendously, and things start falling right into place from there.