I’m going to be honest with you. In high school, I was a resident goody-two-shoes. I never got in trouble, I made good grades, and I stayed at home and studied most of the time. Now, when I tell people I’m in a sorority, I’m often met with surprise and questions like, “Really?” and the underlying, “But you’re not that kind of girl.”
Whether or not to join a sorority was a really tough decision for me. It is for a lot of girls. Just the word “sorority” brings some ugly stereotypes to mind, and from the outside, it’s hard to know if they’re true or not. I knew that going through recruitment and pledging a sorority had a lot of pros—making friends with similar interests, the whole sisterhood thing, and more opportunities to get involved in college—but I didn’t want to have to compromise who I was.
You might be having some of the same thoughts. Let's be real. In some circles, "sorority girl" has a bad connotation. You're a respectable person. You care about your reputation, and you don't want people to think less of you. Sure, you can read tons of things online about how none of those stereotypes are actually true, but how do you know how much of that is true, either?
As someone who was skeptical about going through recruitment until the very end, I want to try to make your decision a little easier. I realized a few things in the process that no one had put into words for me before. It made me realize not only was there a place for me in Greek life but also that it was actually one of the best decisions I could make.
Here are three things to consider about joining a sorority before you decide not to:
1. What every sorority cares about most are their values.
Every sorority girl has goals, ambition, and values, and you’ll have a lot of these in common with your sisters. Even though you may have different interests or ideas of fun, you have something that really matters in common. When you pledge a sorority, you’re joining a sisterhood based on one of the most important aspects of who you are—your values.
2. There are more aspects of sorority life than the social scene, and they’re just as important.
An unfortunate truth is that social media distorts reality. With all the Instagram pictures and Snapchat stories of parties and socials, it’s easy to think the social aspect of sororities is all there is. In reality, there’s a lot more. A lot of girls love the social aspect because it’s fun, but you can be just as passionate about and have just as much fun with philanthropy events, intramurals, or all of the above!
3. Those “bad girls” I was so worried about don’t actually exist.
The characters from the stereotypes are just that—works of fiction. Girls don’t join a sorority just to party, and if they do, they probably won’t last very long. Because you join a sorority based on its values, every girl has them. So, there are no “bad girls” in a sorority—only girls who really care about each other and their goals and helping each other be the best they can be.
So, even though the word “sorority” has some less-than-desirable connotations, being a part of one has some pretty amazing benefits. It’s a great way to make friends who have the same values as you, who will be there for you no matter what like a kind of support system, and it gives you countless opportunities to get involved that you might not have otherwise. Ultimately, it’s up to you how much you put into it and how much you get out of your sorority.
Most importantly, you don’t have to compromise who you are to join a sorority. You don’t have to be something you’re not. You’re going to be faced with choices, but you get to decide who you are, and your sisters will be there to help you become the best version of yourself.
