Joining greek life in college was one of the best choices I’ve made. Before I moved to college I was really worried about making new friends and finding where I belonged. I left the majority of my old friends behind because they weren’t positive influences and didn’t share the same goals as me. When I joined my sorority I found women who shared the same passion for agriculture that I did, they shared the same goals as I did, and they became some of my best friends. While Greek life is an amazing aspect of college, the downside is there are some people who join Greek life for all the wrong reasons and these tend to be the same people who believe every stereotype there is about sorority women and fraternity men.
Don’t go Greek just because you want to wear the letters.
Being a part of a sorority or fraternity is so much more than rocking your letters day in and day out. Yes wearing your letters is great and you love to show them off on your car, your computer, your t-shirts, even your backpack. But if you’re going Greek just because you want to rock some Greek letters, don’t go Greek. When you finally make it through initiation you’ve worked your butt off and understand what those letters stand for, that’s why Greeks are so in love with their letters. They represent something and stand for something. So go Greek for what the letters stand for not just the letters themselves.
Don’t go Greek just because you think it’ll make you “popular.”
On every campus there seems to be an unspoken ranking system of all the fraternities and sororities, heck there’s even a website that ranks Greek life at each college campus. If you’re going Greek just so you can say you’re a member of one of those “top tier,” sororities or fraternities, please don’t. Greek life is great because you get people from all different walks of life with all different stories but they have one thing in common, they fell in love with what their organizations stands for not just to help with there social standings. Yes when you join a sorority or fraternity you automatically get a whole new group of friends, 50-200 new brothers and sisters. But if you’re going Greek just to help with your social standings, then you’re doing it for all the wrong reasons.
Don’t go Greek just because your friends are.
Finding your place in college is hard. You’re a very small fish in a very big pond and that’s OK. If your friends are rushing and you decide to do it just because of them, think twice. Maybe Greek life isn’t for you and that’s OK too. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone wants to be in a sorority or fraternity and not everyone needs to be. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes you’ll follow a friend and go through rush and love it, but more often than not you’ll pay the fee for rush and go through a few nights of rush week and realize that’s not where you’re meant to be. So find your own path, even if it doesn’t involve Greek life.
Don’t go Greek just to meet your future husband.
Remember how I mentioned people believing every stereotype about Greek life? Well here's a huge one and sadly sometimes it's true. This might be a bigger problem for women than men, but if you want to go Greek just to meet a cute guy and earn your Mrs. Degree then please don’t. Yes there are socials, mixers, date nights, and formal but more often then not you’re doing more work with your sorority than you are mingling with the fraternities.
Being a part of the Greek community in college is a great thing. I love my sorority and my sorority sisters. I’ve had some of the best times at Greek events and meeting other people in Greek life. If you decide to rush make sure it’s for the right reasons. If you decide to rush then fall in love with what the organization stands for, the people you will call bothers and sisters, and not for what the organization can do for you or give you.
