There is typically a huge stereotype labeled on sororities and fraternities, and I can honestly say that I would judge and base my opinions on "Greek Life" based off of them. In high school, I never wanted to rush, or even be affiliated with any sorority, but now that I have, I finally see the true meaning of "Greek Life," and wanted to see if the stereotypes still stick.
In order to do that, I made two separate surveys with similar questions regarding peoples knowledge on "Greek Life." One quiz was tailored to those who are not in a Greek organization, and the other towards those who currently are or were in a greek organization. Before we jump in, I would like to point out that there were more responses on the survey for "Non-Greeks" than the "Greeks." I am also going to be showcasing the most common answers from each question, to capture the overall theme of each survey.
What do you think "Greek Life" is about?
From the survey targeting those involved with a greek organization said that it is used to build a group of people to better the community, and to support one another.
Those not affiliated with a Greek organization said it is about building relationships within a group and socializing within their campus.
What do sororities/fraternities do?
Every single person apart of a greek organization said that they raise money for philanthropy, and give back as a whole to their community.
For the "Non-Greek" survey, they mostly said that they do social events and help each other with grades.
Are your friends mostly Greek/Non-Greek?
Greeks: 33.3% said mostly Greek, and 66.7% said a mixture of both.
Non-Greeks: 50% said mostly Greek, 25% said a mixture of both, and 25% said they had no Greek friends.
In one word, describe what "Greek Life" portrays itself as.
Greeks: Community, Fun, Partying, Family, Support, Acceptance
Non-Greeks: Clique, Exclusive, Party(x2), Family, Club, Fellowship, Stability
True or False: "Greek Life" shadows over other campus organizations?
83.3% of Greeks said yes, and 16.7% said no.
87.5% of Non-Greeks said yes, and 12.5% said no.
Why did you "Go Greek?"
This question was only asked to the Greeks, and the most common reason was to make friends and to find those who would hold them accountable in college.
Would you "Go Greek" if finances were out of the question?
This question was only asked to the Non-Greeks, and I knew that there would be a larger percent that said no because it is the most common reason why people don't join sororities/fraternities.
82.5% said maybe, 25% said yes, and 12.5% said no.
Looking at the results, I thought back to when I made stereotypes about those in sororities/fraternities, and can really relate to most of the responses. But, I think that a lot of the responses actually portray how Greek Life is.
We do spend most of our time raising awareness and money for our philanthropy, but we also support one another and even have date parties. It was really interesting seeing how much people knew about our organizations, and can dfeinitely tell us a lot about how we brand ourselves and our cause.
