There are many misconceptions about Greek life, in general -- one of which is that when you join a sorority, you're just paying for friends. That is not only untrue, it is insulting. It is insulting to hear people say we pay for friends because that's the last thing our dues would ever go to.

When I joined a sorority, there was an instant bond between me and every girl in my sorority. Sure, I don't know all of them extremely well even now, but I do know each and everyone of them at a first name basis. We may not all be just alike or agree with each other at all times, but we all have one thing in common; Chi Omega. We all wear Chi Omega as our last name. Chi Omega is a belief system in which we all believe in. All sororities are so much more than “paying for friends.” I can speak from my personal experience and I'm sure other sororities can agree.

Chi Omega is a sisterhood. It is so much more than just a friendship could ever be. We all have each other's back no matter what. There's a difference between a friend and a sister. It’s hard to understand with having been in a sisterhood/brotherhood. I didn't understand it until I was part of one. I know that no matter what is going on or what time it is, if I call one of my sisters, she is going to be there.

As I mentioned previously, we wear Chi Omega as our last names. Wearing Chi Omega as our last name means that no matter where we are, we still represent our sorority. Nobody wants to be attached to a bad name which is why we always strive to be our best no matter where we are.

Our dues go to so many different things, I couldn't name them all if I wanted to. However, just to name a few, they go to our philanthropy, housing maintenance, sisterhood events, and anything else our chapter needs.

My sorority’s philanthropy is Make-A-Wish. Chi Omega has partnered with Make-A-Wish to raise money to grant terminally ill children their wish. So far through national efforts, Chi Omega has raised over 12.9 million dollars for Make-A-Wish since 2002. We dedicate a lot of time planning our philanthropy events and pour our hearts into them as well.

We aren't just paying to sit around and wear our letters, either. We have obligations to our sorority. We have to maintain our GPAs as well as participate in our philanthropy events in conjunction with the rest of the Greek community's events. We have to do these things while balancing the rest of our lives, too.

So, I don’t blame you, I wouldn’t pay for friends either and that's surely not what my dues are going to every month. If sororities were just for buying friends, I wouldn't be a proud Chi Omega.