At college and universities all across the country, both public and private institutions are brimming with sororities and fraternities housing upperclassmen resembling homes they probably grew up in and hosting weekly chapter meetings to discuss upcoming mixers and philanthropy events. Young men and women enter their freshmen fall semester with sights on these secrets societies, eyes full of lust after the idea of being thrown into those very same mixers and philanthropy events.
If you're one of these prospective freshmen hoping to gain membership into one of the fabulous sororities or fraternities, I salute you and hope your top pick is their top pick. I hope you run into the arms of an overexcited older sister of the sorority you unapologetically stalked on social media, donning a flower crown screaming and crying. Rushing can be a very stressful and somewhat traumatic event, as it becomes sort of a competition to win the attention of the sisters or brothers you're after and sometimes that hard work getting to know them and proving that your best qualities deserve entry into their prized club doesn't always result in a bid with your top choice, or a bid at all.
Once in, everything becomes a whirlwind of events, parties, volunteering, recruiting, and meetings. The academic semester begins to take full steam, as well, and you find yourself swamped with homework and midterms with a full social calendar. The demands to attend every Greek life event in one week is just as prominent as the research thesis due at the end of the semester, and the problem is you think you have time for everything, so which do you prioritize?
A mixer here and a mixer there, your Blackboard assignments, philanthropy, mixer, chapter meeting, recruitment for the next semester already?! Brunch with your pledge sisters after the FIJI 'Merica themed mixer last night, that art history exam is tomorrow but it's ~art history~ you can totally wing it. It turns out you can't, because what actually is "antiquity." Your big wants to spend quality Big/Little time together watching the Bachelor drinking wine but you've bailed on FaceTiming with one of your best friends from high school 3 times already but it's totally fine, because she's in a sorority, too, so she gets how super crazy busy you are with everything going on.
I've personally seen this type of scenario happen one too many times where someone gets too wrapped up in the camaraderie of Greek life's plethora of functions; school work tends to plummet but the person is taking on more responsibilities in their organization. Although there is a strict rule to maintain a baseline GPA to attend social Greek events implemented by the national office, it is not uncommon that the executive board of the local chapter sometimes can and will bypass this to allow their members into events that they would otherwise be banned from due to poor marks. Greek life should not compromise your academics, social life outside the organization, or mental health. Becoming too obsessed with an extracurricular is not worth the consequences that could affect other aspects of your life.
