Recently, the article "15 Things Every Non-Greek Is Sick Of" was published. It was written by a female who did not go through recruitment at her college. Like the author of this article stated, you are required to make many life decisions once you get to college. One of the questions you may ask yourself is "Do I want to be in a sorority?". I can tell you that answering "yes" to that question brought me so much more than I ever thought. Sure I had heard about the stereotypes and your "typical sorority girl". However, after joining a sorority I can tell you that it is so much more than what other individuals believe. Here is my response.
No independents were harmed in the making of this article.
1. "What sorority are you in?"
I am a proud member of Kappa Delta Sorority.
2. "We do not pay for our friends."
We don't. We have dues. You have to remember that a sorority is also a business and a business needs money to run successfully.
3. *Handful of glitter blown into camera.*
4. "You should totally join Greek life!"
Greek life is great, however, I understand that Greek life isn't for everyone, but remember it is for some people.
5. "OMG Little!"
When you finally get your little, it's kind of like Christmas time. You are so excited to be able to be a big sister to someone. Please excuse our "high pitched screaming". We are just excited. Also, where I go to school, we actually get to know our littles before they officially become our littles. So yes, we know their name.
6. "OMG Big!"
Refer to #5.
7. "Sisters by chance, friends by choice."
OK, I'll explain it to you like you asked. When girls go through recruitment, we don't judge them based off just one week. You either know the girl, or you know someone that does. If some reason you don't know the girl and neither does someone you know, it's OK because that's what recommendation letters are for.
8. "I joined my sorority looking for friends, but what I found were sisters."
Refer to #7.
However, I can say that I didn't know how it would feel to be in a sorority with 97 other ladies, but I can tell you this- these ladies started as friends and they have turned into sisters. I know that they have my back and they know that I have theirs.
9. *Letters everywhere.*
I don't see how this could even possibly be considered annoying. It's a t-shirt with something that is meaningful to me on it.
10. "We don't haze." "No, like, I swear we don't."
Not once have I heard of a sorority forcing its members to drink, making them wear makeup or to wear a certain pin. Once you get initiated, you get to choose your pin, or at least in Kappa Delta you do. Also, Kappa Delta strives to promote confidence in females. We even participate in Free Yourself Friday, where none of us wear makeup for the whole day. And, if you ever saw me on campus, you would know that we do not force our girls to wear to make up.
11. "Sorority squat!"
Yes, we know our legs are meant to bend for a reason, however, we are just going along with the joke.
12. "Sisterhood!"
I can honestly say that I do not hate anyone within my sorority. I may not always agree with they say or do, but I promise you that I don't hate them. I would do anything for my sisters, just like I know that they would do anything for me. And sure, we are competitive when it comes to winning competitions against other sororities. It's like an athletic event. There will always be competition, but the sororities remain Panhellenic.
13. "It's a Greek thing."
I'm sorry you have a bitter taste about Greek life, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
14. "OMG love you Big/ Little!"
Technically we didn't meet just an hour ago. Where I go to school, we know who our littles are for weeks before we reveal ourselves to our little. We also spoil them for a week (OK, to be honest- we spoil them forever).
15. "Ugh, I have *insert Greek life event here* tonight."
We have the right to complain sometimes. Between being involved with multiple organizations on campus, holding leadership positions in these organizations, maintaining a certain GPA, taking at least 15 hours, and more, we have the right to be tired and to complain about going somewhere because sometimes all we want to do is get a full 8 hours of sleep.
I'm sorry Greek life wasn't for you. I'm sorry you have a bad taste about Greek life, however, don't stereotype us. Every sorority is different. Every chapter is different. Every member is different. That's what makes us special. That's what makes us unique. You may only see what you want to see or you may only see the "fun" things that sororities do, like swaps, grab-a-dates, or formals, but I can promise you, you don't see the hard work or the long hours that members put in for our philanthropies. If you saw all the hard work or long hours, you would understand that it's so much more than parties, socials, and letters. Greek life is something that I will forever be grateful for. It has taught me so much about myself and who I want to be in life. It has lead me to some of best friends.
