A lot of people head off to college looking for a place that they can belong, where they can fit in as who they are and not have to change. You go in with a clean slate and have the opportunity to make yourself whoever you want to be. College is a whole new world, and you'll find yourself in a position to take a lot of chances and try new things to find that place that you're meant to be in. While you're doing this, please give Greek life a chance. There is a special place in my heart for my international sorority (shout out to Phi Sigma Sigma), and regardless of how grossly cliche it is, my sisters became my home away from home and that is something that I wish everyone could experience. I've gotten so much out of my sisterhood that I definitely could not have found anywhere else. So, hear me out, this is why international sororities are just downright awesome.
There are sisters everywhere, literally.
International is no joke, there are sorority chapters spread out all over the United States and Canada. You may not understand why this is so cool, but when you're in line for your burrito at Chipotle and someone sees your letters and runs up to you like you've been friends for ages, you'll get it. It doesn't matter where you're from, your letters will make you sisters and you'd be surprised how many places you'll run into your "extended family". I've seen sisters from other chapters at concerts, in airports, and all kinds of other random places. You never realize how many times you see girls wearing Greek letters until you're a girl that wears Greek letters. I don't care what anyone says, having someone be genuinely excited to see me in public just because of my sorority affiliation is pretty rad.
Networking.
As I said, sisters are everywhere. The woman interviewing you for your first, big post-college job could have been involved in Greek life, maybe even your sorority. Maybe your interviewer didn't go Greek, that's okay, because you still have a huge network of people that you've met throughout your career from everything you were involved in. Sororities run more like a business than anyone thinks; sure we have a lot of fun, but we know how to get things done and done well. We all have philanthropies, host fundraisers and do a variety of other things that involve a lot of planning, and in that planning there are a lot of people that we get in contact with that have a lot of power. Those people are fantastic references to talk up how great you are under pressure and at organizing. Going Greek can get you far in life. Fun fact, the first ever woman senator was in a sorority.
Dues are worth it.
Everyone sighs and moans at the mention of international sorority dues, but they are really not that bad. According to the US Office of Education, only 2% of the average college tuition goes towards dues. When you consider everything that comes from your dues, you shouldn't be upset. Paying our dues allows us to hold our big events for our charities of choice; it gives us the opportunity to get out in the community and be involved. Our dues are for insurance, to make sure we've always got ourselves covered, and for all of our cute, matching letters. A lot of people consider dues a con of Greek life, but you shouldn't. You're not paying for friends and you're not wasting your money, you're helping forward an organization of powerful women that wants to make a change.
You get to go to conventions and conferences.
Who doesn't love travelling? Sorority conventions and conferences are great for several reasons. First, they're in super cool places and sometimes you don't have to pay your whole way there. Phi Sigma Sigma's last convention was in New Orleans, how awesome is that? Also, you get to meet and connect with tons of your sisters from other chapters and bounce around ideas with everyone. You learn new things from all of them, and you can share some of your thoughts with them as well. Leadership development is a huge component of sorority life and these conferences give you the chance to become a leader not only in your chapter, but for your school as well. Greeks frequently represent their universities well, and we like it that way. Sitting through meetings with officials from your organization will also teach you how to interact in a professional setting.
We support charities and give back.
Community service and giving back is a part of the backbone that supports Greek life. Every sorority will support their own charities of choice, and some of us even have philanthropies specific to us. The Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation supports school and college readiness, and I love the idea that there are chapters located internationally helping kids get what they need for school. Greek organizations have the largest network of volunteers in the United States, and members donate over 10 million hours of volunteer service annually. You can't possibly have something bad to say about that.
It's fun!
While we are engaged a lot in the community and we learn a lot, we do have fun. It may seem silly, but little things like T-Shirt exchange groups are small perks of international sororities. You can make connections with other sisters from other campuses and trade clothes, and ideas for recruitment or even find someone that may be able to help you with school. Wearing the letters of a Panhellenic sorority is an honor, and I'm proud to do so. I love my sisters; I love the sisters that I know like the back of my hand, and the ones that I've yet to meet. There's nothing like being a part of a group of women that do so much, and I wouldn't trade my place for anything.
