Here is a quick little story for you… I got off of work early one afternoon, so I walked down to the local coffee shop and I grabbed the best Italian Panini that Morehead has to offer and an extra tasty Hazelnuchino . While I sat there in my cozy little corner table, minding my own business, I overheard a gaggle of freshmen girls carrying on about not wanting to join a sorority, which is fine. But, then I hear “I don’t need to pay for my friends,” before they set out to the street.

I know, I know, there have been a million articles about the misconceptions of the Greek community and honestly, I am surprised that people still have these stereotypes of Greek life, but so long as people have the wrong idea, others will continue to argue the truth. I have had the pleasure of knowing what it is like from both sides of the topic. Did I mention that I'm not Greek?

“They are all just paying for their friends!”

I’ll just go ahead and shut that down first. A lot of people really think that sororities are buying friends and that they are only friends with the people in that particular one. It was exactly what I thought before I met Nicole, my best friend who happened to be in a sorority. Media and popular cinema make sororities into something ridiculously inaccurate. In fact, very few people in the Greek community follow the stereotypical guidelines and those folks are most definitely the exception, not the rule.

Lesser known fact, kids; all that money that members pay is in the form of dues. Those dues go straight to Nationals and that money allows that particular chapter to keep their affiliation and continue to do awesome things for the campus that they are on. Yes, to be an official member, you have to pay dues. Dues get you letters but to form unforgettable friendships with awesome people, you don’t have to have those letters. I never did.

It's not like that money is handed to them, either. I have met people who work multiple jobs on top of going to school full time, just to pay those dues. Its incredible how hard these people work to keep their letters. There is a huge sense of pride that these gals have when it comes to being a member of their sorority. Honestly, you don't see a lot of that these days. You work hard in High School in hopes of getting a scholarship or two with a good College but there is no scholarship that agrees to pay your dues for you. That's where the dedication come into play. That seems like an awful lot of extra time and energy spent just to buy some friends, huh?

Now, I don’t know about you but I have seen firsthand what recruitment events are like. If you haven't been to one yet, I think you should go check it out. They are loads of fun and you get to see the all the social creatures in their natural habitat. Even if you are socially awkward, like myself, you will have a hard time not smiling and laughing along with all the positive people around you. I have witnessed the backstage excitement involved in meeting Potential New Members (PNMs). These girls buzz with life when they are presented with the chance to make new friends. It is about getting to know people and finding where you fit in. Regardless of if a PNM excepts a bid or even rushes at all, if they are interested in making friends, they will do just that.

I was never part of a sorority but I had a boatload of Greek friends, male and female. And, guess what I did! I ate lunch with them, at “their” tables, with all kinds of other people. Yes, I sat with them. Just because someone has letters stitched on their chest, it doesn’t mean that they are a prisoner to them. Don't let the movies full you. There is no rule that says that to be Greek means that you cannot have friends outside of the group.

Typically, most people make the best friends of their lives, in college; they make a lot of connections and bond with many people. But no one says “You’re going to college? You’re just paying for friends.”

“Dumb, Clumsy, Cookie cutter… I could go on for days.”

My personal favorite of the sorority girl myth is that these girls are dumb and clumsy. Tell me how you get into a good college being dumb, first off. There is such a huge diversity inside one single sorority, everyone is from a different background, they have different interests, and most of them have different majors. They do, however, like every other on campus organization, have a required GPA that they have to maintain to remain active within the chapter. These folks are Nursing majors, Math majors, Chemistry, Space science, Philosophy, Sociology majors. There is no such thing as an easy major, not even Art or Music is easy. College is not easy, period. I have sat in on and even sometimes been a part of study groups with these girls. I have had upper level classes with these girls. Trust me when I say that they are far from dumb. If they were, they wouldn't be allowed in a sorority.

For anyone who wants to say that all sorority girls are the same, I want to challenge you to go to a Greek event. Go watch Follies, go to Spring Sing or even the Greek Awards. Just go look. There is a little of everything in those events. Again, everyone is from a different background, major, upbringing. Everyone is different but the common factor is the love and respect that they all have for each other and the people that they call friends. They are also quite talented in their respective areas. Just being friends with these girls, you find a sense of unity, not only in the group but in yourself. You get to see that the things that you are uncomfortable with get easier and you don't have to go through anything alone. A lot of people suffer with social anxiety and various other issues but when you are with friends and people who care about you, those problems have a way of fading. At least, that's how it was for me. When you surround yourself with positive people, your life becomes a little brighter.

As far as being clumsy goes… because, you know, all girls are clumsy… have you ever walked down 4 flights of stairs and then walked another mile across campus, in the rain, in the grass all while in heels? Sit down.

“They are such prudes; they only care about themselves and those letters.”

Sorority girls are spoiled, stuck up prudes…I could smack myself for once believing this particular myth. Again, before I met Nicole and got ushered into the Greek community, I believed that they were all trust fund babies who drove fancy cars that their daddy bought them. I thought that they all had this sense of entitlement that they were probably born with. Even after I got to being friends with the members of one sorority in particular, I still had in the back of my mind that all the others were probably like that. But in 2012, when the tornadoes went through West liberty, the university formed a program called MSU Cares. A lot of people went as a group to do clean up in the affected communities. A few of the people involved with creating the program were Greek, which I didn't know then. Honestly, most of the people who went with us were Greek and man, did we do some hard work while we were there. And I’m not saying that members of various chapters were forced to go pick up what was left of people’s homes. I’m saying that different people from different groups volunteered to do the dirty work with people they didn’t know, to help people they had never met, and for no gain of their own. After that, I took the time to actually get to know people outside of my circle and I’m ashamed of how wrong I was about them. These people are selfless.

Most, if not all Greek organizations have a philanthropy that they do charity work for. Most of the money they earn through their events goes to that particular charity. While people are calling them prudes, they are busy actually doing good things for the world. I can honestly say that people I know, in various sororities and fraternities even, are by far some of the nicest people I have ever met. Between their amazing personalities, their strides for greatness and their charity work; I would say that they are so much more than the stereotype.

Sorority girls are…

From an outsider’s perspective, and from an insider’s experience, I can tell you that there is a lot more to being Greek than being a media enhanced stereotype. I cant even really begin to explain to you the impact that these people have had on me personally. I was not "one of them" but at the same time, I was and still am. We went through so much together, as a unit that I wasn't even technically a real part of. I have watched these girls just about kill themselves shoveling snow for strangers. I have seen them buckle down and help each other stay on track. I have seen them sing their hearts out of their philanthropy. I have seen them raise money to help each other pay dues. I have seen them laugh together, cry together, rejoice in their victories together. They are strong, determined and dedicated. They are intelligent, kind, all around great people. They are family for life. And, I was just lucky enough to be able to watch from the sidelines.