It’s a decision almost every college girl has to make: to join a sorority or not to join a sorority? The process of making this decision comes with tons of anxieties. How will I afford it? Will I even get into one? Am I going to have trouble making friends? What will people think of me if I’m in a sorority?
The sad truth is, many people don't even give Greek life a try because they are too worried about the effects of the stereotypes attached to it, embodying these stereotypes, and having people who believe these stereotypes look down on them. Why? Because people are ingraining negative, false opinions about sororities, and Greek life in general, into their minds and giving them the idea that they, too, will be associated with these horrifying reputations if they get involved. So, let’s get our facts straight here.
You are not paying for friends.
A sorority can be expensive for sure, but are we paying for the company of incredible, supportive and intelligent friends? Or are we paying for formal events at gorgeous venues and the chance to make life changing philanthropy events happen? The point of joining a sorority is to find a place where you feel at home with girls you can turn to for anything. These girls are not forced to be friends with only each other, so you do not have to join their organization to enjoy their company—this will only bring you closer.
You are never forced to go out.
People uninterested in Greek life often use the excuse that they do not want to be “forced to go out every single night” and therefore cannot join a sorority. Your sisters are your friends, and they’re college students, too. They understand that you have other obligations and cannot go every night because guess what? They have these priorities also. You are never pressured or forced to do anything you don’t want to. Of course, they would love to see your beautiful face every chance they get, but they completely understand that you have a life outside of them.
Sorority girls are not all sluts who only care about partying.
Honestly, where did this stereotype even come from? I blame the media’s embarrassing attempts at portraying Greek life. For some bizarre reason, people tend to stray away from the idea of joining a sorority because they are scared they’ll be known for their “slutty reputation”. I cannot stress enough how untrue this is. Remember, these girls are representing something much bigger than themselves. They are not trying to ruin their organization’s positive, well-respected reputation by publicly humiliating themselves. As a matter of fact, self-respect often skyrockets after joining a sorority and realizing how detrimental it is to positively represent your organization. Sorority girls want their chapter to be proud to have them, therefore their main goal is not to compete over how many guys they can hook up with in one night. More than half of my sorority is involved in serious, committed relationships, and spend their party time catching up and having a good time with their best friends.
You will have time for other things.
I know everyone thinks being in a sorority is a huge time commitment and therefore they will fail out of their classes and be forced to drop every other involvement to be a part of it, but no one is forcing you to put any more time into it than you physically can. Actually, your organization will encourage you to be involved in other activities and will completely understand your various obligations. And you will not fail out of classes! You must obtain a certain GPA to even remain a member of a sorority, so this will be a priority over all else.
They are nowhere near as superficial as you think.
So everyone’s telling you that sorority girls only care about their looks and that they’ll only take the best looking girls your school has to offer. This opinion probably came from someone who assumes that just because sorority girls always try to look their best and represent their organization as positively as possible, that all they care about is looking good. It is true that sorority girls want to look their best, especially when wearing their expensive, classy stitched letters (the ultimate chapter representation), but they do not take girls based off of looks. This is not even a factor that goes into sorority rush. Sororities are looking for intelligent, involved, friendly outgoing girls who will benefit their chapter.
They are doing good things.
Since people believe that all sorority girls are good for is partying and drinking, they often think these girls join solely to benefit themselves. They do not consider the time and effort these girls are putting into raising awareness and money for incredible causes and changing the world with their efforts every single day. They also do not consider the support sororities have for other organizations and the activities they will attend/work they will do for them. So if you’re getting annoyed about the constant Facebook posts and events on campus, remember that sorority girls are not trying to waste your time; they’re trying to make a difference.
It is an absolutely amazing way to get involved and it's an experience that will change your life.
Now, I’m not saying you need to join a sorority to have a good college experience (that would be forcing you to do something you may not want to, wouldn’t it?) I’m merely clearing the air about the reasons you may feel iffy about joining. To join a sorority means to get involved, to meet amazing friends, and to have something to be proud of. Not to mention, it looks great on your resume! It’s important not to believe everything you hear, and to instead give yourself the opportunity to discover the absurdity attached to these negative stereotypes on your own. You won’t know unless you try, and you may be missing out on the experience of a lifetime.
