Being a member of a college fraternity can be fun. You get to make new friends and join a brotherhood that will last for years. You also get to drink and party whenever you want, preferably on weekends. However, some college students may find that Greek life is not for them. I am one of these students. As a Washington State University attendee, I certainly put time aside for enjoying myself, but I do not take it to such extremes.

Of course, going Greek is not all fun and games. Students are sorted into houses that are designated with specific Greek letters. They have to maintain consistency in their grades to meet their house’s standards. This puts pressure on members of both fraternities and sororities to keep their grades up because if they do not, they can be kicked out without hesitation. This is one of the main reasons why I am not in a fraternity: I do not like having to deal with additional pressure on top of the traditional stress that college students experience.

My friends find that there is an abundance of enjoyment in being a part of a house. Just like sororities, fraternity members are generally extremely close and partake in many collective activities, as well as studying together. These can be social events like interactive games that effectively function as study breaks. However, this is another reason I do not like the fraternity lifestyle. I generally refrain from engaging in group activities on my own time because I am generally anti-social. Of course, this does not mean that I do not have friends; I certainly have a sizable amount of them. However, I still prefer to be on my own for the most part and I do not always want to be social with other students.

Perhaps the most prominent reason why the fraternity lifestyle is not for me is my lifelong sobriety. People in Greek houses often party on weekends, and a lot of it involves drinking a considerable amount of alcohol. I have never drunk alcohol in my life, and I probably never will. Throughout my life, I have learned about the unpleasant and potentially disastrous consequences of drinking too much alcohol, such as vomiting repeatedly, being hospitalized or even dying from alcohol poisoning. Even at Washington State University, I see at least one ambulance rushing an overly intoxicated student to the hospital nearly every weekend. It is not necessarily the taste of alcohol that people like; rather, it is the intoxication effects. However, I believe that this lifestyle is too dangerous for me because I have taken things to extremes in the past, and it could truly get horrid with alcohol.

If you are in a Greek house, that is completely fine. Like I said earlier, there are some great qualities of being in a house. However, after reviewing every aspect of this particular lifestyle, I can conclude that it is simply not for me.