Greek life is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Cliché? Yeah, I know.
But it's true because to feel that acceptance and to be embraced by your sisters is one of the best feelings in the world. Its a feeling I've never felt, to have a huge...I mean a HUGE group of women and a Greek community that accepts you...priceless. Although there are so many great things about this community, be aware of the compromises you encounter when choosing to live in a sorority. There aren't many, but just things to be aware of.
1. Your privacy is limited
Growing up, I was the child that always had her bedroom door shut. Not because of anything suspicious, but because I like having me space where I can decide if I want music or if I need the quiet. When you chose to live in, that gets erased completely and you need to leave your house most of the time in order to get homework done. That’s just me. I can’t have anyone around me or be in a tight space to get shit done. I LOVE my sisters and am thankful to be given the privilege to live in, but the majority of the time, there is always someone walking into my room, and the door rarely gets shut. Lucky for me, my roommates respect that I enjoy having the door shut and they started doing it when they leave the room.
Long story short, privacy is a very hard thing to find unless you’re up in the middle of the night when no one else is.
2. Everyone knows you
Flying under the radar isn’t possible, but that’s just another thing you get used to when you decide to join a sorority. Everyone knows your name, who you are, or whose big you belong to. Not a bad thing, it just is what it is. You become friends instantly with over 100 new women. (It’s a blessing in disguise for someone like me, who never had a lot of girlfriends growing up).
3. Rules are a must
To tame the cat fights and arguments over stupid things, rules are a MUST. The rules are there to smooth over complications and allow the women who are living in to compromise and work out problems. This is another great reason why we have Executive Boards, not the only reason, but a big one is to make sure all women are held to the same standard and agree.
Besides the main rules, comes the basic rules, that most sororities have. No boys on other floors besides the first (besides visiting hours on Sundays), no alcohol, no drugs, no access to the main kitchen without permission, rules as to where you can and can’t do activities (we got new carpet, it makes sense in our house haha). The rules of each individual sorority house reflect the values that each chapter share. A lot of these simple rules are a given.
4. Getting acclimated to Greek culture
This was the hardest thing for me. Greek culture is unique to itself because of its secrecy and you wont find the rituals and processes that are individual to Greek life anywhere else. Greek culture contains events such as Formal, Date Dashes, Philanthropy events, Exchanges, Greek Week, Homecoming Week, Chapter Meetings, and many more events that do not happen in other cultures. It is full of rules and events that if you are not a part of, might not make much sense. In high school I always heard and saw people who were preparing for recruitment, it was so foreign to me and did not make sense until I joined.
5. You have a very tight schedule 90% of the time
With all the events included in Greek life, you never get bored. There are mandatory events such as Philanthropy events, Greek Week, Homecoming, Live-In Meetings and Chapter Meetings. Along with the mandatory events, there are meetings for different councils that take care of planning events, community service requirements, and programming that is mandatory. A busy schedule is good, and like I said, you’ll never get bored. But, Greek life is very time-consuming. Many chapters will work around your work schedule, class schedule, and important commitments, but it is important to think about all the events you are required to attend as an individual who is involved in Greek life.
Greek life is a blessing and is something I would have never imagined myself being a part of. Although there are compromises in order to live in a sorority house, it is an experience of a lifetime that will never happen again. If you are given the opportunity, live in for at least a semester or two. If you love it, stay longer! Your sisters are women who will be there for you at your worst and best times of your life, living with them only helps to get closer to them and grow a bigger bond of sisterhood.
