My first year of school, I decided to rush a sorority with my roommate. I thought to myself, “Why not? Might as well get the experience of rushing and see if I like it”. I was chosen to be a part of Chi Omega, one of the biggest Greek organizations in the country. After being a part of it for a year, so many people asked me whether they should rush, and what it’s like to be a part of a Greek organization. I felt that this issue needed to be touched upon for girls, like me, who coming into college had no idea what Greek life was like.

Rush Week

When you rush, you will talk for hours to so many different girls from different houses with different experiences. The week consist of days of conversations that last hours and hours, house tours, and sometimes a cute ceremony or video. It’s the most overwhelming process you will probably ever be a part of, and at the end of each rush day you’ll want to crash with a box of pizza and Netflix.

Meeting a ton of people

Once you are a part of a sorority, you will be forced to come out of your comfort zone to meet new people. I went on a ton of coffee dates with girls I didn’t know and followed each and everyone on Instagram and Facebook. You will see a person in your sorority walking to class or on your way to the gym everyday no matter what. Greek Life forces you to make friends with the girls in your sorority, and it helps you connect with other people on campus.

Raising money for a specific philanthropy

In Chi Omega, we donate all of our donations raised during our events to Make a Wish. When I was rushing and learned that many of our efforts went to this amazing organization, I was so honored to be a part of making someone’s dreams come true. Different sororities and fraternities have different organizations they donate to, such as Autism Speaks, Girl Scouts of America, Domestic Violence and Heart Health. Each Greek organization hold events such as lip sync battles, dodgeball tournaments, and contests to raise money for these philanthropies. It feels amazing to be a part of something so special.

Getting a Family

This is by far the best thing about being a part of a sorority. Although to some people receiving a big is overrated, you become so close with this one person and share so much of your lives together.There are many food trips, movie nights and life talks that are shared between you and your family, and even though so many people think that this part is a little cliche, it’s an amazing group to be a part of. You’ll also have a gbig, ggbig, cousins, twins, aunt etc. It’s a great way for you to become close with a ton of girls in the sorority.

A ton of new clothes

This was a big highlight of joining my sorority this year. The clothes are endless, and not to mention they are adorable and super comfy. You can wear these anywhere around campus to show off your pride, or just to look cute.

Lack of money

Saving money is the hardest part of staying in a sorority. For me, when I recently dropped, I decided that I should like the sorority as much as the amount of money I’m spending on it, which didn’t really match up. You’ll pay for tons of t-shirts a week, house dues, sisterhood dues, etc. Some people have their parents pay for the majority of the dues, and sometimes you have to pay on your own; either way is not easy.

Mandatory events

While being a part of an organization like this, you’ll need to balance your time between school work, other organizations, and your sorority. There are a lot of mandatory events that need to be attended to, such as Grand Chapter, your sorority’s philanthropy events, House Meetings, and Alcohol Trainings. You’ll also make sure you keep up with points in order to go to formals and have first dibs on a room in the house or a parking space. This means going to other sorority’s events on campus, doing house duties, and doing community service. It’s so important that you make the time to attend to these important things, and if it makes you too busy (like me), it’s hard to stay a part of it for a long time.