Let me start out by saying that this article is not meant to scare incoming freshman or to warn potential new members about the atrocities of Greek Life. At the same time, I do not want to blindly praise the fraternity and sorority lifestyle as so many have done before me. Therefore, my aim is to accurately represent Greek Life’s ups and downs, because who doesn’t love a truthful read?
There are many stigmas that are associated with the Greek community. Some of them are truths, while others are generalizations. Universities and students often have a false ideas of what joining a fraternity or sorority means, and on the other end of the spectrum, certain initiated members have come to realize that going Greek is not what they were expecting.
1. Rush/Recruitment
Rush/recruitment is a time for potential new members to meet with initiated members of any fraternity or sorority on their college campus. While sorority recruitment and fraternity rush have their unique differences, the ideology behind this period for both is generally the same. It is meant to provide a way for initiated members to get to know those who are not yet associated with a Greek organization, and the other way around.
Skipping rush/recruitment and being selected to join a fraternity or sorority is extremely rare, to say the least, because it is almost like handing in a job application, never showing up to a single interview, and landing the position. We don’t care if your dad invented spell check, if you are the most attractive person in the world, or if you are the queen of England; if you don’t show up, then you will not have a chance at joining the organization, unless that particular fraternity or sorority is in dire need of members (which usually means that they have gotten in some serious trouble with the university, are new on campus, or simply aren’t that great of a chapter.)
2. Initiation
Once rush/recruitment ends, new members are initiated. For sororities, the recruitment period is often shorter but more rigorous than that of fraternities, meaning that sisters can become full -fledged members much more quickly. Fraternities' rush periods can last weeks or even an entire semester, during which potential new members, or pledges as they are more commonly known, are tested in a variety of ways to prove their allegiance to the chapter. After doing so, that individual officially earns his or her letters and is brought into the organization as a member.
The positive of initiation is that what most people believe to be the the worst part of Greek life is now over. However, that may not necessarily be true. Becoming an initiated member means that you are responsible for dues, philanthropy, miscellaneous social events, and chapter (the Greek organization term for a regularly scheduled formal gathering of your branch). While it may come as a relief that you are no longer pledging, keep in mind that there are other responsibilities that you now have that you did not have before. Greek Life is time-consuming and certainly not cheap. With the bad comes the good, and in exchange for fulfilling your responsibilities, you will also reap all sorts of benefits.
3. Social
No, I am not referring to underage drinking. Yes, it definitely occurs and anyone who claims that Greek Life is free of underage drinking is either ignorant or lying. While there are undoubtedly college kids drinking in Greek Life, there are also college kids drinking who are not in Greek Life, which people tend to forget. Joining a fraternity or sorority does not mean that you will be forced to drink, much in the same way that you will not be forced to drink if you so choose to be a regular college student.
Hazing has happened before, and in some cases it continues to happen. However, a majority of the time, pledges are not subjugated to life-threatening or even wrongful treatment by initiated members. I am not saying that it does not exist, because that would be yet another lie, but on the whole, hazing is a rarity. The fear of drinking or being forced to drink should not influence your decision to join a Greek organization. Speaking from personal experience, my parents were strictly against me joining a fraternity for that very reason. In the end, I took their advice with a grain of salt and decided to give it a try anyways, because I was not going to allow a biased fear limit my experiences. It worked out wonderfully. There are other aspects of Greek social life that do not require the consumption of alcohol. Gaining a large friend group that you can depend on for years to come was one of my favorite parts of joining a fraternity.
4. Academics
This is where many people will either succeed or fail miserably. When in college, school work should always come first, but people often forget this in their pursuit of an active social life. Joining a Greek organization will take a lot of time and energy. Therefore, meeting academic requirements on top of that can be very difficult, especially for freshmen. Some people do not know how to effectively manage their time given these new responsibilities, and that often leads to poor academic performance. Parents will pull their kids out of school if they see a negative trend in their grades, as they will often assume that it correlates to your extracurricular activities, which in this case just so happens to be a fraternity or sorority.
So in conclusion, going Greek is not for everyone. It takes up a lot of time and requires a lot of dedication. Joining a fraternity or sorority can be emotionally tiring, because it may feel like every part of your personality and social prowess is being tested or judged by people whom you barely know. Intimidating as it may be, joining a Greek letter organization can have a profound impact on your college career. There are infinitely many more opportunities to network with people who share similar lifestyles with you which can translate to internship or career opportunities down the road. Attempting to join can permanently scar a person, but on the other hand, it can also bring them great satisfaction. Confidence, responsibility, and determination are all traits that you will need to go Greek, and if you possess them, you will do just fine. Zac Efron did it and therefore you can do it, too. I mean, the guy was in High School Musical, for crying out loud.
