Before entering college, you hear everyone in high school talking about rushing and what sorority or fraternity they want to be in. For some people, this is one of the biggest social decisions you'll make in college. It'll determine what parties you go to and what friends you make. There are a lot of benefits that come with being a member of a sorority or a fraternity, but there are also many drawbacks to the lifestyle as well. While I personally did not rush, my best friend Alex did, and she loves it.
Why I chose against going Greek:
It would be easy to get caught up in the social aspect of things.
Being in a sorority opens you up to a lot of great opportunities. You get to take part in a lot of philanthropic activities, you can receive special scholarships and it's a great tool as far as networking goes. However, Greek life is also known to be big in the party scene, and that can get dangerous very quickly if you aren't careful. Partying was never my thing, anyways.
Whether you like it or not, sorority girls are stereotyped.
We all know the stereotype, whether you’re in a sorority or not: Greek girls are seen as bitchy, narcissistic and shallow. There are the not-so-bad stereotypes too: fun, gorgeous and über-feminine. There's also the stereotypes about the sorority itself. "That sorority is the ugly girls," "Those are the partiers." It may not be true, but people still say it. And personally, I do not want to be talked about.
Sororities are time-consuming.
For me, I pay for my own college and housing, so I need a job, a job that I can work more than 20 hours a week. I also have an internship that requires 10 hours a week. I'm also involved with other organizations on campus, which can be hard while in a sorority. So for me, I just don't have the time.
Your friend circle can feel limited.
True, joining a sorority helps you make a ton of new friends. But when you dedicate all your time to Greek life, hanging out with the same people, you miss out on a whole other world of social possibilities, so much so that you may realize your only friends are the ones in your sorority. There isn't anything necessarily wrong with that (and it happens with other campus organizations too), but you don't want to constrict your major social circle to one group of people.
Now, I'm not saying no one should rush, no. They're just not for everyone. So if you're going away to college and don't rush, don't feel like an outcast, there's thousands more organizations to join and a lot more opportunities to make friends. For some people, it's the perfect choice, for others, it's not.
