With all the negative media surrounding Greek life in the recent months, it is possible that casual observers (ie. parents, incoming college students) who have once viewed collegiate Greek life organizations as fulfilling and beneficial organizations, are now worried about the repercussions of joining.

This is why it becomes even more important for the men and women of Greek letter organizations to ban together against the onslaught of negativity with grace and poise. More importantly, instead of simply falling victim to criticism, we need to act as examples and show the world why Greek life is an organization worth joining.

So why do we go Greek?

We go Greek because we want to belong to a part of something bigger.

Back in high school, it was easier to feel like you belonged to something that encompassed more than just yourself. High schools are smaller, and the ratio of student organizations/programs to the student body allowed for more of us to stay involved. I myself was a three season athlete, a dancer, president of a club, and an AP/IB hybrid student on top of all my extracurricular. However, coming in to college, you're suddenly one of approximately 30,000 students all trying to find their place in the first five weeks of school, and it's hard. Joining a Greek Life organization allows you to be a part of a larger group of sisters/brothers at your own campus, other campuses, and the continental USA.

We go Greek because of its countless different activities and opportunities.

Greek life in itself offers so much more than one club or organization can do for you. This is because Greek life is not an organization specialized to one particular activity, but an organization that has many different activities. Greek life caters to those who want to stay involved in many different areas, as well as those who want to focus on just one. By joining my own sorority, I have the choice to become involved in our IM sports teams, officer or council positions in my own sorority, our dance team, date functions, mixers, sister sorority events, officer or council member in the Panhellenic Association (encompassing all sororities)... the list goes on! The best part is that you're free to pick and choose according to what you want to become involved in.

We go Greek because of the social aspect.

I would be lying if I said that students didn't join social sororities and fraternities for the socials. Among such a large student body, the prospect of attempting to make friends without any sort of guidance or initiation seems daunting. By going through recruitment and joining an organization, you suddenly have anywhere from 60 to 160 brothers (or sisters) to befriend. Even better, social events such as date functions, mixers, and philanthropy events give you an opportunity to meet members of other Greek organizations. Having such a network of friends pursuing an array of different futures provides you with connections and friendships to last a lifetime.

We go Greek because of the community service.

Coming in to college, one of the biggest reasons that I decided to rush was my desire to get involved with community service again. I truly, truly believe that it is so important to give back to your own community, and to be empathetic to others, to love and help wherever you can because we have so much to be thankful for and we often don't realize how lucky we are. The best people are the people that can not only take from a community and grow as a result, but people who can also take from themselves, and give back to their communities. Greek life raises thousands and thousands of dollars annually for a multitude of different organizations. We advocate for those who have trouble advocating for themselves, and overall attempt to make the world a better place.

We go Greek because of the brotherhood or sisterhood.

It's common to hear a sorority woman say “I met the women who are going to stand beside me on my wedding day" as a result of joining Greek life. The statement is cute and cheesy and jokingly said in the moment… but it's true. In sororities and fraternities, there is nothing more important than the fellowship that you hold as a chapter of brothers/sisters. From initiation day onward, you've made a commitment to one another, to support, love, stand up for and to stand beside until the very end. You've promised that you're going to be there at 3 a.m. when no one else is, that you'll be there to give tough love, but to also ride out all the craziness together because sometimes that's exactly what needs to be done.

Just a couple weeks ago, NC State's Panhellenic Association opened their Recruitment Application to incoming freshman and other women looking to go through sorority recruitment, and I for one, would love to see as many women apply as possible. The more the merrier! So here's my two cents, dedicated to all those women (and men) who are on the fence about going through formal recruitment: try it. You're not signing a binding contract, if you realize it's not for you than that's completely fine! But it's important to give it a shot, because you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take.

Everyone rushes for different reasons, whether it's to make new friends, obtain leadership positions, or become involved in community service. Regardless of the reason you rush, I guarantee that 100 percent of the time you join a Greek organization, you're going to find what you wanted. And in the end, that's what matters.