"Will you be joining Greek life in college?" That was a question posed to me a lot during my orientation for college and my answer was always NO, I was not joining Greek life in college. The first thing that would to come to my mind when I thought of Greek life was the Hollywood stigma of a huge house full of dumb girls that plotted against, and hated, each other yet threw wild parties nightly. But since then, I have changed my mind; thanks to the many people that educated me on Greek life, I have learned that the Hollywood mentality is the furthest from the truth. I'd like to share my reasons for joining Greek life so you can see there is so much more to it!
Through Greek life, giving back to my community through charity and volunteer work has never been so easy. If your sorority or fraternity does not have an event scheduled, you are always encouraged to help the other sororities/fraternities to support their cause. This promotes teamwork and unity among Greek life. There's nothing better than giving back through service, whether it's hosting fundraisers for your own philanthropy or local charity, or volunteering around your college town. By getting other members to help, it only increases the amount that can be done. Not only are you helping out your community and making a difference, you're going to have a lot of fun doing it!
Greek life encourages your involvement on campus. What better way to spend time than being involved in college activities? Whether it's participating in intramural games (or supporting them, because I am not athletic, whatsoever...) or joining one of the many clubs and organization that your campus offers, being involved will definitely improve your overall Greek life and college experience! For many people, including myself, it is easy to get stuck in the routine of class, eat, sleep and repeat. By being a part of a sorority, I was encouraged to become more involved. There is always an event to attend, something to support and ALWAYS somewhere to eat. Not to mention, it is always fun to hang out with your sisters or other Greek life members!
Instead of learning how to mix drinks at a party until all hours of the night, joining a sorority has actually taught me important and useful life skills, such as networking, time management and even how to dress properly for meetings and events (like our sorority chapter meetings.) My sorority has helped me step out of my shell and develop better social skills that I can count on later in life, and even teaches us about the importance of proper social media usage, reminding us that what we post can follow us to future job interviews and the rest of our lives.
Although many sororities place a lot of focus on academics and community volunteer work, there's always time for fun and entertainment! Expect many swaps and socials with other fraternities/sororities, football tailgates, formals (YAY!) and even Greek Week in the spring. Not to mention, there's always someone to go hang out with. When you join a sorority, you also join a sisterhood! Whether it's spending a night on the town or just staying in and ordering pizza at the sorority house, there's always something to do!
One of the best things I can say about joining Greek life in college is the many opportunities that have been made available to me. Being in a sorority has helped me overcome my shyness and really step out of my comfort zone, and because of that, I've developed close relationships with my sorority and my Panhellenic sisters. Without their constant love and support, I don't think I could have accomplished many of things I have this past year. If you're going to college alone, or maybe don't know a lot of people going there, going Greek can help you expand your social circle with real and genuine friends!
While going Greek might not be for everyone, I can honestly say that it's helped me become a better and more confident person. Every sorority is different, but each have a common goal: to build each sister up so they can be the best they can be! Greek life may only last for four years, but the knowledge, friendships and memories are for life.
