Lovelyish

I think sororities are a great way to meet new people, but I wouldn’t join one because of the fees.

The best response to the “Sororities are stupid because you pay for your friends” is “How is it any different than paying for dues for any other club or organization? A World of Warcraft subscription? Etc.” That is the response that myth that annoys me the most. 

Go Greek Life!

@beautifullymindedx@xanga - How is paying to be in a sorority equivalent to paying for a World of Warcraft subscription?

i think a huge thing people have against joining a greek life group is that they generally come with what people call “bitch work,” meaning memorizing information, having to speak a certain way to sisters/brothers, stuff like that. I haven’t really heard the above as much, except for buying friends, which i’ve heard people associate with the aforementioned

We have a Xanga regular named AxNighttimexRose who knows a lot about sororities.  She should be here shortly to fill you all in.

BTW, if you’re going to go greek, join an honor society.  

I thought about going Greek, but from what I’ve seen at my university it doesn’t seem like something I’d want to be involved in. I am going to be joining the honor society for my major which is Greek though which to me seems more network worthy since it involves my major, volunteer hours, and a higher GPA. I know every school is different, but to be in a sorority at my school you have to have a 2.5-2.8 to join depending on which one it is. I don’t like the majority of sorority girls I have met, but that being said, two of my former roommates were both in sororities and I loved them to death. 

i’m a brother for alpha phi omega. it’s a co-ed fraternity that is based around community service. there’s no hazing AT ALL at that is the reason why i pledged. my pledge class was the biggest my university’s chapter has ever had (67 in my pledge class, as well as 100+ already existing brothers!) and i have made so many friends.

before i pledged for APO, i was interested in the sorority that my roommates were in because they claimed to raise money for diabetes, which i thought was a worthwhile cause (i will not mention which sorority this is though). i had to attend a bunch of mixers, do bake sales, clean the sorority house, and do a bunch of other ridiculous things that i never would have done otherwise. on the final night of rushing, all the pledges were brought into the basement of a fraternity house and we were given our last “test”… we all had to get on our knees and then the fraternity brothers circled around us and we had to give a blowjob to one of the brothers. me and this one other girl were the ONLY ONES that got up and left. the rest of the girls stayed and did it. i was disgusted that the president of that sorority was totally okay with whoring out her pledges and subjecting them to possible diseases… you don’t know where this stranger’s penis has been. i was also disgusted that my roomates would do that. i’m so glad i pledged for APO… it’s definiely a worthwhile cause and not degrading at all.

perhaps joining a sorority will give you that special sisterhood bond, but i’m sorry, putting a stranger’s penis in my mouth, scrubbing toilets, and staying up all night trying to memorize every last fucking detail about the president and her board are not worth it. presidents of sororities and fraternities that allow hazing should be ashamed of themselves.

sluts aren’t limited to sororities or fraternities. everday people of all genders, ages, races, etc can be sluts-even ugly ones some male sluts, who sleep with these female sluts are so easy that they have no standards, not even physically sometimes.

I thought about going Greek but backed out of it rather quickly. I knew a few of the girls because they used to go to high school with me, but to be honest they were all rather stupid (NOT saying all sorority girls are) and I couldn’t see myself pretending to like them for 4+ years. I just couldn’t see myself allying with a group of girls and defending them if I didn’t like all of them, but feeling the obligation to play nice because someone was my “sister”.

I’m proud to be a Greek, but I would have flat-out quit if I had gotten hazed. That shit is demeaning and since I was 21 when I rushed and pledged, I was in no mood to get my ass kicked by a bunch of 18-19 year old kids. The fraternity I ended up joining never hazed me and my chapter continues to strictly enforce no-hazing rules.

As for being Greek, the experience is what you make of it. You can join a Greek organization and be totally miserable and you can stay independent and have a great time or vice versa. I can proudly say choosing to join a fraternity was one of the best decisions of my collegiate career and I have not only a group of close friends and a chapter backing me up, but tens of thousands of fellow brothers across two countries and innumerable different schools.

Born proud, raised proud,
Delta Chi

I would join a social sorority at my school if the fees weren’t so outrageous. I understand everything they cover but I simply do not have that money. I joined an academic music women’s fraternity instead and love it. Our school’s sororities are pretty decent. Same amount of people that party hard as non-Greeks, they really do not do hazing, and only some of them are filled with bitches.

@annamariuhh@xanga - I actually can say that it is very similar. I pay to be part of my sorority AND I pay to play on WoW. Honestly a sorority wouldn’t be nearly as fun without my sisters nor would WoW be nearly as fun with out my friends. Ive made a lot of friends because of both (and yes I have made irl WoW friends because I play WoW.)

I just began the pledge process today with a sorority that I’m so excited to be a part of! But I honestly think that the quality of greek life depends on the school. My school has a VERY strict “no-hazing” policy (they can’t even require us to wear certain things to promote events, that’s how strict it is) and my school also requires that you have to have at least a 3.0 to be in greek life at all, while the sororities and fraternities have even higher ones of their own set (the one I’m pledging is a 3.5!). Also, each house has to have two philanthropies that they hold events to raise money for every semester, and you’re required to volunteer with your house. I definitely know other schools where this is not the case. When I came to school I wasn’t even considering joining a sorority, but the girls that I met in my sorority blew me away with their personalities– they were the opposite of what I thought sorority girls were like! If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have chosen to go greek. 

I love this article! Going Greek was one of the best decisions I ever made. I’d also like to further address some myths that I encounter quite often:
“Girls in sororities don’t care about their grades.” Our chapter GPA has to be higher than the all-women’s gpa on campus. My chapter was in hot water last year for having a 2.8. The girls who have bad grades are put on academic probation, and if they don’t get things together will be kicked out.
“I wouldn’t want to go Greek because I don’t want to be hazed.” Yes, some places haze. This does not mean that will necessarily happen though. My chapter is VERY strict against hazing. When we have new women pledge our chapter, we aren’t allowed to call them pledges, because of the bad connotations carried with it. We instead call them new members. If we go to a party, we can’t show up at the same time as a new member because it can be misconstrued as hazing (as in us forcing them to drink). We also can’t have scavenger hunts, because some places create awful ones for hazing.
“Going Greek is too expensive.” This may be the case on your campus, but this is not always true. It is actually $2000 cheaper for me to live in my sorority house instead of the dorms (and this is at a college which Forbes magazine lists as top 10 in the nation for being the best value). Also, instead of a cramped dorm room and awful dining hall food, I get to live in a beautiful house with a classically trained chef. On top of this, I get the great sisterhood bonding experiences.
“Greeks do nothing for society.” At my school, only 5% of the campus is Greek. We have a small community. In our town, 90% of all community service is performed by Greeks. This is not including all our work for our national philanthropies.

Thank you for posting this. I am in a sorority in Canada. I live in my sorority house and this is my second year as an active sister, so I definitely have an opinion on this subject. 

Hazing is illegal in Canada. My sorority never hazed us – ever. We learned the Greek alphabet, we were asked to memorize history. That’s about as far as anything ever went. We have to complete a certain number of community service hours to stay in the sorority. We also must maintain a certain academic standing.
It definitely IS a huge time commitment. I disagree with you there. Your heart needs to be in it. You need to maintain the grades, make time to socialize, go out to all the philanthropy events, attend the meetings. You must be dedicated to your sorority. A sorority isn’t about going to a biweekly toga party. It’s about being engaged in the community, helping out fellow sisters, and networking. 
People tend to hate what they don’t understand. Greek life isn’t as big here as it is in the United States. Greek life isn’t officially recognized by my campus officials. In fact, they’re trying to get us to leave. They wouldn’t let us have a table at this fair in the beginning of the school year… Basically the fair had all of the clubs on campus with little booths, and some booths for different companies and organization through out my city… 
The school said we are too exclusive and that we party too much and that we aren’t allowed a table. One group had a beer pong table (minus the beer). Another booth was for a bartending school and they actually had real booze for their booth! Yet we’re the bad guys? Riiiiiiight. 
Joining a sorority was one of the best decisions of my life. My university experience would not have been the same. I don’t care what others have to say. I am proud. 

#3. Ours was a clean sorority, we weren’t a social so while any function with our sorority or wearing letters no alcohol was allowed. 
 #4. not all are nationally recognized but many are yes. Actually, the one I belonged to in college wasn’t recognized in our university as a sorority (even though we’re nationally recognized) we were considered a club in our school because we didn’t abide by their rules, we had national rules to follow.
I joined in college for common interest. I’m apart of the Alumni chapter for Sigma Alpha Iota, music fraternity for women and I met many lovely ladies who actually took music seriously. We never had parties but he sure did a lot to bring music into the lives of people. 

@Shytooth@xanga - We’re not allowed to refer to our pledges as pledges; they’re called associate members instead. We’re also banned from conducting scavenger hunts, dressing our AMs up in embarrassing costumes, hazing via ingestion of alcohol or food of any kind, or any sort of physical or mental punishment (no locking people in rooms while listening to music at full volume, no calisthenics, no forced runs, etc). We’ve also had no Hell Week since the 1920′s. We strive to treat our AMs like we would treat any initiated brother.

And it works out for us. I think the brotherhood (and sisterhood) you build through communal respect and safe activities is far superior to what’s built when you get the shit beat out of you by the people who are supposed to be your brothers or sisters. Why should I treat someone like shit only to turn around several weeks later and embrace them as a brother?

@evangeliaaa@xanga - I’m glad you quit. Any organization that makes you sacrifice your dignity and self-respect isn’t worth joining. Great that you realized that. 

I’m so glad you wrote this article! I’ve been in my sorority (part of panhellenic, the main council for greek sororities) for a year now and I have NEVER, ever been hazed. That’s just the way the rules are at our school. Of course, it can be a different experience for everyone, but don’t knock it ’till ya try it!

Chi omega for life!

It may be the difference in geographic location, but most of those aren’t myths at my university (except maybe the first). 

Also, why do sorority girls all dress exactly the same? It’s baffling. May just be a phenomenon at my Uni though.

I think time at college should be spent on academia, and networking can be done through your field of study, but that’s just my opinion.

Awesome post!  I hate when people make judgements when I say that I’m Greek.  Go Greek Life  And the networking bit is so true.  Too bad I’m an engineer and most engineers aren’t girls.

Once a Phi Sigma Sigma…Always a Phi Sigma Sigma!

@evangeliaaa@xanga - that sounds so horrible. I’m glad you left.

I won’t join a sorority. Honestly don’t see the point and the extra drain on my wallet (or school loans)

Greek life doesn’t exist here in Mexico, but we do have a bunch of student-run societies and clubs that could be kind of the same (except for the fact that you do not live together and, unless it is a club, there is no fee).
I am part of the board of the Students Association of Tamaulipas, which is my home state, and next year I will be part of the Students Association of Industrial Design, my major. The school requires us to have at least an overall average -of all your semesters in school- of 85 (what is that? a 3.4 GPA? I really have no clue, we don’t use GPAs here) and if you fail one class (no matter what your overall score is), you are “dado de baja” … which means that you are dropped from whatever associations and clubs you are in.
It then depends on each association what they focus on. Right now, we (the Tamaulipecos) are focusing on starting a scholarship fund for future underprivileged students from Tamaulipas. So it’s really a worthwhile cause (besides the fact that it is fun).
And one of the best things is the networking. Being in the Tamaulipas association has opened me a lot of doors both back home and in other places… I now know people who will be able to help in the future, and essentially, that is what networking means to me.
I’m glad I joined, and I suppose that if I had gone to school in the U.S. and found a good, respectable sorority whose members I liked, I probably would have joined.

It’s funny how instead of countering the stereotypes, you only make excuses for why they are true, like the partying/sluts thing, “How people want to spend their nights and time is completely up to them.”

Haha.

I considered joining a sorority before coming to college as a way to be social and do community stuff, but I ended up joining a different social group (Business Honors Student Association) and becoming a candidate later for an honors accounting fraternity. I think it was probably for the best because both actually allowed me to be exposed to business and career opportunities along with all the stuff a sorority might have offered. Plus most girls seem to think I’m weird. So yeah, unless the sorority is KNOWN for hazing and sluttery and partying, I can’t see any reason to hate of them.

I’m definitely not social enough for a sorority. I’m really, really chill and don’t like to party all the freaking time. -And- I go to one of the top five biggest party schools in the nation and alllllll the Greek houses are the reason for that. Actually, right now, just the frats are having parties. I don’t know how the sororities will be, but I know that those girls give me uppity looks whenever they see me–I’m not wearing a sorority shirt, you see. -rolls eyes-

Sororities and fraternities are like any other social organizations.  Some are good for all involved.  Some are straight from the devil.

I rushed two fraternities.  I started with one but frankly the young men acted like malicious 12 year olds, which didn’t seem very ‘WINNING !’ to me.  So, I dropped them and went to one that had older, more mature men in it.  About 1 year later, the first fraternity got put on probation for poor performance in many areas.  The second one was a lot of fun but did well on grades.  They had an awesome summer beach house.

Once in a while, you see an investigative report show that reveals that people die from hazing in fraternities.  I remember one where a pledge died because the fraternity had the pledges standing on a chair and made them drink jugs and jugs of water.  They drank so much water that the electrolytes left their body and a few became seriously ill and one died, and the fraternity tried to lie about not being involved in it.  Of course, no one in the fraternity knew anything about electrolytes because they were just a bunch of dumbass 18 year olds who just wanted to party.  Still, It is every 18 year old responsibility to detect that kind of deadly bullshit and simply walk away.

I am hoping that sororities are more mature than the fraternities.  But … I keep reading articles about how more and more young modern women are trying to be the very best alcoholics that they can be.

But I’m sure that there are plenty of good ones out there.

The idea of a sorority is something that mimics the ‘NO BOYS ALLOWED” clubs that 6 year old girls make. A sort of “tee hee I am in a club so I am better than people not in a club”

It’s just lame.

None of those are truly myths since they have some semblance of truth in them, they are just opinions you happen to disagree with.
I’m straightedge (8 years!) so no, college social events were not my thing. As fun of a non-drinker that I am at parties, people seriously still can not get over that. I’m posi edge so I don’t care what you do, it doesn’t effect me, but judgmental verbal behavior directed towards me is not received well. I’ll stick to my pigeon lab.

@mycontinuity@xanga - that’s exactly what I thought as I read the post. They’re not even considered myths if she’s defending the stereotypes.

The only pro I can think of in joining a sorority is that you get to network. However, if there are thousands of people that have obtained successful jobs without going Greek in college, I think I can do it too…without having to pay a ridiculous fee to join an organization of girls I have to pretend to like. Also, I know that every sorority has “strict” anti-hazing rules, but who are we kidding here, most rushees/pledges know what they’re getting into and wouldn’t even think about reporting such things.

Someone mentioned above that sororities are kinda like girls-only clubs that you make when you’re 6 years old. I completely agree.

I can go on all day about why I chose not to go Greek, but that’s just the gist of it

The only thing I have against Greek life is the reputation it gets for hazing. I completely understand that NOT ALL sororities and fraternities do this. And as far as percentages go, I don’t know how prevalent it really is. I do know it exists though. I had to sit at my friend’s bed side in the hospital after his fraternity beat him up so badly he had to withdraw the semester. It’s THAT stuff I hate.

Other than that, Greek life isn’t for me, but I dig how a lot of them get involved with the community and charities.

I never even thought about joining a sorority….its too expensive and I dont think I’d fit in.

Most horror stories about sororities and hazing (Mentioning sororities and not fraternities because they are run by COMPLETELY different governing organizations) are completely untrue – however, if something like what was mentioned above does happen, it is as horrifying and shocking to Greek Life members as it would be to anyone who heard of a segment of their organization going completely AGAINST the mission and rules of that organization. It’s not the norm at all. Most people would not associate all Christianity with the beliefs and actions of the Westboro Baptist Church, yet many find no issue in making a similar widespread assumption about the moral character of Greek affiliates based on singular highly-publicized events.

On the positive side, THANK YOU for writing this article! I’m so glad that the good that comes from Greek Life has benefited you and the other positive commenters on this post. Going Greek made me more capable of time and money management, more outgoing and willing to talk to people I may have been intimidated by before, more aware of the need for philanthropy and outreach and more active in filling that need, and more happy with my life and the people in it. That’s all the proof I need. “From the outside looking in you don’t understand it – from the inside looking out you can’t explain it.” We can try and try to show how being Greek has made a difference in our lives but in the end it’s not something everyone will understand or want to understand.

I’v seen frat and sorority members on my campus. For the most part, they are loud, rude, obnoxious, and lack common sense. They talk in the middle of lectures about how wasted they got, who’s fucking who, and what party they’re going 90% of the time. The other 10% is a mix of ebonics and “jersey shore lingo” they use to communicate. 

One time while I was working in the dining hall, some members of an asian frat came in a pack and walked out with a box of ice cream bars that was meant for all the students in the cafeteria. I told them to put it back and they said “fuck off”, some lit cigarettes and kept walking. 
Until they show me otherwise, i feel they’re a big family of idiots and socially inept morons who think the world revolves around them. 

i don’t disagree with sororities or anything (a couple of my friends are in them) but most of the points you made up there were “yeah, but who doesn’t?” who doesn’t party in college, who doesn’t dress to impress, it’s a commitment but what isn’t? i thought it was going to be a lot more insight instead of just trying to liken it to other things we do in our life. just my two cents.

I wouldn’t join one mainly because I don’t have time with classes, a job to pay for school, and being in the marching band. It’s very difficult to balance all of that. Also I know that some sororities don’t haze, but it happens a lot. I also don’t have extra cash to buy the dresses and other things such as dues.

I used to think that a sorority was basically buying your friends. I don’t really have an opinion about it.

I just don’t understand the concept behind sororities. Why would you join a group of people judging on whether or not you are worthy of being excepted in to the group, plus you have to pay dues for it?

@evangeliaaa@xanga - I’m an APO brother, too. Woohoo!

I’m also a proud Phi Mu, and the experiences I’ve had with my sisters (as well as  my APO brothers) are some that I hold dearest to my heart. The friends I’ve made in these two organizations are some of the best people I’ve ever met, and now that I’ve graduated, the friends I best stay in contact with are typically either brothers or sisters (or both!) of mine.

@The_happy_whatever_girl@xanga - :O What server are you on? 

It’s always so cute when Greeks try to defend their little “We’re too good for you” cliques.

“Sororities are too much of a time commitment”

This is no myth! They do cost a lot of time. Too much, in my opinion!

@evangeliaaa@xanga -  I was APO, too

My school was a sorority and fraternity free campus. I wish that I had had that chance to join a sorority and all that comes along with it. Oh well! College was still decent haha

Having a big sis who’s a major part of her sorority gives me a few insights on the going ons of greek life.  The system is set up pretty well, no one really gets screwed in terms of politics and having to do things.  Personally what I’ve seen from sororities is that if you throw a bunch of girls in a room and wait for a few months, SOMETHING’s going to happen.  Anyway I’m getting off the point.  Sorority girls are picky, and many of them are way more insightful than they let on.  It’s almost scary.
v—-

What’s not a myth? The girls that are already in the sororities that “recruit”, judge other girls based on personality, looks, and “coolness”. That’s the difference between a sorority and any other school club.

Joining a sorority was one of the best decisions I’ve made in college, and life. I LOVE IT. I was really turned off to the idea of joining one at first (A lot of the myths you posted were reasons) until I met the ladies of Xi Theta. We are a local, multi-cultural sorority, which means we don’t have those OUTRAGEOUS national dues to pay! I hung out with a lot of the sisters before I considered joining, which helped a lot. Our cumulative GPA is higher than any of the other national sororites/fraternities on campus too. I feel like I can truly be myself with these girls, it’s not like trying to fit myself into a cookie cutter mold that is the ‘typical sorority girl’. We socialize with the other Greeks, (mainly the fraternities), and It’s extremely awesome! I’m an only child, but now I’m glad to say I have a bunch of sisters I can count on, no matter what. <3  

@valeriebeth04@xanga - That’s definitely what I thought too… Until I found mine, haha.

I wish I could get on board with sororities, but I can’t. Every sorority girl I’ve ever met has been a total bitch (sorry, for those of you that are Greek but NOT a bitch. , so, naturally, I don’t associate good feelings with sororities. Interesting post, and thanks for sharing, though.