It’s hard to walk on any college campus without seeing groups of men and women wearing shirts covered in odd-looking letters. You might recognize some of these letters from hit movies like Legally Blonde or even Monsters University. And while Greek life may be perceived as a central part of college life, this isn’t the movies!
Seeing people post how much fun they’re having in their chapter and hanging out with their bigs and littles, you can’t help but feel a little FOMO. But Greek life can feel overwhelming. It’s a lot of money to spend on dues, rushing, or any time you go out with your brothers or sisters. It’s a huge time commitment, and you might not have that time as a freshman.
For me, it was intimidating going up to a bunch of college girls and having them judge whether or not I should be able to join. The bottom line is that sororities and fraternities aren’t for everyone, and that’s okay. There are plenty of clubs and organizations that provide everything a sorority would and put you with people who are more like you. One of my favorites is professional fraternities.
- Academic Focus
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Now you might be thinking to yourself, “What’s the difference? They both have ‘fraternity’ in the name.” One of the main differences is the purpose of each.
Regular sororities and fraternities mainly focus on social connections with other members, creating sisterhoods or brotherhoods to make the college experience more enjoyable. While professional fraternities also care about this and have their own big-little program, they are more for developing academically and professionally with a specific focus on your field.
For example, I’m a criminology major in Lambda Alpha Epsilon (LAE), a criminology fraternity. At meetings, we have guest speakers from the criminology field, such as professors, police officers, and investigators. Events that LAE promotes are also professionally based, with resume-building events and my favorite, K-9 demonstrations.
- Easy To Join (and cheap)
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Professional fraternities are also easier to get into than regular Greek life and less expensive. Sororities and fraternities have a long-winded rush process that you have to go through, and in the end, they select who they want to join.
For professional fraternities, depending on the one you are looking into, you can just show up to an interest meeting and follow the steps from there. For LAE, you don’t even have to be a criminology major. LAE’s requirements are relatively simple and include things like attending all meetings and getting points through attending events. If you’re joining a fraternity, you’re planning on showing up to events anyway, so it’s super simple.
I can’t speak for other professional fraternities, but I’m sure their process is just as easy! The dues for professional fraternities vary, but the cost is much cheaper than regular Greek life. I pay $100 a semester in dues and only pay more for any merchandise my fraternity sells that I may want or any additional events that cost money.
- Resume Builder
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Professional fraternities are a great way to build your resume! By joining, you show your passion for your field and a desire to get more involved. Also, like regular fraternities and sororities, professional fraternities have leadership positions and an E-Board.
Another huge thing that sororities focus on is philanthropy, and professional fraternities also offer plenty of opportunities to do community service. Most organizations in Tallahassee participate in The Big Event, a nonprofit focused on giving back to the community. Additionally, LAE frequently volunteers at Second Harvest, a goat farm, and hosts cleanups around campus.
- Social Connections
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Thanks to the big-little process and all the intramural games you can play, there will be plenty of opportunities to make friends. You’ll never miss out on the social aspect of Greek Life! LAE has plenty of social events as well, such as karaoke nights, field days, and our end-of-the-year banquet. LAE even requires new members to interview current members so that people can get to know each other as well.
Is the party scene not for you? Don’t fear! Professional fraternities are typically always dry. Most events will even play the clean version of your favorite songs. The only thing I was upset about was that I couldn’t listen to “Fergalicious” since Fergie was a little too promiscuous, but you get used to it.
This doesn’t mean you can’t get a group of members to hang out. In fact, I go out with my fraternity twin all the time! And if you don’t feel like planning your own events, the fraternity will have plenty of (dry) social events for you to attend.
Both sides of Greek life offer plenty of valuable experiences, and it might not be for everyone. But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t rush or go to that interest meeting. You’re only in college once!
Whatever your major, look up fraternities that align with it, find their socials, see when the next meeting is, and go for it! And if you happen to be a criminology major, or even if you’re not and just want to see me, check out LAE’s Instagram.
I wish you luck in your future endeavors, and I hope you get that bid, bro!
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