When you come to college, there’s one thing on everybody’s mind besides classes and clubs: going Greek. For the girl across the hall, being in a sorority has been on her agenda since high school. For the guy sitting next to you in your 8 A.M, being a “frat boy” seems built into his genetics. However, for you, it might be different. You wonder, what’s the big deal about having a random assortment of Greek letters branded across your chest? Could you be missing out on something, or actually dodging a bullet? Well, that all depends.
At Northeastern University, the answer to whether or not you want to go Greek usually consists of a shoulder shrug. Sure, why not? After all, it’s a great opportunity to “meet new people” or “break out of that NUin bubble.” However, for some, going Greek is a priority, while for others, it’s a last resort towards navigating life on a bustling college campus. Either way, you’ve decided to go through with it, and here you are on the first Saturday of recruitment.
The purpose of me writing this article isn’t to tell you all the secrets of mastering this process, as there is no one secret formula to emerging as “a success.” Rather, the purpose is so that you feel ready and confident before you begin, and unlike me, you know what to expect when you sign the commitment form on Preference Night.
Now, as we know, “rush” is a loaded word, so that’s why Northeastern has destigmaized the word by calling it “recruitment”. Recruitment consists of four days — two Saturdays and two Sundays. The days start long, around 8 hours, and end up getting shorter and shorter as more sororities are dropped. Now, let’s talk about this dreaded “dropping” phenomenon. Getting dropped can happen on both ends, by you or the sorority. For instance, you might not put down a sorority on your list of preferences for the next day of recruitment, in which case you drop them. In reverse, the sorority can choose not to invite you back, so that means they drop you. Fortunately, the recruitment group leaders known as Rho Gamma’s will help you through what might turn out to be an emotional process for some.
Now, I’m not writing this to scare you or to tell you not to go Greek. Sure, rejection is a potential factor, but that’s true with almost anything. The point of rushing is so you can find where you belong. Or, at least that’s how it’s marketed. But don’t get ahead of yourself with these expectations, because none of this is a perfect formula. Inevitably, some of you will feel the sting of being dropped from a social institution you saw yourself fitting into, and some of you will be rewarded with an acceptance so welcoming it redefines your idea of belonging.
When I rushed, I unconsciously drifted through the days in a sickness-induced haze (word of advice, fight the freshman plague if you can), but I realize now, looking back, how draining the process was, and how much courage it can take for people who don’t feel like they have “it” — the secret gene that deems you a “sorority girl” — to pursue Greek life. With all its stigmas and expectations, Greek life seems designed to isolate a certain type of girl, but my word of advice for that is: screw that girl. If you want to rush, do it because you aren’t her. Because you don’t fit a mold. Because you’re you, a brave, amazing woman seeking connection to others, to philanthropy, or yes, to going out on the weekends. Do it because whether or not a random assortment of girls in a sorority choses you does not measure your worth. Ultimately they will never change who you are at your core.
Whether or not you choose to go Greek has no bearing on you or your overall happiness in college. Sure, it can provide opportunities for expanding your social networks, giving you events to attend and people to foster your self-growth, but it can also place you in an expensive institution with sometimes questionable values, a place you felt you had to go because others persuaded you, or because you feared what life was like looking in from the outside.
In the end, labeling yourself with two or three Greek letters isn’t going to be the answer to all of life’s problems, but for some, it could be a start. And if that sounds like a good launchpoint for you, then by all means, walk through that door and knock ‘em dead.