Deciding whether or not to join your college’s greek life is a huge decision. Especially at a large university, joining a sorority could completely change your college experience. It did for me. Some people are extremely against joining a sorority because of the stigma that goes along with being a sorority girl. I have to admit greek life isn’t for everyone, there is no denying the advantages that can come out of it. You are pretty much handed opportunities and a network of people who want to help you and see you grow.
In my opinion, the good outweighs the bad when it comes to joining a sorority. Here are the pros and cons that go along with entering the dark side.
Pro: You’ll find your forever friends.
When I was going through sorority recruitment, every girl I spoke so highly about the friendships they made through their sorority. After I heard it for the 12th day in a row I started to not really believe them, but I was wrong. Your sorority sisters really are your go-tos, your source of entertainment and a shoulder to cry on. They are your number one fans and your future bridesmaids.
Con: You will not love everyone in your sorority.
You may be “a PC of 1” but remember, there are 65 of you in the same pledge class, you are not going to like everyone and everyone isn’t going to like you. This was a tough pill for me to swallow when I first joined my sorority, I imagined that everyone was going to be the best of friends. Like anywhere else, you can’t please them all and that’s okay.
Pro: Your school will feel a lot smaller, there will be way more familiar faces.
I am a student at Penn State, there used to be days that I would walk to class and sit down in my 600 person lecture hall and not see a single familiar face. That was an adjustment that I was not ready for when I started college. It was so comforting to me when I began to find girls in my sorority to sit with in class.
Con: Your school will feel a lot smaller, you will run into the person you don’t want to see.
You are destined to run into that one person that you really don’t want to see. Your sorority sisters will make the school feel much smaller when you start to meet their friends. I’m not sure who makes these rules, but you will always run into the person you are avoiding. Did you tell a girl in your sorority that you can’t study with her because you’re sick, when you’re actually just hanging out with Chad from Sigma Chi? Well she is going to see you walking to his dorm. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.
Pro: No matter which sorority you’re in, you will be part of a larger greek life community.
Greeks help greeks. You will end up becoming friends with so many people outside of your sorority through campus events, class and parties. You are all a part of the same school and social with all the same people. Oftentimes, girls in different sororities are more similar than they think.
Con: Girls are competitive
The stereotype and ‘rankings’ of the sororities on campus are always a bigger deal than they should be. Every girl on campus fights to be the top house or the top tier in greek life. It’s ridiculous, I know, but it is inevitable. I promise that it matters less as you get older.