I came into my freshman year at UNH itching to get as involved as possible and find my place in the 12,000+ student campus. Joining a sorority was not a consideration of mine, but when a friend I met during summer orientation asked if I would be willing to go through formal recruitment with her in the fall, I decided to check it out. I went on the UNH Greek Life website and oddly enough my interest was suddenly piqued. When first semester finally rolled around I registered for fall recruitment-and shocked my parents in the process.
Despite my new found interest joining a sorority, I was still a little leery over the stereotypes and images portrayed in the media that constantly bash the Greek system as a whole. When the recruitment process began I was once again pleasantly surprised. I fell in love with sororities. More importantly I fell in love with the house I soon joined and it is a decision I could not be happier with. While the thought of joining Greek life can be daunting, its benefits are unmatched-I may be a bit biased.
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Here are a few things to consider when joining a sorority:
Sisterhood: It’s all fake, you pay for your friends, yadda yadda yadda…So sick of hearing that! A funny thing happens when you join a sorority. You naturally form a bond with your other sisters and immerse yourself in a support system unlike any other. These women truly do become your sisters. These women will be your bridesmaids, they’ll babysit your children, they’ll play Scrabble with you when you’re elderly. I couldn’t have asked for a more compassionate group of people to surround myself with in life.
Community Service: As far as I can see the majority of philanthropic endeavors taking place on the UNH campus come from Greek life-though there are plenty of other community service based groups out there! Joining a sorority is a great way to get involved in different organizations and take a more hands on approach to planning events.
Leadership: Joining a sorority opens up many opportunities that allows its members to get more involved and develop various skills as a leader. Your sisters will support and believe in you too if you ever doubt yourself. Taking on council positions or heading committees are great ways to immerse yourself in your houses’ culture. This is however something that you have to commit yourself to and work for. You need to step up and take the initiative, but once you do the opportunities are endless.
The Future: Joining a sorority is a lifelong commitment, not just the four years you spend as an undergrad. As I mentioned before, the women you befriend in school can easily stay your friends for a lifetime, and always be an incredible support system. Once you graduate you open yourself up to a world of sisters from other campuses. This can be great when trying to network to find a job. Once you’ve graduated you’re sorority’s world only gets larger!
Does being in a sorority have its downsides? Sure it can. It does cost money. When you get a bunch of girls together it can cause drama-known fact of life in general. It can be a big time commitment if its something you want to be really involved in. There are the stereotypes and negative rumors. You may not want to be labeled a “Sorority Girl“, because unfortunately it does not always have the most positive connotations from people outside of the Greek system. Those are all valid reasons and things to consider when contemplating Greek life. It isn’t for everyone. All I can focus on is my own personal experience with being in a sorority, and for me I can honestly say that joining a sorority is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.