March 8th, 2010 by Natalie Hikel

Nearly every depiction of college in the movies or on TV features it in some way. It’s hard to think of any bigger college stereotype. I’m talking about going Greek (that is, joining a sorority or fraternity in college).

I participated in “Fall Rush” my sophomore year and although I did not pledge a sorority, I enjoyed the opportunity to see what the Greek system at my school was all about. But my limited experience seems pretty lame to base an opinion on so I tapped into a great resource, one of my friends who is still very involved with her sorority, now serving as an adult advisor.

I prodded her about why she decided to rush, how she decided on her particular sorority house, what she loved or hated about the experience and for her advice on it all. Long story short, she LOVED pretty much every moment of her college experience and attributes that to her life in a sorority. She’s a strong advertisement for the Greeks, but it didn’t start off that way.

My friend rushed in the fall of her freshman year. (Fall rush is usually the big rush in many schools, but other schools restrict fall rush to upperclassmen so that freshman have time to acclimate to college before rushing). She rushed with some dorm-mates because she wanted to meet people on campus and hello, Greek life looks fun! But some houses left a bad taste in her mouth for being snobby or appearance conscious, and she ended up dropping out of rush. She decided to participate in the less formal spring rush and only went to one house where she felt the girls were more genuine.

She lived in the sorority house her sophomore and junior years and had nothing but positive things to say about it. She had friends everywhere she turned. She became friends with girls she never would have known otherwise and remained extremely close with the girls she pledged with. Greek chapters can also provide the benefits of a professional network post-graduation to help land that first or fifth job. (When you are part of a fraternity/sorority, you are connected to all the brothers/sisters in the history of the chapter, all across the country.) When pressed for a downside, she emphatically responded, “the stereotype.” She held a high office in student government and constantly had to prove that she wasn’t a ditz just because she was in a sorority.

I asked what her advice would be to freshman considering Greek life. She said simply, “Try it out.” Rush is an opportunity for you to see what the houses on your campus are all about. And they’re not just social fraternities and sororities, there are professional and service-oriented Greek organizations (oftentimes co-ed, but called fraternities) too. But how will you know it’s not for you if you haven’t sampled it? Greek life should enhance your college experience, not make you uncomfortable. And for everyone I have ever known who went Greek, it was a major enhancement, one that they do not regret.

Tags: Greek chapters, Greek Life, Greek life on campus
Posted in Greek Life, Life at College | Leave a Comment »