That's because I was with twenty+ other girls who already who knew what they were doing. They had already done their research on the sororities beforehand, they had Instagram stalked them and each had their top three sororities they planned on getting into. I, on the other hand, did not plan on rushing until the last minute possible. I came into college as the first in my family, aka no one had rushed in my family before, nor do they know about or understand greek life. I remember rush week: matching t-shirts tucked neatly into seesucker shorts and those Jack Rogers sandals (which to me personally are absolutely hideous - they look exactly like this pair of sandals my mom wore in the '90s).
So I'm in a sorority if you guys didn't know already and as cliche as this may sound, it was one of the best decisions I made going into college. Even though I did not know a thing about sororities except its stereotypes, I went through rush week with no problem at all. Whether you do know about it or not, that won't be a problem. There can be many negative stereotypes surrounding sororities, but I'm here to clear them up and help you figure out whether or not rushing is the right choice for you.
BEFORE I get into anything too far, let me give you a little background check on my school and what greek life means there. At my college greek life is fairly a big part of the school, though it isn't one of those situations where it means everything to be in a sorority/fraternity. Yes, there are top-tier and bottom-tier sororities and fraternities (ranking), people in greek life here care about those things, but if you aren't in greek life it isn't a big deal (even though I say this, there are gonna be a handful of people who believe greek is everything). But my school is NOT at all like some of the schools deeper in the south. It's so serious that some girls get put on suicide watch if they didn't receive a bid from the sorority they wanted. So if you do decide to rush, look into how big greek life is at your school if that's something that matters to you.
1. Home away from home
If you are an out-of-state student or just a student moving to a school they don't know, I highly recommend you to rush to find friends. It's like the whole mentality where you join a club to make friends. You will make friends going through recruitment week and friends in your sorority. You'll have sisters to sit next to in lectures, to study for exams with and to each lunch with. You should've seen the number of girls in my general chem study group.
Some of the girls you meet will literally be one of the best things that have ever happened to you and I went in thinking I wasn't gonna meet that many people similar to me - I was wrong and met some of the best people ever. These people will be there for you whenever wherever and basically forever. I know this all sounds like some fairy tale shot straight out of a sorority-themed t.v. show, but it actually happens. My big and twiddle will do anything for me as I would for them too.
A lot of people think you buy your friends with a sorority - I went in with the same mindset - but that's not it because there's so much more that comes with a sorority. There's amazing memories (like having a America's Next Top Model marathon on our megacouch during a surprise snow week) from just hanging out with each other, philanthropy events and from meetings, but there are also many opportunities that sororities have to offer as well. You literally have a group of sisters who all want the sorority to do well and improve. You'll always have sisters rooting for you.
*Quick note - just because you do join a sorority does not mean you instantly have hundreds of friends - you have to make them BUT it's easier because you see each other frequently. Your sisters will support you and root for you to do your best even if the only thing they know about you is your name
2. Opportunities
Being in a sorority opens up many doors for you. Sororities have a lot of opportunities to take advantage of like running for a position or doing community service, even some paths would wouldn't even think of a sorority having. For example, there is a t-shirt chair in my sorority and I am going to run for it because I want to design the tanks and shirts the sorority will wear for events. That was definitely not something I thought would open up for me, but I like graphic design and plan on making some mockups for tanks and shirts.
There is even planning for philanthropy events and events for fundraising as well. There is even banner chair to design the banners for events on campus. There's people in charge of fitness groups of the sorority and that are in charge of Bible Study. There's many areas and paths to pursue that help build personal, leadership, creative skills. Being in a sorority also helps with networking for jobs and internships as well.
3. STEREOTYPES
Here's what is and what isn't true about sororities. Don't not join a sorority just because of a certain stereotype. Join one because you think/know you'll enjoy it.
- cattiness - no sisters aren't out to get each other and aren't stabbing each other's backs but sometimes things happen and drama happens. This isn't because they're sorority sisters actively trying to get at each other - they're just normal people and situations happen. I'm not saying a sorority is drama free because shit happens.
- no we aren't in the sorority house running around wearing lingerie, but we are in baggy tshirts and nike shorts (also known as norts). There are movie nights, sisterhood events like tie-dying, cookie making or craft making and they are really fun.
- not all sorority girls are rich girls whose daddies pay for them. Some of them are, but this does not mean they are spoiled brats or anything. But overall, there are many girls who pay for sorority dues themselves.
- parties - sorority girls do go to parties just like girls who aren't in sororities go to parties. Not every sorority girl is a party girl that wants to sleep with every frat guy. Girls who want to sleep with a lot of people are just in the freshmen year independence stage where they can do anything they want because they're away from home. This isn't a sorority thing, this is a normal person thing that some people go through. Also, if you think you're going to join a sorority just to get party numbers, you are wasting your time and money. You don't need a sorority to get those numbers honestly.
- sorority girls are dumb - about all sororities require a gpa to be maintained in order to stay in the sorority and I don't know about other schools, but at my college, greek organizations have a higher overall gpa than students aren't in greek organizations.
- hazing - a lot of universities have strict rules regarding hazing and if they are found doing so they can get kicked off campus. National Panhellenic Council (the national governing body of their sororities) does not tolerate hazing either.
4. Requirement concerns
If you're worried about some requirements when rushing, then here are some pointers.
- age - The older you are, the harder it will be for you to get in a sorority. If you're a sophomore, go ahead and rush no problem. As a junior you can rush too, but be weary that you might not get that many call backs. But it is not impossible, my twiddle is a junior and actually older than my grandbig. Some sororities don't look at age as a concern.
- financials - if you are concerned about paying for a sorority, go ahead and rush and go talk to the secretary or financials chair (whoever is in charge of that) and you guys can definitely work up a plan to pay it, it's literally no problem. They understand that some kids have to pay for college and for a sorority on their own. BUT, do understand that there are things you have to pay for. There are fines for missing certain things and sometimes you are required to buy tshirts for philanthropy events and you have to pay for crafts and gifts for your little (sister) when you become a big (sister).
- grades - if you have really really really bad grades, you might not get as many callbacks as some other girls because a lot of sororities do require you to maintain above a certain gpa in the sorority or you'll be put on probation.
other things to consider
- time commitment - it will take a considerable amount of time to be in a sorority (weekly meetings, philanthropy events), but not so much. you can still have jobs and have plenty of time to study and join other clubs. I do community service, have a job, work out and have plenty of time of study and hang out with friends.
- you are held to a standard when in a sorority and that means dressing up for meetings, not posting red solo cups/alcohol/drug-related photos on social media - things like that, but all sororities are different.
- if you do join and end up not liking it, you can go and drop out of it. You may have to return sorority souvenirs though like crafts, tshirts, etc. but it depends on the sorority. If you do drop it, they won't shun you or ignore you, realistically people just wonder why you drop and are sorry you didn't find what you were looking for or that things didn't work out
Go ahead and rush if you think you'll like it and if by the end of the week you don't like it you can choose to drop, or not accept the bid. Just because you get a bid doesn't mean you HAVE TO accept it. You can do a few months in as a trial period as well.
MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL, if you do join a sorority, you have to make the most out of it. The friends and memories are not handed to you, it's just easier to with a sorority since you see each other all the time. You can't expect things to happen to you. Go and talk to your sisters, make friends, take those opportunities. It is what you make of it and the effort you put into it, otherwise you will not have the best time you could be having. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them!
Good luck & joy,
Julia
