It is that time of the year as colleges across the country prepare for the thrill that is Greek life recruitment. From a fellow Greek, recruitment is an amazing time where all of the organizations search for their future sisters and brothers.
According to USA Today nine million college students are members of a Greek organization. Some join to make friends and other for networking opportunities and the decision to go Greek can be a difficult one for some. There are plenty of negative stigmas against the Greek system but there are so many amazing reasons to take the plunge and look into the fraternities and sororities at your school.
All but three United States Presidents have been in a fraternity since 1825 and 85% of Fortune 500 were in Greek life. The first female senator and astronaut were in sororities as well plus the graduation rate for Greeks is 20% higher than non-Greek students.
To put yourself out there and go through recruitment can be scary on your own but joining Greek life can open several doors to different opportunities and be the risk of a lifetime. In honor of fall recruitment across the country, I present the top 10 reasons to go Greek.
[ new page = 10. Alumni ]
10. Alumni
When you join an organization where the alumni love the letters just as much as the actives, the possibilities are endless. Alumni are always willing to talk to the current girls and it is great to reach out to them for questions about employment, program ideas and the big bad future. They love to visit and catch up plus sometimes they give donations to your chapter. If you want a great networking opportunity, the secret is in your alumni.
[ new page = 9. Leadership ]
9. Leadership
Being in a Greek organization provides you with great opportunities to emerge into a campus leader. Each organization has a bunch of different positions that members can take on during a semester or for a full year. You can start off small then work your way up and maybe one day even join the executive board. This may help you break out of your shell and help you gain the confidence to take over a position for a campus club as well.
[ new page = 8. Academics ]
8. Academics
Greek life does have standards and one of those is academics. Students need to keep a certain GPA to stay active in their chapters so a Scholarship Chair position is pretty normal for most orgs. There are study hours and getting high marks are a reason to celebrate as your brothers and sisters want to see you succeed as much as you would like to see them do. Plus it’s better to go to the library with others for some and with your brothers and sisters you’ll never be alone.
[ new page 7. Community Service ]
7. Community Service
Being in Greek life provides its members a great number of ways to give back to their college towns. Practically every organization has a Community Service Chair on their executive board that is in charge of setting up events and opportunities for Greeks to help out their campus and town community in a variety of ways. Some schools even have days dedicated to helping out the community where Greeks outnumber the volunteers. Those who spend time giving back in college may be more inclined to do so post college.
[ new page = 6. Philanthropy ]
6. Philanthropy
Every Greek organization chooses one cause to take on as their own to stand behind as a group. National chapters work towards the same goal all year long and donate over thousands of dollars to their chosen charities. Greek organizations have events dedicated to their philanthropies and for many a personal closeness to an organizations charity can be the reason people choose to join. For example my own sorority’s philanthropy is breast cancer awareness and as I have breast cancer in my family, knowing my organization wants to work towards the same thing as me makes being a member more important to me.
[ new page = 5. Tradition ]
5. Tradition
One of the main reasons to go Greek is being involved in the incredible tradition that is your organization. Every group is different and has a diverse history, which may call for you to join and feel a personal connection to your future brothers or sisters. Some groups are over hundreds of years old and can link back to pieces of history. The overall process from bid day to initiation creates lasting memories between pledge sisters and brothers.
[ new page = 4. Brotherhood/Sisterhood ]
4. Brotherhood/Sisterhood
You cannot pick your family but you can choose your fraternity brothers or sorority sisters. There is something special about forming a connection with a group of people that you can continue to talk to for the rest of your life. Being in Greek life gives you someone to always eat with, someone to answer your phone call and someone to celebrate your greatest achievements.
[ new page = 3. A sense of belonging ]
3. A sense of belonging
Joining Greek life opens a person to a new community where in an instant you have something in common with hundreds of other people on your campus, as you are all Greek. No matter the reason you need to talk to someone, you at least have a starting point to get a conversation going. You have the ability to meet so many new people from the events going on that you may even create great friendships with members of different organizations.
[ new page = 2. Social Events ]
2. Social Events
Some of the most fun about being in an organization is all the campus events you get to participate in. Recruitment is a great time to meet your future little sister and interact with all the possible new members for your organization. In addition schools do talents shows and Greek Week to show off their more competitive side. Plus it can be fun to cheer on your friends in their respected organization.
[ new page = 1. Prep for the Future ]
1. Prep for the Future
The big scary future is the one thing all college students would like to avoid for as long as possible but being a member of a Greek organization gives you a little how-to for the future. Running for positions in your chapter can be an extremely difficult and intimidating thing but it teaches you your greatest strengths and weaknesses and help you bounce back from disappointment and live up to your achievements. Also as a member of a chapter you may not get along with everyone but you learn to work through that and make the relationship work for the best of everyone. In addition, it reminds you to look forward to the next part of your life as you can always come back home to share your glory days with the new faces as they wear the letters you so proudly love.
Give it a chance this year and attend one recruitment event at your college. Don’t be afraid to give it a shot because it may be the one thing you never expected. From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it and from the inside looking out, you can never explain it.