Hi all,
I’m starting to explore my options for this fall and I was wondering if you guys could give me some insight on Greek Life.
I know it varies from campus to campus, but could you please summarize the process, and help me weigh the benefits/drawbacks of rushing and pledging? Also, I know fraternities and sororities can differ greatly but I’m not super clear on what the biggest differences are, besides that girls are in sororities and guys are in frats. Any general information is greatly appreciated, thanks!
There’s no summarizing the process because every council has their own process, and within that each organization has their own process, too. But here’s some general information:
-Different organizations tend to have different ways of conducting their intake activities. For example, NPC sororities (the traditionally white ones) have a very formal, standardized Rush program that usually takes about a week on a campus with NPC sororities, where you go to events and meet members of all of the sororities and it’s a mutual decision process. You get to experience a little piece of each sorority and, int theory, make an informed decision by having a good chance at any sorority. By contrast, NPHC (historically black) and NAFLO (historically Latina) sororities usually have a closed and rather secretive intake process, and inquiring about more than one sorority is often seen as taboo. Many times (especially for NPHC sororities, which have been around for decades) prospective members have known what sorority they wanted to join since high school or before. Sometimes the council has considerable diversity within how they do intake (like NIC/IFC and probably MGC), so it’s really up to the individual organization.
Even within that, the process is different by org. So even if you rushed an NPC sorority, your process up to bid day would be similar, but the process after that might be very different. For example, some NPC sororities don’t allow you to wear Greek letters until you are formally initiated (you can wear the name spelled out) whereas others do. SO the differences are going to be largely driven by the individual organizations.
I’m not in a Greek org but here’s what I perceive to be benefits and drawbacks:
Benefits:
-Instant social connections. Not only do you make friends within your own organization, but you can make friends across the Greek system.
-At some colleges, the Greek scene dominates the social scene more or less.
-Networking and connections. People form tight attachments to their Greek orgs, and are often very willing to offer assistance in jobs and such if they can to fellow members. Many of the most powerful people across fields are in Greek organizations.
-Leadership opportunities - you can run for e-board positions within your org and they often have a lot of responsibility.
-Community service. If you like that, most orgs participate in at least some. There are some organizations that are completely dedicated to service, like Alpha Phi Omega, Omega Phi Alpha and Gamma Sigma Sigma.
Drawbacks
-Time-consuming, especially the intake process depending on the council. I’ve had friends in NPHC sororities whose GPAs dropped precipitously in the semester they joined (although they recovered quickly). Lots of people who join very active organizations have to do a lot to keep up with all the activities and obligations, and most groups will require you to participate in a certain proportion of activities (and will pressure you to do all of them).
-Expensive. Organizations need money to survive. Often the first semester is the most expensive because you pay initiation fees in addition to regular dues, but Greek life members often have to fork over several hundred or thousand dollars per year to their orgs and chapters.
-At some campuses (but not all), the Greek social scene is driven by alcohol and parties. So if that’s not your thing, you may find it difficult to fit in. (But that’s not always the case - my campus’s Greeks generally tried to take over with intellectual and cultural activities, leadership positions, and lots of community service in our city. Although of course if you were looking for alcohol-fueled parties, they weren’t the place for you lol).
Okay that was slightly confusing with all the acronyms but overall very helpful. Thank you @juillet !
I started to explain them all, but the post got really long. So I figured that this would give you an overview and you could Google search the council acronyms if you really wanted to 
I used to work in student life, so sometimes I forget about unfamiliarity with the councils.