Joining a Sorority

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>I'm going to be a freshman this fall, and I've been thinking about joining a sorority. I've been looking at a lot of websites about them, but I really want the opinions of people who are currently in one or have been in one.</p>

<p>So if you have ever been in a sorority, can you answer these questions please? :)</p>

<ol>
<li><p>How time-consuming is greek life? (As in, will all my spare time be spent doing activities with the sorority, or will I still have time to myself and other friends?)</p></li>
<li><p>How much does it cost? (I know it varies, but how much did it cost to be in the sorority you are in?)</p></li>
<li><p>Do all sororities have a house, and if so, are you required to live there?</p></li>
<li><p>Do you and the other sorority members really have this "sisterly bond" that sororites claim to have, or is there a lot of drama and it feels like high school all over again?</p></li>
<li><p>What is the thing you enjoy most and least about being in a sorority?</p></li>
<li><p>Feel free to list any other pros and cons of greek life that you think are important! (:</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks in advance! I'm really indecisive and I need some honest opinions to help me decide.</p>

2

<p>This is probably better asked on your schools board.
It varies an incredible amount from school to school.</p>

<p>2) I’m not in a sorority, but my friends who are have dues between $450 and $650 a year. Each organization is different. However, dues aren’t your only cost. My suitemate spent at least $200 buying gifts for her little this year…</p>

3

<p>^wow i didn’t realize how expensive it was. thanks for the info.</p>

<p>(and my school doesn’t have a board on here. at least i couldn’t find it. lol)</p>

4

<p>^ It’s $2000 a semester at my school, so it definitely depends on the school.</p>

5

<p>pledge quarter was 350 for me, other quarters it was 50 and rush quarters was about 150. mine doesnt have a house though. apart from this i spent about 400 on my littles gifts for banquet and another 100 during their pledge quarter on outing and random gifts for them. so it gets expensive. pledge quarter was twice a week for about 5 hours each day, and one weekend. your pledge class becomes your best friends…your other friends may miss you a bit =( its up to your efforts to stay close with other friends.</p>

6

<p>Greek life varies widely from school to school. For the most part Greek life is what you make of it. There are girls in my sorority that spend lots of their free time on the house. Others do the bare minimum. I would say minimum is usually is usually rush, chapter, and a philanthropy or two or a semester.</p>

<p>Cost varies immensely. My school lists the costs online a little before rush. Finances are usually talked about during recruitment. I know many people who work and pay their Greek dues themselves.</p>

<p>I definitely have a lot of close friends in my sorority. I don’t feel a close bond with everyone, but I consider them all my friends. Yes there can be drama, especially if you attend a school where there many be more than a hundred girls in one sorority. This varies widely from chapter to chapter though. Sometimes internal politics have a habit of bringing the worst out.</p>

<p>I love being in a sorority, but it isn’t for everyone. I suggest going to any type of mass meetings at your school where you can talk to panhel or chapter members. Going through recruitment is stressful, but I’m so glad I joined.</p>

7

<p>thanks for the info guys.</p>

<p>still trying to decide. anyone else have opinions??</p>

8

<ol>
<li>How time-consuming is greek life? (As in, will all my spare time be spent doing activities with the sorority, or will I still have time to myself and other friends?)</li>
</ol>

<p>Depends on how involved you are. There is an annual philanthropy event, Greek Week, Formal, maybe a date party, mixers, chapter, study tables, recruitment and sisterhood events. Many activities in mine are optional, but the big ones are mandatory (philanthropy, recruitment). We also have to do 5.5 hours of volunteering a semester. Greek life has never negatively impacted academics. Greeks have higher GPAs than non Greeks at my school.</p>

<ol>
<li>How much does it cost? (I know it varies, but how much did it cost to be in the sorority you are in?)</li>
</ol>

<p>Mine is $520ish in the fall, $350 in the spring. It depends on the chapter.</p>

<ol>
<li>Do all sororities have a house, and if so, are you required to live there?</li>
</ol>

<p>No. Some sororities require that you live in the house at least one year. Officers and executive members may be required to live in the house. This differs per sorority and per chapter. The fee we pay for not living in the house is $25.</p>

<ol>
<li>Do you and the other sorority members really have this “sisterly bond” that sororites claim to have, or is there a lot of drama and it feels like high school all over again?</li>
</ol>

<p>I have met amazing people and we have a shared bond. It’s special, and it’s real. Very little drama in my sorority, but it depends on the chapter. We are very chill, other chapters are more dramatic.</p>

<ol>
<li>What is the thing you enjoy most and least about being in a sorority?</li>
</ol>

<p>I enjoy meeting people I normally would not have met and sharing experiences with them. The one downer is that it’s tough to pay the dues, but if you talk to the person in charge of finances they typically work something out with you.</p>

<p>Greek life differs so much between schools. Greek life here is the opposite of party schools like OU. Going Greek was the best decision I’ve made in college. It’s a ton of fun and you meet so many people.</p>

9

<ol>
<li>How time-consuming is greek life? (As in, will all my spare time be spent doing activities with the sorority, or will I still have time to myself and other friends?)</li>
</ol>

<p>This kinda depends on your sorority, but I haven’t had to spend a huge amount of my time with my sisters. There are usually meetings which are mandatory and other sisterhood activities which may or may not be mandatory</p>

<ol>
<li>How much does it cost? (I know it varies, but how much did it cost to be in the sorority you are in?)</li>
</ol>

<p>When I joined, I had to pay something along the lines of $200 dollars, and I have semester dues as well which are $55 or $60 depending on the semester. There’s other stuff I have to pay for (formal, sisterhood tea party, etc.), but I know that my sisterhood is the probably least expensive Greek organization to be in. The social sorority dues for the first semester is in the 700’s. </p>

<ol>
<li>Do all sororities have a house, and if so, are you required to live there?</li>
</ol>

<p>We do not have a house, but the other sororities all live in one dorm. They are required to live there for sophomore and junior year.</p>

<ol>
<li>Do you and the other sorority members really have this “sisterly bond” that sororities claim to have, or is there a lot of drama and it feels like high school all over again?</li>
</ol>

<p>I personally love all of my sisters, and I’m glad to have such a close bond with so many awesome women.</p>

<ol>
<li>What is the thing you enjoy most and least about being in a sorority?</li>
</ol>

<p>Most: I love the close bond I have with my sisters. I know that no matter what, we are there for each other. When my grandma died, my sisters hugged me and let me cry on their shoulders. One of the girls who was giving up chocolate for Lent told me that she had a big stash in her room that I was more than welcome to.</p>

<p>Least: Sometimes meetings can really be stressful, but that’s once in a blue moon</p>

<ol>
<li>Feel free to list any other pros and cons of Greek life that you think are important! (:</li>
</ol>

<p>I can’t really think of any I haven’t already said. I hope you join a sorority that’s right for you!</p>

10

<p>thanks so much guys (:
i’m gonna go to one of the informational meetings the first week of school to help me decide. i think i really want to, but i’m afraid i wont be able to afford it.</p>

<p>i heard the local sororities are cheaper than the national ones, but they don’t do as much stuff or have many social events. does anyone know if local sororities are worth the money??</p>

11

<p>Local sororities tend to be smaller and less active. It’s a generalization that only people familiar with each group can answer. Only you can decide if they are worth the money. Rush for locals is usually less formal so you can get a good feel for the group. </p>

<p>A question you should ask during info meetings/rush is what the dues include. e.g. Some sororities at my school do not include the cost of date parties in their dues. If you want to go you can pay to do so. Other groups include them as part of regular dues. Sororities are used to girls being worried finances. Each chapter will have different dues, payment options, scholarship options, etc. to help members afford it.</p>

12

<p>OP -
You might want to check out <a href=“http://www.greekchat.com%5B/url%5D”>www.greekchat.com</a>. It has everything you’ll ever need to know about recruitment, sorority life, etc.</p>

13

<p>At my school, locals are still part of panhell, so the process is exactly the same…they participate in formal recruitment. I would say at my school, the locals tend to be more social, just because they can have open parties, which national chapters all prohibit. But other than that local versus national isn’t any different in terms of events, phil, stuff like that. At my school the cost is about the same for local vs. national. I know my first term dues were 350, my second term 325, third term 300, and then 225 after that, but I didn’t actually pay that much, because of financial aid. Social dues are also separate for us, b/w 80 and 100 a term if you drink, less if you don’t. </p>

<p>My two cents…I’ve loved being a sorority. Go through rush, because if at any point during rush you feel it isn’t for you, you can drop out, and its all cool. But rush itself is a great way to get a feel for the system, even if it can be stressful.</p>