I don’t really know much about this “Greek life” or whatever you call them. I did discover “hazing” and I was wondering what the purpose of that was for (yes, I know it’s to show your dedication or something, but is it worth it?) - it kind of made me think of a fraternity/sorority as a clique. Also, the recent(?) featured discussion a bout Pennstate’s fraternity scandal is making me feel even more doubtful about the Greek life in college…
Sorry if I offended anyone, but that’s how I perceived it as from the very little information I know about the groups, which is why I turned to this thread, and I’m asking what big information/things am I missing about and if I should really look forward to being a part of the Greek life in college.
Fraternities/sororities are drinking clubs that do charity work/provide networking functions/help you get leadership and volunteer experience for a resume/establish connections with potential employers.
Hi! It really depends on your school. For example, f you’re going to a school in the south (think Bama, Ole Miss, TCU) where greek life is big, you’re going to have an exponentially larger chance of experiencing hazing and maybe a negative experience. However, to overgeneralize greek life is making a HUGE mistake. There are thousands of different houses at thousands of different schools and most of them will not haze you. I’m not sure if you’re a girl or boy but it’s my opinion that frats are way more likely to haze than sororities.
However, there are SO many benefits to joining greek life. helpful networking opportunities is a big up, and if you are attending a big school this makes it a lot easier to find friends. It’s really up to you. I would say that you should consider rushing (the process of finding the right frat/sorority for you) and see if you like it. If not, you can always drop out and you do not have to commit to any house that you do not like. You have nothing to lose!!
Hazing is in NO way a good thing. AT ALL. Anyone who hazes is a predator who enjoys showing power over other people.
Fraternities and sororities can be good things, but there’s also plenty of negatives too. I’m in an honors fraternity, which I think has a lot of the positives with very few of the negatives.
Pros: Social network. You automatically have a group of close friends and it can help in the future with networking for jobs and what-nots. Some houses do volunteer work, are academically affiliated (like with a major/honors frat etc.)
Cons: Greek Life is cliquey, and there is often the expectation that you will put your frat/sorority over everything else (including academics). Partying is also huge at many houses. Hazing is also a thing. It’s a huge commitment really.
Lol…I think it’s best to just list the characteristics of fraternities and sororities and let people decide for themselves whether they are pros or cons.
If for general fraternities and sororities and not the honors related ones I’d say
Fraternities/Sororities = An opportunity to get involved, especially when you either have no other club, sport, or activity of interest, and a way to buy friends when you can’t single handedly make any yourself or simply wish to make more. Also a great way to network and boost your resume doing community service and volunteering work, despite the fact that lets be honest, most people that join probably aren’t in it for the service reasons.
Pros:
Great way to meet friends, especially if you’re shy or can’t do it yourself
Networking
Often access to a lot of drinking and parties if you’re into that
Also a great way to get involved in the school if you don’t particularly have any other real interests (sports, arts, hobbies).
Cons:
May involve hazing
May involve a major time commitment
Potential costs and fees
Certain fraternities and sororities may be stereotyped whether for the good or bad on campus
