<p>I'm a down to earth girl who is not into designer everything and is considering rushing at Penn State. </p>
<p>What are the positives and negatives of a sorority? </p>
<p>Is it even necessary at a school as big as Penn State? </p>
<p>How much time is taken away from study time when you are in a sorority? </p>
<p>Do you have time to be friends and do things with girls outside your sorority? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>We know girls that are both in and out of sororities at Penn State:</p>
<p>pros: very involved with community service…almost cult-like…
def time to spend with girls outside of sorority
no, it isnt necessary in order to have a social life</p>
<p>cons: (according to those who are in sororities)
rushing is extremely competitive (like anywhere large)
very, very time consuming…can I repeat that? very, very, very time consuming…</p>
<p>One needs to decide if sorority life is for them; can’t hurt to go through the process and figure it out…no harm, no foul imo</p>
<p>You should spend some time perusing CC sites concerning Greeks and other key words- sororities and fraternities. Much said pro and con the past couple of years, good for learning the good and bad (mine are against joining) that is still relevant. Part of what matters is the attitude at your school. What do others in your dorm seem to think? Your questions are good fodder for chats among your Penn State peers. Do post the same questions on your college CC site also.</p>
<p>One thing is for sure, you can only answer this question with respect to a given campus. The scenes at different campuses are tremendously different – from a very “chill,” join if you want and if you don’t that’s cool, all the way to your Greek life forms your exclusive social circle and takes up all your time. So don’t waste your time asking the question in any context other than that of Penn State specifically.</p>
<p>^^^^ I agree with this.</p>
<p>My d did not rush at a very Greek oriented school, and she definitely felt it put a crimp on her social life / opportunities.</p>
<p>What Pizzagirl said.</p>
<p>One thing that I would like to add is that even if you don’t join a sorority, going through recruitment is a great way to meet new friends. Where the Greek scene is different at all schools, the benefits of a sorority can last a lifetime. Why not go in with an open mind and see what you think, just like you would with any other new school activity?</p>
<p>^ What if you rush but don’t get chosen by the sororities in which you thought you had made some new friends? Would you still feel comfortable and maintain those friendships? Not is it possible, but is it common and realistic?</p>
<p>^ The friendships that I was talking about are with the fellow potential new members, or rushees. It is very easy to stay friends with these people. Whether you get into any house at all or diferent houses, you can still find a large group of women with things in common. When I went through, I made some of my best college friends during that week. Some completed rush, some dropped out, most went to different houses. At a large campus, it was nice to see more familiar faces, and the crazy schedules, stress, silly chants, etc. helped us bond. I also became friendly with people in the houses that I didn’t go back to. I would run into them on campus, in classes, etc. and we would recognize each other.</p>
<p>My D did rush this fall as a freshman at a very competitive campus. It was a very, very stressful week, but in the end, it was worth it to her. She is very happy AND yes, very busy. The good news is that she has friends that are greek and some that aren’t. In fact, some of the girls that she likes the most, are not in her sorority, but live in her dorm and are in other sororities. I have been pleased that she has made friends all across her campus and that her sorority does not define who she can be friends with…however, with that being said, it is not for everyone.</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarification MizzBee! Good extra info.</p>
<p>Some sororities have a test file. The members put their tests in files, kept at the sorority house, for everyone to use for study guides. You can hang out at the sorority house and study. The house mom cooks the meals, served at specific times. Pro : better food & variety than in the cafeteria, but con: not available all day long.</p>
<p>I never thought my daughter would be one to rush, but she did and she did join a sorority with a nice group of girls. She enjoys belonging to a group that does a lot of community service, provides social avenues and has many young girls she enjoys spending time with. As for time, so far it is manageable. As she continues to pursue her science major and her studies become more time consuming we will see if it is still manageable.</p>
<p>My daughter unexpectedly joined a sorority last winter, and there are pluses and minuses. She is also in marching band, which she committed to as part of being accepted to the school. The biggest minus is the time commitment, especially during rush. At her school, rush week (this week) is the same as band camp (this week) and she has mandatory activities in both. They actually told her rush was more important than going to the first day of classes. She’ll have to figure that out. That part I don’t like, as well as the obsession on looks, clothes, alcohol and guys. The pluses? Well, living in the house is cheap and she seems to be having fun and making tons of friends. I’m not impressed with frat boys so far, although she is.</p>
<p>Funny- Rush at my D’s school starts today. She loves her sorority, but is also the first to say—Greek life is PART of her college experience- not ALL of it. She is on the board and lives in the house (a very small historic farm house- 10 girls- no house mom or cook) this year. She seems to have a ton of guy friends (and BF) so I am thankful for the sisterhood interaction—she is an only child so I know she loves the instant sibling concept!</p>
<p>Thank goodness her campus is not wild raging Greek—there is something for everyone there—so Rush is not the beyond competitive atmosphere that it is at many colleges. Not sure how it is at Penn—but life is short so go for it. If you do not pledge a sorority at least you will have stories to tell!
I was a GDI (G__ Damn Independent) at SDSU in 1982. My roomies and I just thought those sorority girls who sang songs all day long and danced on the sidewalk were so weird. And then I go and give birth to one…you never know about this world so keep an open mind!</p>
<p>If you do a search, you’ll find many threads on the topic of “sororities: good or bad?” - which is apparently endlessly fascinating. 
As Pizzagirl said, every campus has its own Greek environment, and people with knowledge of Greek life at PSU will have the most worthwhile information for you. My d was in a sorority at a school that’s often considered intensely Greek, yet her closest friends were either non-Greek or in another sorority, and much of her EC time was spent doing service projects in support of different causes than the ones her house adopted. So there is variance and room for individuality at most schools.
The recruitment period is time- consuming, without a doubt - it’s often spread over two weeks, with most events on the weekends. Then there’s often a series of mandatory meetings to learn the sorority’s history and ritual, which my ds found to be challenging in terms of time management. Once that was over, though, they were free to go to as many, or as few, events as they wished. </p>
<p>I was certainly not a proponent of sororities when my kids went off to college; however, I have come to see things somewhat differently. To me, the most significant benefit was the big sister relationship for new sorority members. It was wonderful for my girls to be paired up with an older student who really made a point of including them in activities, looking out for their welfare, and supporting them with the kind of loyalty that usually takes longer to develop in a new environment. And it’s a continuing relationship - d2, who is 23, just rescued her “little” this weekend when there was a car problem at midnight, though both have since graduated. Not saying that these relationships don’t occur outside of Greek life, but my kids found them there.</p>
<p>At a big school like Penn State, you’ll find many EC opportunities outside of Greek life, where you can form close friendships and establish your social circle. Some people feel that a sorority makes a large campus seem smaller and more personal. </p>
<p>OP, are several posters using your account? I just noticed that you identify yourself as starting grad school in a few weeks in another post.</p>
<p>I agree that sororities shouldn’t be judged on any one school our any one sorority on any campus. I was like ilovedcollege, also in 1982. My biggest impression of sorority life was that of a former sister-in-law and I thought the girls were very pretty and very superficial, but that was one narrow experience. The girls I met at my daughter’s sorority seemed very sincere. I haven’t been told of any focus on alcohol and my daughter and I are in constant touch and she tends to share everything, whether I want to know or not. Most of her sorority girlfriends are non-drinkers and the ones that do drink, seem to drink very little. Now, my daughter has a very nice roommate in a different sorority who frequently parties and regularity comes home the next day. My daughter’s sorority friends seem to prefer going to exercise classes and/or quiet dinners. </p>
<p>Clothes, I also have not seen an extreme focus on this. Now, my daughter has always been a clothes fanatic, but is so skilled at finding great deals and keeping within her budget that I can’t fault her. Last, I haven’t heard of any focus on boys. My daughter has a boyfriend at another school and no one has tried to push her towards any other boy.</p>
<p>Different sororities, different girls. I have learned that it is really hard to make generalizations.</p>
<p>thanks for your opinions! I also posted on Penn State forum but no response so far…</p>
<p>D is at FSU where rush is stressful and competitive. But she rushed and has never been happier. She finds her sorority makes a large campus smaller. She is a junior, and is on her sorority’s executive board (officer). Through her sorority she got involved in the largest student run philanthropy on campus and is on their overall committee this year. The philanthropy itself is not tied to her sorority. She just became involved as greeks support it in general. She went all expenses paid this summer to the sorority convention at a nice resort, and to DC for the national leadership committee for the student philanthropy. </p>
<p>I know her campus involvement was much easier having sisters to open doors, if only doors of familiarity. No one got her her positions, but she became aware of leadership and volunteer opportunities because each house has a team for Light the Night, Relay for Life, Dance Marathon etc. So you can find a way to get involved. Sisters are also involved in Student Government.</p>
<p>Living in the House is a huge plus. It is WAY LESS EXPENSIVE than dorm or apartment, security is good, meals are convenient and also less expensive. </p>
<p>Rush is intense, one week prerush and one week of actual rush. Whether you are the potential new member or the sister, it is stressful. The rest of the year it is good. The GPA of the members is higher than the U’s average GPA and higher than the independent GPA. There is NO alcohol in the house or as part of any sorority functions except for formal and date functions, and that is only for those with a legal ID. So unlike Frats, the sororities do not revolve around alcohol. </p>
<p>Greek life depends on the campus, the student, the parents support or lack of. Let her decide.</p>
<p>OP, I just checked the Panhel website for Penn State. I hope that you already signed up, because registration closed on 9/19. If you didn’t, contact the office ASAP to see if you can register late. Open houses begin today. If you are going through, good luck on finding a place that makes you happy. I will also say keep an open mind on all the houses, don’t listen to gossip about the different houses and don’t drop out of rush just because your “favorite” drops you. You may find a better fit throughout the process. Even if you didn’t go through recruitment, there are other opportunities at Penn throughout the year.</p>