<p>I hope this doesn't sound too dumb but my daughter and I know nothing about sororities. A sorority - Alpha Omicron Pi - has just started a new chapter at her college and she says she's been accepted. Should she join? It's about $800 or something a year - I have no idea why it's that much money - they don't live there or anything. Does anyone know the reputation of this sorority? Is it worth the money? Any comments would be welcome.</p>
<p>i do not know about this one. my D decided to join another one, and it is more expensive, they do not live together either and I could never picture her wanting to be in sorority. She absolutely loves it, one of the best experience at college. They nominated her to 5 positions, including President, which she had to decline becuase of other commitments. However, the position that she accepted is still a lot of responsibility and leadership and talking in front of crowd of people, all of which are totally new experiences for her. She is happy and it is worth the $$ that we are paying. However, it takes a lot of time and she mentioned that there are only 2 pre-meds (including her) there. her sorority chapter is small.</p>
<p>Does she like the members and want to be their "sister"? My college wasn't big on Greek life but there were some sororities and fraternities and I am still in touch with the friends I made in a sorority. My mother was in a sorority and their alumni parties (graduates from different colleges) were a big part of my parents' social life.</p>
<p>Alpha Omicron Pi is a respected national sorority. Check their website for more information: AOII</a> | Home</p>
<p>If your daughter wants to join, there are advantages to joining a new chapter of a well-established group (and A-O-Pi is well thought of nationally, and no, I am not a member) In a small new group many girls will have the chance to get into leadership positions and become involved in the larger panhellenic scene. If someone joins a big house at a big Greek school, there might be 70 girls in her pledge class and about a 1 in 50 chance that she might eventually hold an important office.
I was in a sorority but neither of my daughters chose to become involved. Gee, imagine kids wanting to do the oposite of what Mom did!<br>
Prepare yourself for a deluge of anti-greek and pro-greek comments, this is something that almost every poster seems to have strong feelings about.</p>
<p>IMO this is not something your daughter should decide based on opinions from all of us here on CC! :) Does she like/get along with the other girls? Does she think it will be a positive, fun experience? What are the pros? What are the cons? The question of whether it's worth the money would be based on the answers to these questions. My D didn't think she'd do the sorority thing when she went to school, but ended up joining one, and loves it. She pays her own dues, which are a little lower than what you mention. Perhaps there are initial costs associated with starting up a new chapter? Would this sorority have it's own meeting place/lounge/chapter room?</p>
<p>I also agree with Blinker. AOPi is a well respected national sorority, but whether she should join or not can't be answered here. I was the Pan Hellenic Vice President for my school(15,000 students) about 30 years ago and it was a wonderful experience for me. My daughter joined a sorority at her school and my youngest son is rushing a frat right now. My middle son would have nothing to do with it. The cost does not seem that high, if it is a new chapter, there are going to be start up costs, etc. Much can be learned from a Greek experience, but the choice should be up to your daughter. If she doesn't like it, she's can choose to leave.</p>
<p>Besides yearly dues, there usually are extra charges along the way. Be sure to ask about these now.</p>
<p>My son was charter member of a newly reformed chapter of his fraternity when he was at UNC. He really liked that aspect of things because he saw it as an opportunity to help shape the new fraternity and establish the tone and identity it would present to the campus and alumni network. It was hard work restarting a chapter but they ended up winning the top fraternity award in only their second year back on campus.</p>
<p>Had he not had that opportunity he probably would not have gone Greek.</p>
<p>My D is an active member of her sorority and as others have said, $800 a year is very cheap.</p>
<p>I think being a charter member of a new sorority on campus is better in several ways than joining a chapter that's already established; for one, you have a smaller group of girls and more leadership opportunities, and also there's no stereotype associated with your sorority yet (most of the well-established sororities on campus usually have some type of stereotype about the girls that are in the chapter). </p>
<p>My school has a high percentage of girls that are Greek, but I never rushed because I didn't really want to be "just like everyone else." However, a new sorority is coming in and re-colonizing their chapter this semester after about 20 years of being inactive...if I wasn't a senior, I would probably have thought more seriously about rushing. I like the idea of being able to form the appearance and identity of the new sorority.</p>
<p>A Sorority can be a great experience, just keep in mind that every chapter and every school is different. Being in a sorority can bring leadership opportunities, service projects and life long friendships. Greeks have gotten a "bad rap", but please keep an open mind and encourage your daughters to at least look into the groups on her campus. I never regret joining in college and have continued my association with my sorority alumnae clubs as I have moved around the country as an adult.</p>