Hi all,
If anyone is currently involved in Greek Life at USC or just knows a lot about Greek life for some reason, i would really appreciate your help seeing as I am very conflicted. Certain aspects of Sorority life seem really awesome and fun and other aspects, well, they make me want to punch myself in the face haha. Keep in mind that whether or not I join a sorority will also significantly impact my decision to even go to USC. Im well aware that at USC, networking is key, and what better way to network than to join a sorority right? It also seems like a great way to meet people and make great friends (regardless if I did pay for them lol). However, I feel that there are just so many negative stereotypes involved with sororities, so what i’m asking is- Do the pros outweigh the cons? I’m totally into the whole party scene (you’re only young once) so I’m okay with that aspect. But is everyone in a sorority really shallow and do they like only accept really good looking people? If i’m going to be committed to this, I just want to make sure i’m getting involved in the right thing. That said, I also realize this post is a little on the ridiculous side, and yes i do overthink everything. But i just really want to know if joining a sorority would make or break my college career.
And also, what kind of criteria do sororities use when looking at prospective members? If i do decide to rush, I want to make sure i present myself correctly. Do they look at like your personality, appearance etc.? How do they decide who they want, the whole thing seems a little bizarre…
I’m not at USC yet (I’m starting this fall) but for what it’s worth, you really and truly don’t have to (or even should) decide right now if you want to join a sorority. There’s somewhere around ~35,000 students at USC, hundreds of extracurricular organizations (intramural sports, academic clubs, film clubs, newspapers, dance troupes, theater troupes, professional/ethnic fraternities and sororities, just to name a -few-!), and only around 15-20% of students go Greek.
Personally I am considering joining a frat myself but I’ll only make that decision when I get to USC. I’ll see what rush is like, I’ll try to find out some information about the different frats, see if there’s a place I feel like I belong. If I decide it’s not for me, I won’t be fussed because there is such a wealth of social opportunities at USC that are non-Greek. If I do decide it’s something I’d like to try though, I’ll be glad to know that USC offers Greek life that is famed for its fun, philanthropy, and alumni networking.
So in conclusion, I strongly believe that you should make the decision to go to USC or not based on other factors. You’ll have time when you get there to decide if joining a sorority is right for you, and not even necessarily in freshman year! You could always join other clubs freshman year and see how you feel, and if you still are interested in Greek life, rush sophomore year.
Good luck!
A sorority doesnt define you so dont worry about it making or breaking your college career. You don’t have to do it your first year, you can do it later on.If you do end up going to USC, you don’t have to join a sorority thats there (if you dont like any of them). Heck start your own chapter of an existing outside sorority or revive a chapter that was once at USC! That way you can mold what you’d like to get out of it instead of hoping you get what you want.