Seeing as no one in my family was part of a sorority/fraternity in college, I have little to no exposure to the greek system. Would anyone be willing to give me a quick rundown of what being involved in greek life (a sorority in my case) entails? Pros and cons? Thanks for your input!
I’m sorry no one has answered your question!
Might be good to ask some college students who are currently involved in Greek life.
I think it depends a lot on the school
Depends on the specific fraternity or sorority and also varies by school. In general it’s a social group that sometimes has its own house. Regardless of whether its housed or not, members pay dues which can be quite high. A big part of Greek life is the social events. Most are also involved in some type of philanthropy (although at a much lower commitment level than the social aspect). While it’s against policy to “haze,” hazing is definitely an occurrence in many chapters. Themed (not traditional Greek) fraternities are a bit different as well. Themes can vary and include academic interests (business, chemistry, etc.), public service, religious affiliation, and more.
Your best bet is to look into the fraternities and sororities at the specific school. Most have a rush period where you can go to learn about them. Generally interested students attend rush and if the fraternity/sorority likes them then the chapter makes an offer for the student to join. Once you accept a bid you usually go into a pledging period.
I was not Greek and never regretted it but had friends who were. My school was heavy Greek but still not a big deal if you weren’t. All had parties and I’m pretty sure all had a house but each fraternity/sorority had its own personality. Some preferred smart kids, some preferred rich kids, some athletes, etc. If you pledge, finding the right fit is huge. And while a fraternity will have a national reputation, it will vary by chapter so you have to look at your college and od your research. I will say be prepared to pay up though. In addition to dues, lots of social events, dress requirements, etc.
The Greek system varies wildly from campus to campus as well as from region to region, so you might want to give an idea of what schools you are interested it. At many or most SEC schools, along with a lot of Mid-West schools, going Greek is a big deal and fairly expensive. At other places it is far more casual, much cheaper, and the Greeks don’t dominate the campus social scene. So it just depends.