Someone in a previous thread mentioned how CC seems to never have accurate info for people who do actually want to go Greek and I think they’re right; so in an effort to actually be helpful we can post info and questions on here
Some Greek councils are:
NALFO- national association of Latin American Students some examples:
Sigma Lambda Upsilon
Lambda Pi Upsilon
Lambda Upsilon Lambda
Omega Phi Beta
NPHC: national pan-hallenic council also known as the Divine 9- predominantley black organizations
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Kappa Alpha Psi
Zeta Phi Beta
Phi Beta Sigma
Delta Sigma Theta
Sigma Gamma Rho
Iota Phi Theta
Omega Phi Theta
National Panhellenic Conference: Social organization (sororities); ex:
Delta Phi Epsilon
Phi Sigma Sigma
Alpha Chi Omega
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Alpha Omicron Pi
North America Interfraternity Conference (Fraternities-all):
Alpha Phi Delta
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Gamma Rho
There are also multicultural, Asian, professional, christian, music and honor societies as well as community service
There are 2 types of organizations (from my knowledge)
Local: you’re school only
National: country and sometimes even world wide
Cost:
National organizations cost more; however the price is something you will not know until you are going through the process. So be sure you are prepared to handle the cos . This can range from a few hundred to upwards of a thousand. The cost is sacred to the organization
I’d love to contribute to this discussion, as I hope that it’ll prove helpful to those considering becoming Greek! Would it be alright if I talked about my specific sorority experiences without naming names or anything like that? Or should I try to be as generic as possible?
I think both specifics and generalities will be helpful (while making it clear which is which).
I’ll chime in with a general piece now and then pop back in to answer specific questions if anyone has them (and that I can answer - which I probably can’t because so much can vary).
While this is probably true more often than not, it’s definitely not a given that a national will cost more than a local. Just so that everyone else is clear - how much it costs is something that should be discussed during rush. Many larger orgs or even the individual chapters also have scholarships or at the very least payment plans (e.g. we readily let people pay their dues in smaller increments over the semester rather than having to have all the money on hand at the start). More expensive dues might include paying for food/a cook or housing and so at many schools going greek is actually cheaper than living in the dorms on meal plan.
One of the real issues with having a discussion on “greek life” is that it is so, so varied from school to school and chapter to chapter. There are chapters of my own fraternity I would never want to even set foot in, let alone join. It’s almost like trying to have a discussion on “college” in general. There’s a couple points you can make that probably apply to anyone and everyone, but much more meaningful discussions will occur when you’re talking more specifically.
In fact, a lot of the things I was about to write that I thought would be generalities aren’t even really. If your chapter doesn’t have a house or a smaller house (i.e. only a small minority of the members live in it) than many of the things I was about to say about the difference between greek life being a sort of 24/7 student activity in the way most other activities are doesn’t really apply anymore. The only thing that really does seem to be universally true is that people who were greek seem to have a better grasp on how an organization works/flows, particularly one made up of peers and generally seem to have a better handle on communal living.
In general:
- I did not enter college wanting to go Greek
- however, my brother was in a frat and was really happy with it
- my campus was about 20% Greek, and all the sororities were very friendly
The downsides I knew about:
- clearly some frats and sororities were known for hard drugs
- several frats had been thrown out for rape/gang rape cases, most of which were settled out of court
- most of the alcohol-heavy parties on campus were Greek, perhaps 1 in 5 were at “private” houses or in dorms
The downside I found out about:
- it’s “my way or the highway” in some Greek organizations, like with other organizations - if you will have a heavy courseload or are doing engineering or sports, and are not in an engineering or sports frat or sorority, you will likely be treated poorly and possibly kicked out (I basically was - engineer)
- money here, money there, not much consideration of the costs of going to college for working class kids
My net feeling is that it was a good experience for me, I met a lot of great people both in my sorority and through our relationships with several frats. I wouldn’t encourage my kids to pledge, but I would tell them my experience was positive.
I am the lead advisor (volunteer) for a chapter of an NPC sorority in a mid-size NE university. I am happy to answer questions about sorority recruitment, risk management, etc. Can also direct interested parents to other sites for detailed information.
I would also love to answer any questions
SPECIFICS (NATIONAL PANHELLENIC CONFERENCE SORORITY)
Pros
- Financial: I was an active member (I recently became an alumna) of one of the cheapest sororities at my school, and we were given different payment plans to choose from each semester (besides a lump sum plan). Also, if you were having trouble paying your dues, you could try to ask for an exemption.
- SOCIAL: Although this is one of the smaller and possibly more understated sections, it’s one of the most important ones.
The reason why I joined my sorority was because I met some very wonderful women whose values, mission, and philanthropy I loved. And after I joined, I felt like I was home, like I not only belonged, but also mattered (something which was very hard to do at my huge school). My being there, my contributions and accomplishments, were valuable. All of that meant so much to me - it’s hard to describe using words alone.
~ Hazing: Thankfully enough, there was absolutely no hazing while I was active. (My sorority has a very strict anti-hazing policy.)
~ Big / Little: I love, love, love being a Big! I’m so proud of both of my Littles, and being their Big makes me so happy!
Cons
- Financial: There were definitely extra costs associated with being a sorority woman that you couldn’t really avoid incurring (e.g., for recruitment-specific clothing that none of us could ever really wear again because all of it was too tight), which was annoying.
- Social: Unfortunately, I realized soon after I first became active that my sorority was one of those that had lows more so than highs for various reasons (obviously, not all of those reasons are listed here).
~ Formals: Not once while I was active did my sorority host a formal. (And I’m not the type of person who normally likes formal events, but I wanted to attend one at least once just for the experience.)
~ Philanthropy: My sorority was very involved with our local philanthropy when I first became active, but as time passed, that involvement dwindled until it was almost nonexistent (which really disappointed me because I love our local philanthropy).
~ Tabling / Recruitment: As someone who’s pretty introverted and has a really hard time selling people on things, tabling (which was something we had to do unless we were otherwise occupied with school or work) was extremely frustrating. For that same reason, and in spite of the fact that we prepared a ton in advance beforehand, recruitment was one of the most stressful periods, if not the most stressful period, of my time as a sorority woman (and, again, it was something that we were required to do unless we had a reasonable excuse).
~ Time Commitment: I’d like to say that I spent about as much time working part-time or even doing class-related things as I did doing sorority things (i.e., I dedicated a ton of time to my sorority).
Miscellaneous
- Sorority Housing: None of the sororities and only one of the fraternities at my school had Greek housing.
- Additional Costs: These were optional, but if you’re the type of person who likes to have a lot of merchandise of the stuff that you like (like I do), then you should keep in mind that you might want to end up buying things like shirts with your letters ironed onto them, spirit jerseys, lettered cups, etc. etc. etc., which can get expensive.
GENERAL (ADVICE)
- Make sure to do your research. If you’re just not sure at the end of the day which sorority or fraternity to join, then perhaps it might be prudent to wait one or two semesters longer to do so.
- On a related note, go with your gut. If you’ve determined that, say, you like the philanthropy, values, and mission of three Greek organizations equally, then try to join the one that you feel fits you best (e.g., in terms of its active members - do you like them? Do you get along with them? Can you see them being your brothers or sisters for the rest of your life?).
- Be sincere. Don’t join a sorority or fraternity because the people in that organization have cool clothes, host parties every other weekend, have an awesome (un)official animal as a mascot of sorts, or anything like that. Join a Greek organization because of things like its mission, its values, its philanthropy, and its history. After all, the former are just superficial things that fade away with time and that won’t necessarily get you through the tough times that your organization will undoubtedly go through (that’s life). But you’re Greek until you die.
I think that’s about it. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about anything that I’ve said!
Multicultral sororites are the most underrated. Just because they don’t have houses or have over 100 members like pan-hellanic, doesn’t mean they should be over looked. There are plenty that are national as well:
Sigma Lambda Gamma
Tau Theta Pi
Sigma Omicron Pi
Sigma Pi Alpha
Alpha Gamma Alpha
Lambda Sigma Gamma…
Etc.
I can go on!
Most girls interested in rushing need to look into multicultural orgs (my opinion), and side note. I don’t consider professional frats to be truely greek. Its good to get advice and help about the area of work you want to do after you graduate, but thats it!