Everything you Need to Know about Sorority Life
Sorority Life. You are probably thinking of the smiles, the loud chants, the glamorous sorority houses along with dozens of other stereotypes. What you aren’t thinking about is the thousands of dollars women pay to be a part of organizations, the countless rules that have to be followed in order to be a member, and the deep rooted rituals within each organization.
First off, who am I? I am currently a member of Sigma Kappa and have been for two years now. I joined my sophomore year of college in Fall 2018. I had no friends or family in any Greek organizations and was essentially going in blind to the experience, which I will admit was extremely overwhelming. Which is why I think it’s important to do some research on what sorority life is really like. If you’re thinking about joining a sorority there is a list of pros and cons that might help you decide if being in Greek life is right for you.
Recruitment
It’s important to remember that in each region recruitment and sorority life is different. For example at universities where Greek life is very popular such as the University of Alabama there are 24 sororities on their campus. While at smaller schools or schools where Greek life is not as popular there might only be 10 chapters. However no matter the size recruitment has a basic structure that most sororities follow.
In most areas potential new members (PNMs) will be sorted into a group alphabetically and will spend up to 5 days weeding through sororities and ranking them based on their favorites and least favorites. They go into each sororities tent for up to 40 minutes and express themselves and who they are, interests, hobbies, values etc.
Similar to how speed dating works, you pick who you like best, and slowly you get down to your favorites. Each day PNM’s selection of sororities will get smaller and smaller in the hopes that on the final day of recruitment they will receive a bid from their favorite sorority.
Money
When joining a sorority nobody really tells you just how much money you will have to pay every semester in order to be a member of that organization. As I mentioned previously all sororities dues are different depending on where they are located, how many members they have, etc. Most sororities list their general member dues on their website, so if you are curious, do your research! Omegafi is a great place to learn more details about what goes into sorority dues. However most sorority dues are usually over $1,000 when first joining.
Below is a table which represents how much I have paid to be a part of my sorority. In total I have paid over $3,000 over the course of four semesters. As you can see my first semester was the most expensive and has decreased since then. However even if I take my cheapest semester and divide that by how many months are in a semester, I am still paying $100 or more a month to be a part of my sorority.
Now you may be thinking, “well you get to go to a bunch of fun events with the money you pay!” While it is true that your dues cover the cost of formals, date party, philanthropy events and some special clothing it only covers a small amount of what you are paying.
I took a deep look into each billing statement over my past four semesters into where all the money goes, and created a chart. Below you can see that only 8% out of the $3,000 that was paid went towards fun, social events. The other 92% of the money went towards member dues which is the cost of simply being a member of the organization. As well as housing fees which cover the cost to keep our sorority house furnished and well managed, corporate fees and campus fee’s that the university charges each member to be a sorority member on their campus.
So if you are considering joining sorority life, make sure you are financially ready for it.
The House
The sorority house is another common misconception. Most people picture giant mansions with maids and chefs like the ones you see in the movies. Not every chapter is that way, in fact most sorority houses aren’t. Obviously, the bigger your sorority is the bigger the house will be, as well as the nicer the house is the more money you are going to have to pay just like any house or apartment you still pay rent.
Most sororities require members to live in the house for at least one year. While this may sound like a bad thing, living in a sorority house is usually an amazing opportunity to get closer to the women in your chapter and stay involved. You are living with 10+ of your best friends which means you always have someone to talk too, someone to binge watch Netflix shows with and you have 10+ closets to borrow clothes from.
Now I know most of this sounds intimidating or overwhelming but there are lots of amazing things you can gain from being in a sorority.
When you join a sorority you gain a group of 50+ women that will support you and motivate you every single day. While that might sound extremely cheesy, it really is true. You find some of your best friends and the people that you’ll have in your life even after you have graduated.
Philanthropy
On top of gaining some of your best friends you also get the opportunity to support philanthropies and your community. Every sorority has a charity that they are nationally dedicated too. For example Zeta Tau Alpha supports Breast Cancer Awareness, and Sigma Kappa supports Alzheimer’s awareness through the Walk to End Alzheimer's every fall. Each year your sorority will hold a philanthropy week where you will hold events to raise money for your charity. Raising thousands of dollars for a charity you are passionate about is something that can be extremely rewarding.
Leadership Opportunities
Every sorority has an Executive Board that helps run their chapter. There are smaller positions with less responsibility all the way up to President of the chapter. Taking a leadership role lets you better yourself and take responsibility. As well as taking on serious leadership roles is something that can improve your resume and impress future employers.
To Rush or Not to Rush
There are dozens of ways to get involved on your college campus and meet people. Like all things there are pros and cons to joining a sorority, it can be costly and it does require time management in order to stay involved as well as keep up with other academic responsibilities. However if you are looking for a way to better yourself, your community and gain life long friends a sorority might be a great option for you.
