Ever since I was in grade school, being in a sorority was something that intrigued me. The lifestyle of sorority women portrayed in movies and on television seemed like one big slumber party at all times. When the time came to tour colleges around the country, ones with a neighborhood of houses, aka, "sorority row," stood out the most. I walked by and wondered what life would be like inside those houses.
I ultimately ended up at a big university in Florida with close to 50,000 students on campus. The size of the student body and the campus itself excited me. I remember moving into my dorm room and just being in awe at the amount of kids shuffling in and out. That's when it hit me that I was just one singular person surrounded by thousands of others. The prospect of joining a sorority became even more desirable as I started to feel alone among the crowd.
I wasn't even on campus for a week when recruitment started. Other girls had warned me that it was virtually a hyperorganized form of "girl flirting," and they were completely right. I met hundreds and hundreds of people (mostly from Florida, which made me feel like the pariah from New York) who were all trying to sell me on why their house was the right one for me. They talked about their sisterhood and all of the fun times to be had if I were to join. How was I supposed to know so early on? As corny as it sounds, when I walked into the sorority that I belonged in, I knew right off the bat. I instantly felt comfortable and any nerves that existed outside the house went away. That's all the convincing I needed.
Looking back, I can't image my college experience without my sorority. It played such a big role in both my social life and my academic life. We participated in philanthropies and organized events with other Greek life, and that was amazing. A lot of my involvement on campus was because of my sorority. But I've also wondered what my experience would have been like if I hadn't chosen to join my sorority so early on. These thoughts have led me to compile a list of why being in a sorority was the best and worst thing about college. If you're curious about joining one and want to know more, here are my learnings.
Pros
I made great friends I probably wouldn't have met otherwise. Who knows where we all would be scattered around campus if we didn't choose the same sorority.
It gave me a community of women who had similar values and interests. We banded together in good times and in bad.
I didn't have to worry about meals during the week. Chef perks! No dining hall food here. I had the luxury of sitting down at a table with all of my friends over a great meal for lunch and dinner every week.
I didn't have to make a ton of effort planning social activities since many were planned for us.
I finally had lived out the experience I grew up wondering about.
I joined a network of alumni that actually helped when networking for jobs.
Cons
I was thrown into it from the beginning of school right until the end. While it was a great way to situate myself early on, I always wonder what it would have been like to find my own way first.
I may have missed out on meeting other great friends outside of the group.
It limited my urge to be proactive about branching out.
There were times when I really needed a change of scenery - and company. It's not hard to get tired of spending 24/7 with the same people.
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