Greek Life: What is it Really Like?
When you’re a freshman walking onto a new campus, you have tons of new opportunities that await you. Like high school, you have your friends, your sports teams and your school work but what high schools don’t have is Greek Life. Many schools have a bunch of different sororities and fraternities to pick from. Although I am not involved in Greek Life at URI, I considered rushing when I was a freshman.
Greek Life Photo by Chiara Mara
When I look back on it, I don’t regret not joining a sorority because I have so much on my plate as it is, I just wouldn’t have the time. But I still think it’s a great way to get involved on campus. When you’re a freshman, it may be intimidating to make friends but by becoming a part of Greek Life instantly connects you with a whole bunch of people! At URI, we like to say that Greek Life is “the cool thing to do and the cool thing not to do”. If you’re a part of it, you will have so much fun and be exposed to so many different opportunities, but if you’re not a part of it, like me, you can still find so much to do and other clubs and activities to take up your time.
Joining a sorority or fraternity is a great way to network. You have an instant bond to your own chapter while you have the relationship all over the US with the rest of your chapters. I’ve even heard stories of people getting jobs because they were involved in Greek Life which makes you a “brother” or “sister” for life.
When you think Greek Life, you often think of parties, but signing up to join a sorority or frat doesn’t just guarantee you something to do on a Saturday night. The Greeks are heavily into philanthropy and giving back to the community. It’s also a plus to have endless study buddies!
I really think that Greek Life is a huge aspect of college but it’s not the only thing. When I was a freshman, we had “Freek Day” where all the freshman were able to meet the Greeks and see if they thought signing up for rush was a good fit for them. After talking with a bunch of sororities, I just felt that my place was somewhere else which is why I ended up joining the Public Relations Society and being a campus tour guide. I have a whole bunch of friends involved in Greek Life and they absolutely love it!
If you want to find out more about Greek Life from some people who are involved in the community, here is a great blog to read about the real in’s and out’s of what Greek life is all about!
October 5th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
I was in a sorority and I absolutely loved it! I originally joined to meet people during the first week at college and like you said, to guarantee something to do on a Saturday night (and people to sit with at football games). While I did gain that instant connection with my sisters that gave me the option to call them and hang out on the weekends, I had no idea the world of connections Greek life opened for me. I just moved to a new city and my sorority’s alumni chapter was so welcoming and have provided great opportunities to network.
In the same vein though, I think you can find the connections you make in Greek organizations in any organization you join. It all boils down to what you make of your experiences in college. While I wouldn’t change my Greek experiences for anything, I can definitely see how it is not for everyone and the trick about college is definitely finding your niche.
Great post!
October 18th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Interesting blog post… but again, it all boils don to your individual experience and your ability to see the cup half full
June 21st, 2011 at 12:08 am
I hear that its all good but I’m not hearing the negative I know there are some that mostly why Im mmmmm im not sure about the joining the Greek Life, Just because the bad things you might have to do. My question is do you do negative things like on movies that are embarrassing!