Greek life gets a bad rap. In some cases it’s well deserved – the system has a lot of flaws to work out – but there is so much good that comes out of the Greek system that goes relatively unnoticed.
I’ve been planning this post for a while, but I recently found a website that lets me stream unlimited episodes of “Greek” so I’m having a marathon and ready to rumble. I have an unconventional Greek life story, so here’s my tell all.
The Greek system knows where you’re meant to be & who you’re meant to be with – even if you don’t.
I skipped sixth grade and while that doesn’t seem like relevant information right now – it meant I left for college a year earlier than I would have otherwise. I definitely don’t regret skipping a grade, and I also don’t regret my one quarter at UC Santa Barbara, but it took me about a month there to realize I wasn’t where I wanted to be and wasn’t doing what I wanted to do. I came back home and went to community college for two of the hardest years of my life. My hometown is small – people talk – and I was embarrassed. I worked, I studied, and I was accepted into a specialized merchandising program at San Francisco State. I was determined to get it right this time.
I showed up in San Francisco with my Honda Fit packed full of all my belongings and I knew no one. My solution? Rush the Greek system as a junior transfer student – not your typical rushee. As I went through the rushing process I definitely had an idea of which sorority I wanted to pledge, but I met plenty of girls who had no idea. The thing I learned along the way is that the Greek system totally knows where you belong – even if you don’t. My advice? Trust the system. It knew exactly where I belonged.
My sorority helped me make friends – and no I didn’t “buy” them.
One of the biggest misconceptions about Greek life is that you’re “buying” your friends. Sure there are dues to pay (and I can’t lie, dues ain’t always cheap), but those dues pay for opportunities not friends. During my two years in the Greek system we went on retreats where we had experiences that encouraged leadership and networking, we had weekly meetings where the importance of appropriate “badge attire” (business casual) was drilled into our heads – and yeah okay we also got some really cool tee shirts. Point being that the friendships I made were a result of the experiences I had in the Greek system and if anyone wants to call that “buying” friends – well shucks they’re pretty cool people and I’d pay for them all over again.
My sorority sisters let me be me.
I wasn’t the conventional rushee not only because I was older and a transfer student – I also was not a big partier. I was pretty sure, like my experience at UCSB, that this would be a problem. Instead of being teased, ridiculed, or excluded, the Greek system let me be me and I could hang out at every social without shame. No one cared if I chose to drink or not because everyone was cool with people being exactly who they were – plus everyone’s favorite person at the end of the night is the “sober sister.”
Sororities give back – even if it means a 6 am wakeup to work at the food bank.
Although philanthropy isn’t always our favorite part of Greek life (6 am wakeups in college were torture) – we cared about it. Even after we graduate we still care about it. I can’t even stroll past the Marina Green here in San Francisco without reminiscing about the JDRF walks (fighting type 1 diabetes!). A lot of us are really fortunate, but we rarely make time to give back. One of the most awesome things about the Greek system is that every single organization has a cause and they advocate the heck out of it.
My sorority encouraged my individual interests.
I transfered to San Francisco State to study apparel merchandising and was actually elected as the purchasing coordinator for my sorority – this meant getting some hands on experience in my field of interest! I spent my days designing witty tee shirt designs, sourcing, and purchasing. My sorority let me pursue my interests and gave me some ammo for my LinkedIn profile. I walked away with awesome experiences that employers cared about – oh and did I already mention the cute tee shirts?
The people I met through Greek life became not just my friends – they became like family.
The friends I made in the Greek system are still my friends today – three years after graduation. They were there for me every meeting, every retreat, every day, every month, every year – and they’re still there for me now. I rushed the Greek system thinking I’d find a casual social circle and I walked away with a crazy, big family I wouldn’t trade for the world.
And if you couldn’t guess from the photos, yes I am a proud alum of Alpha Gamma Delta.
Greek life helped me find my sense of purpose! Are/were you a member of Greek life or another organization on campus that helped you kick your butt into gear? Tell me about it in the comments below!
Such a nice article. Very eye opening about a system I’ve heard of but not enough to form a proper opinion!
xoxo,
http://petitemaisonoffashion.blogspot.com/ ♥
I’m considering joining a sorority, but I’d be a transfer student as well. I don’t have any clue what sorority I would want to be in and so I’m just not sure how to do it all. Seeing this really inspires me to try though!
Karissa you should TOTALLY rush! I was a junior transfer student surrounded by freshman and I thought no sorority would even look twice but they totally didn’t care and I met so many new people! You’ll find out what sorority you want to be in during rush – you will. Trust the system, it’ll put you where you belong 🙂
xoxo Kelsey
Hi! I am a member of Phi Sigma Sigma at the University of New Haven and I wouldn’t change my experience or my sisterhood for the world!
Oh my gosh no way! There is totally a Phi Sig chapter at San Francisco State! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and chiming in! I wouldn’t change my sisterhood for the world either 😉
xoxo Kelsey
I want to join a sorority when I get to college but I have medial problems (that are actually considered a disability) i’m afraid that i would not be able to do it or I would be made fun of. Should I still go for it?
I think you should go for it. The Greek system is different at every school – there are definitely some systems that don’t feel as welcoming as others. However there are national sororities and also local sororities – there are so many organizations and I think college is all about finding “your people.” Your tribe! Don’t be afraid or intimidated. You’ll find the right group whether that’s a Panhellenic sorority, a local sorority, or another organization on campus. You’re beautiful and awesome and I’ve got no doubt in my mind you’re going to kill it in college!
xoxo Kelsey
Hi Kelsey! I am an alum of Alpha Gam as well, Theta Zeta chapter! I rushed freshman year but I was also a transfer student, in fact, the first week I was on campus was formal recruitment! I was between a few sororities but ultimately found the one that felt like home.
I’m currently a freshman, and transfering to a new school after this year. I’m doing second semester rush at my new university and this soothed so many of my concerns about rushing as a transfer student!! Thank you for this!! (i’m also an apparel merch student!!)
Aw Madi I’m so happy my post helped! Trust me, you’ll end up “where you belong.” You’ll find the org that’s right for you – and feel free to reach back out to me with ANY questions! I’m wishing you all the luck and happiness in the world! 🙂
xoxo Kelsey