Why I Didn’t Join a Sorority

3 Minute Read/ Controversial Topic

Let’s make something clear…

I have absolutely nothing against College Greek life/sororities/fraternities. I appreciate all of the volunteer work that many of the Greek organizations are involved in.

Personally, I don’t see the appeal of the rest of it.

Let me take you back to the ‘club rush’ week of college. Nearly every campus club is out on the field at one point during the week, trying to convince you into joining their ranks when all you really wanted to do was find your damn class. So imagine how overwhelming of an experience that is, especially with a school like mind, which had 538 clubs/organizations (No Joke). Now, lets add it the enthusiasm of sororities to that mix. Jumping women, chanting in matching outfits, waving all kinds of posters, (Or what I will politely call propaganda) in your face. I’m looking around realizing that the sororities are all dressed alike, just like the movies. I also noticed that most of them looked alike. If not racially, then they were very similar in body types or heights. It reminded me of high school cheerleading tryouts all over again. So, I don’t have experience IN a sorority but from my observation over my college years, I noticed that there was rarely one girl from a group without another with her. I feel like my college experience would have been very, narrow, having to stay involved with the same group of people all the time. I knew and associated a few people who joined the ranks and they were so busy that they missed group meetings or had to leave class early or spent their entire Saturday, every Saturday with their ‘sisters’.

If you google search the pros and cons of joining Greek life, the first con is almost always the cost. I could barely afford to buy books, so I certainly couldn’t afford to pay for the exclusive rights to be a part of a group that wears glitter t-shirts. (No Offense). I also don’t even have a ‘Big Sister/Little Sister’ s-shirt with my own actual sibling. One of the next common ‘cons’ is the risk of hazing, although people swear it doesn’t happen, followed by the excessive drug and alcohol abuse. I’m not about that life in any way, shape or form. I didn’t ever want to risk my safety to be a part of something. I learned early that its better to not be a part of it at all than let someone treat you like crap. Secondly, the drug and alcohol thing, means you have to go to parties and be social. I hate being social. Give me a book or let me sleep. Lastly, the time commitment. I’d rather do just about anything else than be required to be somewhere to do something that I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to do.

I’ll try not to be totally negative here. A summary from what I have researched, of the pros of a sorority include, but I’m sure are not limited to: Networking, Philanthropy, Skills, Diversity, Housing Options, Academic Standards. That’s about the extent of my positivity on this topic.

Though, there is one pro that I found that I definitely didn’t agree with, which was “Gives you a Social Identity.” I don’t think I want my social identity to be so heavily formed by a group that I paid to be a part of. Especially with the stigma of Greek Life.
And this is why I, personally, did not join a sorority. The cons outweighed the pros. I did not want to be a part of the sisterhood. I did not, and still don’t, like being extremely social.

This is my personal opinion.