Should I Go Greek?
Hey readers of fysororities, I need some help! I’m a GDI who’s thinking of going Greek for my sophomore year, but I’m still worried about some things. Can anyone help answer my questions?
1. How much are dues for your sorority? I know that all sororities are different, but I need a ballpark of what to expect!
2. Have you ever had trouble balancing your schoolwork with Greek life? I’m an engineering student and I’m worried that I won’t have time for both!
3. I’ve heard that joining a sorority is like paying for your friends. What do you think? Please tell me anything, good or bad!
4. What’s YOUR favorite part about Greek life?
If you can help me with any of these questions, please message me privately or submit your answers to fyeahsororities! Thank you so much!
<3 - julierenee
The following is a response from fyeahsororities:
1) Dues. It’s hard to say because the range is huge, depending on the school, sorority, national, and chapter dues. So the only way of really knowing is to ask sisters of the sororities you are considering. (Because my Sorority chapter didn’t have a house, and we only had national dues I had to pay about $250 per year, a little more my first semester.)
2) As a pledge I was given library hours, which I personally thought were great, because it was time to do my work and not worry about any other obligations I had. As a sister, you have to maintain a certain GPA, so school work always comes first. Even with obligations to the sisterhood, I still have a bunch of sisters that have been able to graduate a semester early.
3) This goes right back to your first question. The biggest cost I had was dues, just like any other organiztion that you join dues help keep it running on a national level, and help pay for things like National Conventions and all the other everyday costs. I never once saw it as paying for friends. My response to that is simply with the question “So I paid for friends when I was six and in Girl Scouts?” If you asked someone that question they would reply with something about how that money helped keep Girl Scouts running, it’s the same thing.
4) Honestly there are so many, it’s always having someone there. It’s lifelong, a forever sort of deal. I consider my Kappas to my family, although we might argue sometimes at the end of the day I know they always have my back and vice versa. Even though I’m an alumnae now I still go to events, at the chapter and national level. I know that my sisters will always be a part of my life through thick and thin. I could honestly go on about it forever.
xox Samantha
P.S. We’d love to see everyone’s responses so please send them in and we’ll post them!
12:49 am |
June 17 2011
| 4 notes
Anonymous asked: So I was looking at information about chapters at my school that I'm planning on going through recruitment for. Can you explain the difference between house bills and chapter dues?
Absolutely! Chapter fees consist of a monthly house bill, which is like rent, that covers everything from room and board, food, social activities and functions. In addition to house bills, most sororities have chapter dues, which are paid to that chapter’s national headquarters each semester. :)
-Natalie
3:11 pm |
June 14 2011
| 3 notes
Anonymous asked: A girl in my sorority told me she is considering sending in made up grades (because she fell just short of our 2.75 requirement) to our scholarship chair. I'm trying to talk her out of it, because I'm afraid she'll get in trouble, but she still is considering doing it. is there any way the scholarship chair will even find out? I'm pretty sure we only send our grades to her and it's not discussed unless the GPA wasn't maintained.
Well, I know for a fact that in my school the scholarship chair is in charge of submitting the GPAs of sisters to our greek advisor so that we can figure out how each organization ranks on campus. If the grades she submits don’t match up with what the school has on record she and the chapter could get into a bit of trouble. However, lying because you think you won’t get caught is not a good excuse to lie. Maybe you should speak to her and tell her that the risks outweigh the benefits. If it is found out that she is lying there could be dire consequences (like suspension!) Maybe you could even tell her that as Greek women we hold ourselves to a higher standard than that of a liar. It also would not be fair to any of the other girls with inadequate GPAs who must suffer the consequences of telling the truth.
Hopefully if you try and talk to her about this some more she will come around.
-laura <3
2:40 am |
June 14 2011
| 4 notes
Anonymous asked: Hey! I am a rising senior in HS and when I go to college next fall I definitely want to rush, but my family isn't super rich and I don't feel like I'm pretty enough to be included, I know sororities are based off of sisterhood and making friendships, but after reading sites like greekrank and TFM/TSM, I'm not sure if I would fit in, should I still go for it?
Hi!
Okay, so first off I think I need to kill off some misconceptions about sororities, sorority life, and sorority girls. Sites like GreekRank are cruel and mean sites started and supported by a select few in a large group. I had never even heard of it up until a few months ago, seeing that it doesn’t have anything to do with Greek Life on my campus. And the second I signed on I was disgusted. Greek Life is NOT about ranking each other and putting other people and other organizations down. I don’t know one girl who actually likes and supports that site.
And as for TSF/TSM, for me they are more of an amusing sort of thing, and not something that I take seriously when I think of my sorority experience. When I read them I find humor in them and although I can relate some of them to my life, they in no way reflect my whole experience at all.
As for not being “pretty enough” or “rich enough” that’s, for lack of a better word, total BS. Whenever I looked at and considered a girl during recruitment I paid my attention to her personality and how I got along with her and how she would fit in. No girl wants to be stuck with someone who has a horrible personality and outlook on life as their sister, they want someone they can bond with, someone they would feel proud calling their sister.
In conclusion, I say go for it! You have so much to gain and nothing to lose by going through recruitment. Just be your normal, confident self, and talk to the sisters. Once you get to know them, and they get to know you, you can see if being in a sorority is what you want. Going Greek has been the best experience of my life and I’ve never looked back.
Hope this has helped! Feel free to ask anything else you might want to know!
xox Samantha
12:29 am |
June 10 2011
| 4 notes
Anonymous asked: Hi there!
I'm an incoming college freshman, and I plan on rushing this fall. I do realize that sororities are composed of strong sisterhood and dedication towards their philanthropy, but there's been one thing that's been making me worried throughout the year as college looms closer. I've never been the person to conform to the "party girl" type, and to be completely honest, I'm not comfortable going to parties or drinking with people I barely know. This may sound like a dumb question, but is it necessary for me to take part in those events if the sorority/brother fraternity hosts it, even when I'm not comfortable with it? Also, I've heard about date nights, but does our date have to be from a fraternity?
Thanks so much!
Hello!
So. I want to start out by making it very clear that it is important to chose a sisterhood that you fit in with. If you are not a party type you might not be happy trying to pretend you like that kind of stuff all the time. However, if it’s something you dabble in, any organization worth joining would never force you to go to a party if you don’t want to. If they forced you to do anything in which alcohol is involved or pressured you against your will- it’s considered hazing- and that is not okay.
You should talk to the girls at rush and voice your concerns. Not everyone in a sorority is completely alike. There is usually a good mix of women. Some who like to party and some who don’t. Just because you don’t like to doesn’t mean they will judge you for it.
I’m not so sure about date night. I can ask another moderator to elaborate for you.
hope this helped.
-Laura
2:36 am |
June 5 2011
| 4 notes
Anonymous asked: Loving your blog! :)
I'm planning on rushing next semester as a sophomore. I'd met the different sororities last semester, and there's one group of girls that really stuck out to me. My only concern is that I only met a few of the sisters, and I know other girls rushing next fall who know and are friends with most of them. I feel a little intimidated by that, but should I be or am I just being too worried about this putting me at a disadvantage?
It’s great that you already have a feel for the sorority you like. My best advice to girls is to chose a sisterhood that you feel you can be yourself with. I wouldn’t be so nervous. It shows that you are serious about it if you took your time to think and are coming back. Just be yourself! Try not to worry about the other girls. Worrying will only take away your ability to be the best you that you can be.
Also- a lot of thinking can go into the selection process. Just because you know a girl as a friend doesn’t necessarily make her the best possible candidate for a bid. Many factors such as GPA and campus involvement can be considered. It all depends on the organization.
I hope this helped you. =] If you need any more advice another moderator can give you her opinion. Just submit another question.
-Laura
2:28 am |
June 5 2011
andreasanders asked: For some reason I did not see the reply you (or one of the other admins) left on my post about my recruitment nerves. It really brightened my day to read that and I will definitelyyyy have to keep that in mind when the keep comes in August. I can't wait to join a sorority and to find out which one I will actually get to be a part of! I love this blog! Thank you so much again :)
I can’t be positive but that might have been me, I tend to write my own random replys to posts I see. lol I’m glad that we helped! Just remember that all the sisters you meet went through the same exact thing and were once in your shoes! Good luck with recruitment, I know you’ll end up in the right house for you. If you have any more questions/concerns feel free to ask! :)
xox Samantha
7:53 pm |
June 1 2011
| 1 note
Anonymous asked: How do you feel about girls disaffiliating from their sorority? I am currently contemplating this decision, I love my letters and what they stand for but I have for some time now been 'over it'. thoughts?
Okay, so first of all I’m not going to lie, when I saw this question I sat here for a good five minutes, signed off, and then contemplated emailing one of the other admins to see if they would like to answer this. But after thinking about it on and off for a few hours I’m really going to try my best to answer.
Personally, I could never do it. I too, love my letters and sorority. I’m also equally in love with my big, little, g-little, and the rest of my fam and I could never imagine not being a part of them, and the rest of the sisterhood.
Disaffiliating is not something that can be done on a whim, and I really urge you to consider this seriously for a very long time before making a decision. I can’t really get into all the details on here, but I had one of my sisters come to me and say she considered disaffiliating. And I personally thought it was for all the wrong reasons. Sororities do open up more social opportunities but they don’t automatically mean you’ll have a swarm of new “bffs” with you every moment of everyday, like every other friendship you have had or will have it takes work from both parties. And that is what this girl had expected, to have all of her sisters constantly texting her with plans without her having to make any effort whatsoever.
But back to what you said, about being “over it.” I’m going to be honest here, I will never be over my sorority, and being Kappa. But I did sometimes have my doubts. Sometimes unneeded drama or stress can lead to a girl not wanting to be anywhere near her sisters for a period of time, because of something that happened at chapter or an event. If this is the case, or even a small part of it, I urge you to take the summer to relax and unwind. That way you can go into the new semester with a new perspective on everything. What girls have to remember is that you need to separate the business (chapter meetings, rules, etc.) from the sisterhood, even if that might be a hard thing to do sometimes.
Also, I am a firm believer in needing more than one semester to make a decision on something as important as this. Sometimes one crappy semester can mess up your whole view on things, and the following semester can be amazing! And also think about how much time you have left as an active, I know this may sound crazy but becoming an alum this semester made me cherish all my moments as an active even more, and although I couldn’t participate in alum weekend and formal this semester, I can’t wait until next year when I’ll have the time! Being separated from my sisters makes me cherish the moments with them even more.
When it comes down to it, it is your choice. But don’t take it lightly. And look at the parts of the sorority that you claim to be ‘over’ maybe there is something you can be more a part of this year that will reignite the love you used to have for your sisterhood. And if something within your org is bothering you and you think it needs to change talk to your sisters! They might surprise you and agree wholeheartedly, and help fix what you think has been missing.
I hope this helps and all makes sense to you! Sometimes I tend to get lost in my thoughts and ramble, and it really doesn’t flow as well as I’d like. I hope everything works out for you. :)
xox Samantha
3:14 am |
May 29 2011
| 21 notes
meganrantsaboutcolllllleegeee-d asked: I'm rushing in the fall and so so so so excited! Do you have any advice for me? Questions I should probably ask? Topics to avoid? How to know which chapter is right for me?
Thanks so much :)
Hi Megan!
So rushing, one of the most exciting and terrifying experiences you can go through. Exciting because you’re about to start a completely new chapter of your life. And terrifying because you’re constantly worried about if you’ll find the right fit for you, if the sisters will like you, etc. etc.
As far as advice goes, this might sound cliche but, be yourself. If you’re not yourself during rush you might end up joining the wrong sorority. Just remember not to stress. Topics to avoid? Don’t be that girl that constantly asks about parties and only social aspects. It’s Greek Life, it’s a given there will be social events. If you just inquire about the social aspects you might give off the impression that you only want to join a sorority for the parties. And that isn’t the a good reason.
I personally loved it when girls would ask me my favorite part of being Kappa, about philanthropies we did, and about the sisterhood. The events that we as sisters, did together.
And don’t worry about finding your place, I know this sounds silly, but you will know. It’s like when you meet someone for the first time, and you think ‘this person could be my best friend.’ I knew the second I walked into the first informational and met my now sisters, that that was the sorority for me.
I know that these are pretty broad answers, but if you have any more specific questions about the rush process please let us know we would love to answer! Just let us know if your school does a “formal rush” or not, because my school doesn’t but one of the other admins on here might be able to answer you better! :)
Hope this helped!
xox Samantha
5:28 pm |
May 23 2011
| 3 notes
summerfirefly-deactivated201111 asked: Hey! (: I talked to my best friends who go to the same college I'm going to in the fall, and they said they'd love to help me either make one of the sororities active again on campus or start a new one! ♥ We wouldn't have even thought about it if it weren't for how helpful you were, so thanks again! (:
Yay that’s so exciting! You’re already ahead of the game. :) I would suggest trying to get together about a dozen girls who would be interested, especially if you try to start a Chapter of a National Sorority, since they usually have a requirement for a minimal amount of girls interested.
I’m so happy I was able to help! ♥ I definitely will want to hear about all of your progress. So excited for you girls!
xox
3:32 pm |
May 1 2011
beholderofauthenticity-deactiva asked: Thank you for your answer =) You did answer a part of my question but the other half is, how do I go about pledging for a sorority that does not reside on my campus. I know there is something called co-pledging, which my cousin did. She is now the only soror from Delta Sigma Theta on her college campus but I want to know how would I go about doing that. I want to pledge Delta Sigma Theta as well, most likely in my Sophmore year.
Unfortunately, I’ve never heard of co-pledging so I really have no idea how that works. But I did look on the Delta Sigma Theta National Website and underneath the FAQ page they said that you can not pledge the sorority if the University does not have a chapter. The only advice I have is either contact Nationals directly, or talk to your cousin about it, see what exactly she did, and go from there.
Sorry I can’t help more!
xox
3:07 pm |
April 29 2011
kungfucarrie asked: In regards to the ask you received about pledging at Hofstra: I could be mistaken, but it sounded as if the person was referring to NPHC organizations, which often have very different requirements and intake processes than NPC (and similar) organizations.
If so, I'd encourage the person to research any of the groups she is interested in and seek out any members in the area for additional advice.
Thank you so much!
xox
9:07 pm |
April 28 2011
beholderofauthenticity-deactiva asked: Hey! Well my question is in the fall, I will be a student of Hofstra University. I have know since forever that I wanted to pledge. At first I wanted to be a Zeta, naturally because I have a Zeta Aunt and I was an Archonette but the past year and a half I have fell deeply in love with the lovely ladies of Red and Cream, the Deltas. So my question is: the Deltas do not reside on my campus sadly but I wanted to pledge, of course I could not first semester maybe even my first year but how can I go about pledging?
First off, I just have to say “Ohmygosh I grew up like 15 minutes away from Hofstra!”
Now to answer your question… have you looked here? Its’ a list of all the Greek Organizations on Hofstra’s campus. Although I personally don’t know specifics about the organizations you are talking about, this page should help you out. At Hofstra, like many other colleges and universities, you can not pledge your first semester. But I’m sure you can rush. Rushing [or recruitment] is when you go to events hosted by a sorority or fraternity to learn more about them and what they stand for and what they do. Pledging is the process of becoming a member of that organization.
Now, as to which org. you should join, that is a very personal decision only you can make so I suggest looking at all the sororities that are on campus. They each have links to a page that shows you they’re basic info, and sometimes a link to their website.
I hope this helps a little bit! Let me know if I didn’t answer a question well enough or maybe give me the full names of the organizations you’re talking about [sorry there are so many, I don’t know them all], and I can help a little more?
xox
8:51 pm |
April 28 2011
summerfirefly-deactivated201111 asked: I told my mom how much you've helped me, and how I've actually been researching the ones that are supposed to be on campus. She seemed really impressed, even though she was trying not to show it. xD Thank you! ♥
I found another page somewhere, I don't remember how, but there's supposed to be two sororities on campus that are still active. I guess I'll have to see this fall. :)
Yay! Thats’ awesome, as long as you show her that you don’t just want to be in it for the parties and just social aspects, but for things like sisterhood and philanthropy I’m sure she’ll definitely keep warming up to it! :)
And I’m sure that you will find the sorority for you! Just keep looking, and if there’s a place where you can email them, go for it! Ask them for information about their org. and when Rush will begin. I know I love it when I get emails from prospective girls!
xox
2:36 pm |
April 27 2011
