Greek life is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You go to college as a freshman not knowing anyone, you are in a completely new environment. The crazy thing is, so is every other freshman. You walk around campus seeing other students with letters on their chests from different fraternities and sororities, and it gets you saying to yourself, “What would it be like if I wore those letters on my chest?” You hear stories all the time about the negative perception that comes with being involved in Greek life. When in reality, no one really knows what it’s like being in Greek life until you are actually in it. Here are a few things to know before joining Greek life.
There is a financial aspect
Just like joining any club on campus, joining Greek life definitely has its fair share of financial responsibilities, one of which is dues. Chapter dues are payments every active member needs to make typically every semester in order to keep their chapter running. Alot of that goes into insurance, and nationals (Depending on the chapter). Another financial aspect (Which is the best obstacle), is lettered apparel. The letters are one of the biggest reasons why one typically join Greek life, from short and long sleeve t-shirts, to hoodies, to crewnecks, jackets, jerseys, sweatpants, bags, hats and much more, you can get all of those customized to represent your specific chapter. While they do indeed have a cost to it, we have a sale section here on somethinggreek.com that will help you negate those costs. Another major financial aspect are philanthropies, and campus events that help keep your chapter’s image on campus good.
The opportunity to build lasting connections
One thing that is never really mentioned by the ones outside of Greek life organizations are the connections and relationships you build with the other members of your chapter. Which in my opinion, triumph all the other aspects of being in Greek life. These connections will become best friends, bridesmaids, best men, co-workers, bosses, inspirations, you name it. Just think about all the great memories you had while in Greek life, like getting your first pair of letters from your big or giving your big a paddle. Think about the time you and your pledge class for your chapter pins. One day you are going to reflect on some of the best days you had in college, and almost all of them are going to be related to your time in Greek life.
