Sorority Stigmas

There are so many negative stigmas around sororities and Greek life, but I am here to tell you that most of the negative connotations are just rumors and gossip.

Of course I went into college knowing a little bit about sororities from what I heard and seen from older girls I knew. When they came back on breaks and they were talking about college and Greek life they never talked about their own sorority, but rather they were talking about how bad all the other sororities were. I decided not to make any judgments about any sorority until I rushed (a blog post on recruitment to come) and joined a house. Through my experience with Greek life, I have found that many of these negative rumors are in fact not true.

Here are some of the most common thing being said...

- "That house is top house"

- "People who join sororities are rich”

- “They have to buy their friends"

And these are not specific to my campus, these things are being said at virtually every college across the US.

I am here to tell you that yes, these things are being said and no, you don’t have to participate in the rumors and no, most of the time they are not true.

There is no such thing as “top house,” sororities are apart of what is called a Panhellenic community, a community of women of all sororities working towards bettering themselves and the world. So don’t believe when people say “top house” or “bottom house” it's childish and unnecessary and overall, untrue.

And the part about being rich? Also false. I pay for my sorority dues on my own, unsupported by my parents and I am a broke college student. This may not true for many girls and that is 100% okay. Each family is different and their financial decisions aren’t anyone's business and what girls parents pay for or don’t, is doesn’t define who that girl is. Many sororities often offer scholarships as well because they want to do all they can to support girls who are willing to work toward the betterment of that chapter/sorority.

And in terms of buying friends, all I can say is I have made some amazing friends NOT in my sorority. Money doesn’t buy anything but material objects and friendship doesn’t fall into that category. I know many girls who do things outside of the sorority, for example I know people who play club volleyball, are on the dance team, and work off campus, all atmospheres where they make other friends.

I get it, I believed and heard all the rumors until I joined a house and learned for myself that many negative stigmas were false. No one ever knows another person's situation unless you walk in their shoes, so there is no room to judge people. Rumors and gossip will still occur but in order to be more kind and loving, just don’t participate.

I hope I have shed some light and keep in mind, this is from MY perspective and MY experience.

Stay classy ;)

M