Once I joined the sorority of the Rose, I was stoked to ask any college-aged person or parents thereof what they thought about Going Greek. I asked my older cousins about their time in college and had they considered it, along with mutuals’ younger siblings headed off to college. I learned very quickly that the majority of people aren’t too fond of the idea of Greek Life. It didn’t take me long to uncover why.

For starters, I am first generation sorority woman on both sides of my family.

My Mom’s opinion was paramount. To her, I have always been an eccentric person and this aspiration was another thing to make me unique. She was not familiar with the different divisions of Greek Life, but she supported my desire to join. In all honesty, she assumed it was another campus club organization (and for the most part…it was!)

My big brother on the other hand was a mixed bag of feelings. His only experience of Greek Life was through the eyes of his girlfriend (who’s now his wife!) His girlfriend had a desire to join a Divine Nine organization but was put off by the financial obligation it would take. At the time, she was in college studying law to reach a Master’s Degree, so prioritizing her funding was important. Other than step shows, he really didn’t have any context about the organizations. He just feared my money was being wasted.

Lastly, is that of the opinion of my (then) boyfriend..Mr. Right! There was no one more opinionated than he was when it came to this topic. In college, he was approached by a few organizations but he never had interest in being a sheep. He also pokes fun at one of his best friend who is in a fraternity. Overall, he is not on board with the idea. Nevertheless, he supported my dreams (even though, he made fun of me the entire time; until this very day!)

I think most people are put off by Greek Life simply because of all the bad press and media they get in regards to hazing, accidents, and even deaths. The internet does well by bringing out the absolute worst of people in an organization, while never discussing the good they’ve collectively done or positive impacts they’ve had. Truthfully, I do understand it. I just sympathize with those who didn’t have a good experience or didn’t pursue it because of fear. As I mentioned before, I think my experience was a relatively pleasant one, namely because of my college campus. It is not lost on me how lucky I am!