By Mare Crowley, student contributing writer
In high school, I wasn’t the type of person anyone would peg for a future sorority girl. I’m an introvert, and constantly worked my ass off to get perfect grades. After graduating, I decided that in college I was going to be everything I wasn’t in high school. I was going to have lots of friends, go to parties, flirt with boys, and just have a grand time. I was going to join a sorority. Here are the four benefits of joining a sorority or fraternity.
1. Instant friends
First benefit of joining a sorority is you’ll have instant friends. My actual sorority experience proved to be much more dynamic than my naive preconceptions about sorority life, derived from movies and stories from friends. On Bid Night, I made at least 100 new Facebook friends (in one night!), and was greeted at the house with cheers, smiles, and introductions, which was very exciting, in a dizzying, I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening sort of way. By the second week of school, I instantly had a home away from home (an actual Greek house) and a group of some 200 girls whom I could call my sisters. This reduced a lot of the anxiety I probably would have experienced had I not joined a sorority and this might the best benefits of joining a sorority or fraternity.
2. Social life
Second benefit of joining a sorority is having a social life. When I talked to my friends from back home, it was very clear that I had the most vibrant social life out of all of us, and I reveled in the excitement of sorority life. The older sisters in my house were so nice in taking new members under their wings and showing us what Greek life had to offer. We went out (to the Row, of course) at least three nights a week, often four. I learned about Wine Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday, and, of course, there were the weekends. We also had sisterhood events quite often, which included things like movie-watching nights, shopping trips, and food expeditions.
3. Always something fun to do
Third benefit of joining a sorority is you can always do something fun. I was having the time of my life. Between the tri-weekly dress-up parties, various sisterhood outings to LA, and tons of gifts, sorority life was everything I wanted from my college experience — and more. I didn’t have time to think about my ex-boyfriend or the cats I was missing back home because I was constantly looking forward to some invite or philanthropy event. My life was exciting, and anything but the monotonous work of high school. Big/Little Reveal Week (aka the one week of your life in which you are showered with gifts and elation) was probably the most fun week of my sorority experience. I went to the house every day and discovered a new “clue” that led me to a pile of joy containing my favorite snacks and other gifts. The whole house was buzzing with excitement — no one could wait for Reveal Night. It was the start of a wonderful friendship with my Big, whom I clicked with instantly through our shared interests (namely athletics, food, and cats).
4. Improve social skills
Fourth benefit of joining a sorority is you can improve your social skills. Greek life made my first semester of college even more exciting and busier than it would have been, and this camaraderie taught me a lot about balancing my life (school work, athletics, social life). This, combined with the numerous social skills I developed by meeting and working with so many people, has made my sorority semester an invaluable experience. Greek life offers lots of fun and enhances the typical college experience, and I’d highly encourage anyone who is interested in it to give it a try!
About the author
Mare Crowley is a freshman at the University of Southern California, studying English literature and narrative studies. She is a triathlete, which is a nice break from her over-thinking and perennial reading, and likes cats. Mare is excited to experience life and write about it!