Sorority membership greatly enriches the college experience for the vast majority of women who join. Finding a place to belong on campus is just the start. Joining Greek life by choosing to join a sorority also opens the doors to other opportunities.
Lifelong Friendships
One of the main motivators for joining a sorority is friendship. On a large college campus, finding a group of friends can make a tremendous difference in feeling integrated into school life versus feeling like just another student number. A sorority provides a home away from home with a group of supportive women who will cheer you on and provide encouragement during low times. Most sorority women develop at least a few lifelong friendships that continue in spite of distance and time.
Leadership Development
Every woman who joins a sorority will undergo leadership development. It is a natural part of being in a sorority. While a few women will go on to hold highly visible chapter offices, every sister will lead in some area. Committee assignments, recruitment planning and execution, and representing the chapter on campus all provide opportunities to develop public speaking and presentation skills, motivational skills and organizational skills. With the guidance of alumnae, chapter members oversee the budget and running of the house itself, significant responsibilities rarely given to college students in other situations.
Community Service
Each national sorority has a philanthropy to which all chapters contribute in meaningful ways. Beyond this, Greeks tend to be very service oriented and also participate in other community activities that benefit others. There are multiple opportunities presented each year by both the individual chapters as well as the Greek system as a whole.
Networking
Sorority membership definitely provides networking opportunities both during college and beyond. Many leadership positions on campus are held by Greeks and so being Greek opens the door to meeting other leaders and finding avenues for networking. After college, most sororities encourage continued networking. Some have even set up special networking areas on their national website to encourage sisters to assist each other with job searches, relocation needs, etc. Every sorority also has a network of alumnae chapters throughout the country and abroad where sisters from diverse schools come together to enjoy their membership after their college days are over.
Social Activities
Formals, Greek Week, tailgating, mixers, Homecoming, Parents’ Weekend, fraternity parties… Greeks love their social events and joining a sorority certainly expands a woman’s social opportunities. Sororities are very creative in offering a variety of social event themes and outlets for fun. Some of these social events involve fraternities and some are only for sisters. In either case, a member has the opportunity to keep her social calendar as full as she desires!
Membership in a sorority definitely is a commitment. But most women who explore the idea of joining a sisterhood discover that the benefits far outweigh the sacrifices and are thankful for the opportunities in the longrun. Start by exploring sorority membership recruitment, getting acquainted with important sorority terms to know, researching the costs, and preparing for sorority recruitment conversations.
Sallie Schaaf Borrink - Sallie Borrink is a professional writer with extensive experience with business clients, the consumer market, and online destinations.
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