Did you just graduate high school and are on your way to college in fall? Are you considering joining a greek organization your freshman year? If so, this article is for you. Here are 10 pieces of practical advice to ensure your initial greeklife experience goes smoothly.
Talk to upperclassmen who are greek and not greek.
Makes sense, right? Get the pros and cons from both sides of the aisle. Hopefully these conversations will help you determine a) if greeklife is right for you and b) what house(s) might be your best fit.
Stalk on social media.
One of the primary reasons sororities or fraternities are on social media is to attract new members by highlighting how awesome they are. Check out a chapter’s social events, philanthropy events, the clothes they wear, the tone/style of their posts, etc.
Save your money.
Unless your parents are agreeing to pay for you to join greeklife, set aside most of your summer lifeguarding money for dues. Beyond the $750-$1,500 in dues, you will be expected to pay for apparel, gifts, etc. It can add up.
Dump your SO attending a different school.
Yes, some of you aren’t going to listen to this advice and that’s fine. There is a small sliver of couples who will attend different schools who will somehow pull it off, but the odds are heavily stacked against you two. Greeklife is time consuming and will be full of opportunities for new romances/flings/hookups.
Make sure you don’t slack on your first semester grades.
Do not start your second semester of freshman year already digging yourself out of an academic hole. This is especially true if your campus does a their freshman recruitment in the spring semester. There is a minimum GPA in order to be allowed to rush. Keep in mind that pledging will be a gigantic time commitment.
BE NICE.
This might be the best advice you can follow throughout the entire process. Be nice to everyone at every house you visit during rush week. No one cares what social status you were in high school. Greeklife can be a tight-knit community. If you are rude while visiting one of the chapters those members could easily tell their friends in the other houses about you. Your goal in college should be to graduate with as many friends as possible.
Make friends with GDIs
While living in your dorm you will hopefully make friends who never intend to go greek. These friends will be valuable to you having a diversified social life in the years to come.
Prepare yourself for awkward situations and how to liven up the mood.
Do you think the members of each house want to have forced conversations with hundreds of strangers? Of course not. They can only ask the same questions so many times and eventually it will be enticing for them to just give up on a conversation and let silent awkwardness take over. When these awkward moments present themselves, be prepared to liven up the mood. This very skill could be the deciding factor that lands you your top pick.
If you don't get into your top pick it’s not the end of the world.
Although it might sound like BS when someone says “trust the process”, it is in most cases very good advice. If they would be willing to admit it, you can find many senior members who didn’t get their top pick but now realize that they would never change anything about where they landed. The truth is, many of the options are going to pretty much give you the same experience. Plus, your greek life experience and the strength of the relationships you make with your sisters or brothers is ultimately going to be determined by how much positivity and effort you put into making them great.
Don’t go greek if you aren’t sure it is right for you.
Okay, so not everyone is always 100% sure any decision is completely right for them…but try to get to at least over 50% sure. If you are less than 50% convinced that you want to join greeklife, it might just be wise to sit this recruitment round out and see how you feel when the next round comes around.
