The Top 13 Reasons to Join a Sorority
Heading off to college is one of the biggest events in your adult life. You'll be away from home in a brand-new place without knowing a lot of (or any) people. If you're looking for a way to make instant friends, network with girls with shared interests and get the most out of your college experience, you might consider joining a sorority.
If you find yourself asking,"What is a sorority and why do I want to join a sorority?", consider this answer: joining a sorority is a way to enhance your college experience and make your college life a lot more fun and fulfilling, even as a freshman. But we know what you're thinking: what are the reasons to join a sorority if it's all about partying and wearing matching outfits?
The stereotypes of sororities have some truth behind them because there are enjoyable parties and matching outfits (which are fun). But there's so much more to joining a top sorority, like making lifelong friends, participating in charity events and making your community a better place.
If you're on the fence about Greek life, check out these 13 reasons why you should join a sorority when you go to college.
- Long-Lasting Friendships
One of the first reasons to join a sorority is that you'll gain hundreds of sisters within your campus' chapter, other schools' chapters and alumni around the world. You instantly create a huge family on-campus and across the globe that you can rely on for networking, academic support and friendship. Talk about never being lonely again!
Going to college without a good support system or a group of friends is hard to deal with emotionally. While you will make friends in other ways, joining a sorority will connect you with a large group of girls that share common interests and values. When wondering why to join a sorority, becoming part of the sisterhood makes it easy to make friends and have support, even as a new kid on campus.
Most friendships you make in Greek life will last a lifetime. It's not uncommon to see people have a sister or even their Big as their maid of honor at their wedding. Joining a sorority is a unique experience, and participating in Greek life is a great way to create lifelong bonds with women who have interests and even academic pursuits that are similar to yours.
If you're without a strong friend group and asking yourself, "Should I join a sorority?", we hope this convinces you. But making friends isn't the only reason why you should consider joining a sorority. There are other benefits to becoming a part of a sisterhood as well!
- Connections on Campus
Not only will you make friends when you join a sorority, you'll also make connections. Sororities can have hundreds of girls in them - even in just one campus' chapter - so there's no way you're going to be best friends with everyone. If you're asking yourself,"So why should I join a sorority?", one good reason is to build connections on campus.
Whether you join a huge sorority, or a small, intimate chapter, all of those girls in the group are going to be involved in different things and organizations at your school, which will give you excellent connections to whatever you want to pursue.
Thinking about working in a research lab? Chances are one of your sisters works in one or knows someone who does.
Need a campus job? Ask your sisters where they work and if they can put in a good word for you.
Want to join a certain club? There's a good chance one of your sisters is in it, or at least knows someone who is.
These connections may be just what you need to get a step ahead in your college career, which could also benefit the rest of your life. Joining a sorority is a small step to take to set yourself up for potential future success. Learning to network within your sorority is a skill that you'll take with you into your professional career as well.
- Meet New and Diverse People
With so many girls in a sorority, you're bound to meet diverse people from a variety of different backgrounds that you might not meet otherwise. You'll meet people from different states and even different countries just by joining a sorority.
Moving from your hometown to a larger, and much different, college environment will throw you together with all sorts of people you probably wouldn't have met otherwise. Joining a sorority makes it easier to meet these new people who you might not have met without rushing or joining. You never know who you'll meet when you join a sorority.
- Networking
We've talked a lot about connections and meeting new people, and that doesn't stop after you leave campus. Sorority alumnae are great connections when you're looking for jobs, summer internships or opportunities after you graduate.
While the connection might not secure the job entirely, you'll already have common ground and similar values from being in the same fraternities and sororities, which potentially gives you something the other job candidates don't have.
Connecting with sisters and alumni is a great way to build a network of professional and personal connections for after you graduate. Greek connections could be a significant help during your post-college job search.
- Academic Help
A lot of people think that sorority girls have bad grades from all the partying and having fun. But that's just not true. On average, people in Greek life maintain a higher GPA than the general undergraduate population.
Not only do most chapters have a minimum GPA that you must maintain in order to be a part of the organization, but the sorority itself is also a great academic resource. Older sisters will have taken the classes you're in now, so they can be a great help.
Your sisters can also give you advice on taking tests, which classes to take, which professors to choose, what to major in and more. Your sorority can significantly help your academic life.
- Philanthropy
Each sorority dedicates themselves to multiple philanthropic and service projects in order to give back to the community and the world. This involves volunteering, organizing fundraising events, hosting service days and more.
If philanthropic work is part of who you are, joining a sorority will let you give back to both your campus community and the larger community around you. You can really help make an impact on a lot of people's lives through joining a sorority. It's also a great way to learn about service opportunities that you might not otherwise have known existed.
For example, chapters have raised thousands of dollars for cancer research with just one event. Over your three or four years in your chapter, you'll take part in a number of events that will give money to charities and people who need help.
- Leadership Opportunities
Many employers are looking for people who have leadership qualities, but many applicants are lacking this skill. You have the ability to develop them while also having fun by joining a sorority. Within your sorority, there are leadership roles that can give you excellent experience that you can take with you into your professional life after graduation. Who knows? You could be a sorority president or treasurer one day, and you can then take that experience with you into the future.
Sorority leadership roles give you experience in a leadership position and teach you about responsibility, communication, organization and more.
There are also roles for all types of leaders. If you like organizing, perhaps an event planning role would be best for you. If you're a good speaker and like socializing, perhaps you could help plan and run the recruitment process.
- Socials and Events
Let's not pretend that sororities don't provide access to fun social events, parties and opportunities to dress up. There's nothing wrong with wanting to socialize in college: that's one of the best parts!
Greek life organizations often have mixers with each other, which gives you a great opportunity to meet other people. Between mixers, dances, philanthropy events and fundraisers, you'll never be bored. College life was meant to be explored and enjoyed, and being a member of a sorority will help you achieve that goal.
- Support and Mentorship
When you join top sororities, you'll instantly get a large support system. Going to college can be overwhelming and filled with strangers. A sorority will narrow down your social circle and give you close, intimate support. This can make the adjustment to college life less harrowing and stressful.
You'll also get matched up with a "Big Sister," who will act like a mentor to you in your sorority. They're usually older and have more experience in college, which can help you when you need advice or someone to lean on.
- Worldwide Connections
People in your chapter are going to be from all over the world. Different states, countries and even continents will be represented within your sorority.
This will help you travel and experience brand new places. You'll almost always have a sister in a place you've been wanting to visit, which can give you a place to stay and/or a friendly face in a strange environment!
It's also a great excuse to take a summer road (or plane or train!) trip: visit all your sisters while seeing and experiencing new places all over the world! In a global economy, having connections throughout the world can only be beneficial.
- Better Housing Options
Why join a sorority? Well, many sororities have designated housing just for that chapter. Not only will you get to live with all of your closest friends and sisters, you'll also get some of the best housing available on campus.
Some sororities get huge houses that are essentially mansions. If you're really lucky, you'll get a house that comes with a chef as well. Trust us: this is way better than what you'll find in the dorms and some rentals throughout the town. You'll find out more about housing options during Rush Week and Bid Week.
- The Clothes
You've definitely seen T-shirts and hats with Greek letters proudly embroidered or stamped on them like a badge of honor. Joining a sorority will get you access to all these cool clothes so that you can proudly represent your sisterhood.
There's also the fact that you'll suddenly have hundreds of girls to share and trade clothes with. You won't have to worry about having nothing to wear to events or job interviews: your sisters can hook you up and let you borrow their cute dress or professional heels.
- A Home Away from Home
If none of these things have convinced you to join a sorority, consider this: you're going to be leaving home to be on your own for probably the first time in your life. You won't have your friends or family with you, and everything is going to seem new and probably overwhelming.
So why do people join sororities? Besides everything we mentioned, it gives you a new place to call home. You'll literally gain family members (sisters and Greek brothers) who turn into an instant support system. In many cases, you'll also get a new home in the form of sorority housing. Sorority members are called sisters, and that's more than just a title. Sorority sisters are like real family, supporting and encouraging one another during college and beyond.
When you're not at home, you'll have a new place and new people to call family. When thinking about why I want to join a sorority, this reason can't be beat.
Need Reasons to Join a Sorority? Those Were 13 Great Ones
The unfortunate stereotypes of Greek life that have been perpetuated in movies and TV shows don't do justice to the awesomeness that is joining a sorority. So, why do you want to join a sorority? You might have your own ideas too, but as we've discussed, some of the best reasons of why join a sorority are friends, family, academics, service and more.
Looking for more information on Greek life? Check out our blog!