Should You Join A Fraternity While In College?

Fraternities and sororities are undoubtedly a part of college life. Many freshmen students entering college have already decided on what affiliation to join. Greek Life offers one of the most colorful and memorable times in your college life.

Interestingly, the number of freshman students interested in joining a fraternity or sorority is just around 18%. The rest are either undecided while more than 60% are not interested in participating in one.

For those who are looking forward to being a part of one, there are certain advantages to enjoy while being a part of so-called student organizations.

What Is Greek Life?

Fraternities and sororities, collectively known as Greek life, are undergraduate organizations associated with colleges and universities. Ideally, they provide academic support and help for young college students to  develop their social and leadership skills. Most fraternities are also chapters or members of national organizations; some are limited on campus.

So you might be asking, will joining in one be advantageous for you as a college student?

Here are some of the best reasons why joining a fraternity or sorority while in college is recommended.

Academic Support

Although the movies and television series featuring sororities and fraternities do not highlight this, joining one offers academic support to a student. These organizations offer a wide array of academic resources mainly  because some school chapters have GPA  requirements to uphold.

It is not all about social events and parties. Fraternities and sororities do have a strong emphasis on academic success.

Fun Social Life

One of the most awkward things you may experience during college is meeting new people. It  can be quite a challenge to build new friends during this new chapter in your life.  It can be a struggle to find a social circle to belong to.

However, by becoming a sorority or fraternity member, you can easily foster these tight-knit connections. This is one of the most well-known benefits of Greek life.

Additionally, being part of such organizations helps one develop their social and leadership skills. Chapter events, volunteer activities and parties, which are quite a number during the school year, would give you enough exposure to harness your confidence, and develop your personality.

Spending more time with people and members of the chapter gives you plenty of opportunity to grow.

A Chance To Help Others

Philanthropy is another significant experience that you’ll get exposed to a lot as a member of a sorority or fraternity. Volunteer work and hosting charity events is quite very common in such organizations.

Many college and university Greek organizations focus on social service helping fellow brothers and sisters in the organization or their surrounding communities. As much as you host parties, you need to be equipped with leading cause-oriented events like these. 

Helps You Gain Connections

One of the most integral parts of the experience of being a sorority or fraternity is networking. Such organizations offer a network of past members or alumni that can be beneficial for college student members seeking internships, recommendations and employment. Long-term benefits can be enjoyed from the networks that you gain through these organizations.

Around the globe, around four to five percent of the population belongs to a Greek-affiliated organization. Interestingly around 85% of Fortune 500 high ranking officials belongs to a Greek affiliation. In the Congress, around 76% are from fraternities and sororities. You can easily get  the best references after college and secure job interviews with your sisterhood and brotherhood connections.

Is It Really Worth It To Become A Greek Brother Or Sister?

The value and the experience that you will get out of being a pledge member is all up to you. There are some cons to being a member of such organizations. The time and commitment you will have to invest in the group can be quite demanding. The risk of exposure to alcohol and drugs is also quite high in such affiliations. The expenses involved in keeping up to the demands of being affiliated with a Greek organization can be quite costly too. The price of being a member is one of the largest budgets you need to allocate on your college budget. Membership fees start anywhere from $1000.

Just like any organization, there are pros and cons to being a member of one. If you see the pros outweighs the cons of being affiliated in such organizations, then joining a fraternity or sorority might just be an ideal option for you.