When you Google “sorority”, you get roughly 4,384,939 results. That’s understandable. People both inside and outside of Greek Life are fascinated by the subculture that is sorority life – referred by us insiders as “srat life.” For good or for bad, there is a ton of coverage on what it means to be Greek. Whether it’s tips for recruitment or personal narratives and explanations on the various functions of Greek college culture, you’re bound to get article after article detailing the inner workings of sororities.
But then again, there are some secrets that rarely pop up when discussing Greek Life. Even TSM can’t cover everything, am I right? Without further ado, here are some “sorority secrets” from someone in the know:
1. Recruitment is stressful on our side. When I went through recruitment, I was insanely nervous. I had heard horror stories of hazing all of my life and I was terrified that I would be forced to eat something terrible just to get in. To my happy surprise, the whole process was easy and enjoyable! What I didn’t realize was that the girls on the other side were just as equally stressed. They had the job of convincing us, the potential new members, to want to join their house. We had to like them just as much as they had to like us. If that’s not stressful, I don’t know what is.
2. Chapter is boring. Initially, I thought that I would love everything about Greek Life. As it turned out, I was painfully wrong. While I adore spending time with my sisters at any given opportunity, there’s something truly tedious about shuffling all 200 girls into a room every Monday night like clockwork. You can try and spin it any way you’d like (and the officers do try to make it as painless as possible), but chapter is boring. Granted, it’s important and it’s how we keep everyone informed, but that doesn’t make it any less of a pain.
3. Date parties are more fun with a friend. Remember prom? More specifically, remember how everyone hyped prom up to be that special night with the boy of your dreams, only for it to be “meh” at best? Yeah, that’s what date parties are like. Whether it’s your own or someone else’s, it’s just generally more fun if you go with a friend as opposed to a semi stranger or, god forbid, a love interest. It’s less pressure and you’re guaranteed a blast.
4. You don’t like everyone. Sisterhood is important. Arguably, it’s the most important part of being a sorority. But realistically, you can’t love everyone. There’s at least one girl that you just don’t click with for whatever reason. That being said, it’s vital that you learn how to handle that situation. You can still dislike someone and be respectful. Don’t start any drama by being outrageously catty towards them (no subtweets, no snide comments, no anything) and just move on with your separate lives.
5. Girls do walk around half-naked. It’s less Playboy mansion and definitely more, “My hair looks like a rat’s nest and IDGAF.” When you’re living with a household of girls, you stop caring about the little things like seeing unshaven legs and the unglamorous parts of being a girl. The plus? Someone always has an extra tampon.
6. No one cares about frat boys. The boys across the street are fascinating for approximately an hour before they just become a nuisance. I’m not afraid to say that frat boys are overhyped because at the end of the day, they’re just boys. Sure, you still have the occasional Frat groupies, but overall, they just become the group of men who wake you up at 2 AM with their shenanigans down the street.
7. We’re a bit of a cult. An art student at Syracuse University recently made a video that compared sororities to cults. While it definitely pissed off a ton of people, I thought it was hilarious. And accurate. We have chants, rituals, matching clothing, hand signs, etc. But we’re an organization – what did you expect? You can spend your entire life pissed off at the cult jokes, or you can just laugh along with them because, c’mon, they’re a little true. Don’t be so sensitive.
All in all, I’ve loved being in a sorority. I’ve found my home away from home in the Theta Omega chapter of Delta Delta Delta. Greek life has its ups and downs, but there’s so much to be discovered for yourself. Go Greek or go home, am I right?
Featured image via “Governor and Lt. Governor Greet the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority” by MDGovpics / CC BY 2.0
