For joining a sorority: Madeline Rivera

I’ve never been a social butterfly. 

Ever since I was a little girl, I preferred to play alone during recess; I was scared to talk to other girls. This insecurity followed me into my teenage years, but I’ve been actively working toward healing my social anxiety.

However, the sheer thought of college — being alone for the first time in life in a brand new city with no friends — terrifies me as I begin my senior year. It’s the ultimate test for my shyness. As I started navigating the college application process this year, I became intrigued with Greek life at my prospective colleges and saw it as a potential outlet for me to make friends with similar interests easily. It felt like the perfect opportunity to finally completely come out of my shell.

Sororities offer the opportunity for girls on campus to create lifelong friendships and connections with each other in a time where uncertainty is their new normal. For example, during the recruitment process, most girls who are incoming freshmen are placed into groups with a recruitment counselor. This is one of the many helpful things Greek life has to offer when it comes to making friends outside of classes. Additionally, upperclassmen members of a girls’ house can offer their advice for college struggles and adult life in general. 

Knowing the right people from her sorority can give a girl incredible opportunities such as scholarships, grants and, most importantly, potential job connections. Networking is one of the biggest benefits of being a member of a sorority. Upon graduating college, finding a first job can be difficult with the lack of experience. However, there are alumni who work in various fields across the country and may offer potential shadowing opportunities that may help land the job.

Philanthropy and sisterhood are the key components of a sorority. Each sorority gives back to a certain cause, some examples being breast cancer awareness, reading readiness and the prevention of child abuse. Outside of a sorority, a person may not feel as inclined to volunteer locally for a variety of reasons, one potentially being a busy schedule. Sororities prioritize their philanthropy causes and require members to participate in charity events, fundraisers and on-site volunteering at facilities monthly. 

Girls in sororities often have reputations of being “toxic” and “catty.” However, the majority of chapters spread throughout the nation are home to girls who simply want to meet other like-minded girls. Most girls, including myself, are incredibly insecure and nervous about going to college. Through joining a sorority, girls can feel a bit more at ease as they enter adulthood together, sharing their struggles together through their sisterhood.

Against joining a sorority: Olivia Evans

With the widespread popularity of college sororities, many female applicants ponder the possibility of applying to such organizations. However, despite considering the idea myself, I have come to the realization that the majority of these houses have been built off capitalism and idealism, and only create a “sisterhood” of toxicity. 

I’ve always found the idea of giving loads of money to these sororities peculiar. The living situation is nearly a replica of day-to-day life in the dorm. The only difference is the obscure amount these girls have to pay, while also paying tuition. Depending on the university, the majority of these girls are drowning in cash, but for some, this financial burden is heavy — essentially these young women are unconsciously leading to larger issues between the capital and every-day laborers. 

The idea of paying for friends has always irked me. Giving thousands of dollars to these college sororities doesn’t guarantee you’ll meet individuals you want to befriend. Plus, if tensions arise between you and someone else in the house, you still have to share virtually everything with them. Fitting into the standard of perfection these houses portray can be challenging with rigorous academics, let alone adding drama to the situation. 

While not every sorority is built on unrealistic beauty standards, a lot of them have been founded on extremely unjust rules. Some of the guidelines are reasonable, such as not leaving potential new members with “gifts” (such as a tissue or water bottle) and keeping above a certain GPA, but a large portion of them are unfair. Wearing the wrong shoes has the chance to get you fined and potentially kicked from an organization you’ve already paid thousands to be in. 

Along with fitting the sororities’ ‘look,’ the majority of the girls participating are wealthy white women. Just from viewing some random ‘bamarush’ TikToks, it seems more than a third of these young women are white. Living in Texas has shown me how the diversity of backgrounds and cultures can open up a horizon of incredible opportunities within schools and communities. I cannot imagine being constantly surrounded with look-alikes walking around with daddy’s money.  

Some of the friendships of this ‘sisterhood’ are truly special, as it helps young women find those like them. There are sororities out there that help women find themselves and feel confident throughout college. They relieve the stress of adulthood and sometimes add back the ‘fun’ college can deplete. 

However, with the growing phenomenon of rushing on TikTok, I cannot help feeling as if this “sisterhood” is really just a cash-grab painted pink.