Some of you might know or not know this, but I’m Peruvian. Maybe my grammar mistakes give me away, but I’m an international student. So, when I first started college, the whole greek life scenery was completely new to me. I honestly thought it was like what you see in the movies – drugs, sex & alcohol. I thought sorority girls were spoiled and frats were jerks… But, then I got to learn more about it and ended up singing up for sorority recruitment!
ps. if you want to read more about sorority recruitment – what to expect + my experience, click here!
As an international student, I was completely by myself and while I didn’t mind it that much & was excited about college, I also felt a bit homesick. I read tons of blogs + watched a thousand youtube videos about greek life and they all mentioned one thing – home away from home. Which is what inspired me the most to go through recruitment, among other reasons listed below!
Home away from home
Home is not a place but a feeling, and your sorority sisters give you the sense of belonging you need. They become more than just girls who happen to have joined the same organization as you! They become your best friends, your partners in crime, your sisters and your support system.
Sisterhood
Thing is, when you join a sorority, you join something more than just an organization, you are now part of a huge family of boss bitches! You automatically have sisters and it doesn’t really matter if you don’t get along with every single one of them, they’ll always be there to support you!
Even though I was an international student and didn’t have my family close to me, I always felt that I could always rely on my sisters, they always had my back – no matter what.
Also, it’s so nice to be walking around campus and see so many friendly faces. When you’re in a sorority – especially when you live in the house – you always have someone to hangout with!
Philanthropy
Another thing sororities are about is helping others. Each sorority has a different philanthropy. Mine was the girl’s scouts and PCAA (Prevent Child Abuse America). We would do a lot of events with the girls scouts, a lot of them related to building confidence and inspiring action, which was our slogan. We were also encouraged to do community service outside of greek life. And had to complete an amount of hours of community service a semester, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to attend socials and other fun events.
Doing community service and impacting lives along the way is something amazing. Not only to give back to the community, but also volunteering is something that looks good on a resume!
Personal Growth
Looking back to my 17-year old self, I realize of how much I’ve changed. When I first joined my sorority, I used to be really shy and mainly kept to myself. But, my sisters gave me the confidence I needed to be the person I am today – the person behind this blog!
During your time in a sorority, you’ll grow as an individual in a beautiful community and become the best version of yourself.
Networking
Another thing about sororities is networking! For example, in my sorority, we have events with Alumnae. We meet them and we can network with them. Some of them also become mentors to some girls. Also, being in a sorority boosts up with resume, why? Well, as a member, you’ll always be busy. You’ll have a lot of things going on during the semester so being in a sorority proves you have time management skills and also connections (…because of networking!).
Better grades
“Greek life is just about partying” – Unlike popular believe, we do care about school! Each chapter has an academic standard, that has to be met by each member each semester. Even while going through recruitment, you have to meet the GPA requirements to be able to join a chapter. Grades are taken very seriously and your sorority will always encourage you to do better.
