Pros and Cons of Going Greek

Are you an entering college freshmen and do not know which groups you will join? Why not got go Greek and join a college fraternity or a sorority. Joining either one of these groups is not easy and requires a lot of time, patience, and hard work. As a fraternity brother I will outline the pros and cons of going Greek with an unbiased approach. I joined a fraternity my sophomore year so I have experienced what it is like to be without it during college. These following pros and cons will your decision if going Greek is a good idea for you or not.

Pros

1. You will make a lot of new friends

You are not buying friends by joining a fraternity or a sorority, but you build friendships through experiences. You may not be best friends with everyone in your organization, but you will have many new friends regardless.

2. Higher GPA

Part of achieving a high GPA in college is due to your mental health; having lots of close friends and people you can turn to for help in academics will greatly reduce stress. Fraternities and sororities want their members to be future leaders, therefore a high GPA is of utmost importance.

3. Safe Place to Party

I bet this was not one of the things you were thinking right? Many college students will venture off to parties where they do not know the most of the people in attendance; however when you are Greek you know everyone at such parties. At fraternity or sorority parties having that safety of your brothers or sisters watching your back is always reassuring.

4. Gain Leadership Potential

Fraternity and Sorority members have not lost their individuality at all; in fact there are many leadership positions for aspiring individuals. Becoming the fraternity or sorority president is a big responsibility and can look great on a résumé. All officer positions are positions of great influence in a Greek organization; officers have the ability to show their leadership qualities before entering the workforce.

Cons

1. Dating in the Greek system

Dating in the Greek system can be very awkward in the occurrence of a breakup. The person you ended the relationship you will likely see at Greek events and maybe even with someone else in your organization!

2. Pledging

Pledging can be a great process where you will make many new friends; however pledging is very time consuming. When I pledged I was on caffeine 90% of the time just to make sure I could handle all my activities and school work. This is not a negative experience for me but can be something to think about for anyone interested in Greek life.

3. Time

The amount of time devotion that goes into any Greek organization is very high. There are meetings every week, parties, community service, social networking, and many other activities that will take a majority of your time. Some people like being busy, others don't this is a personal choice.

4. Grades

I know that GPA was mentioned in the pros section as well, but this is an individual choice. Many people will let their grades suffer for their sororities or fraternities due to partying or various activities. Fallen grades are not the norm for fraternity brothers or sorority sisters but some people experience this.