Danielle Iuspa
PHHS ‘16, University of Tennessee, Knoxville ‘20
Are you nervous about finding a group of friends? Did you grow up always wanting siblings? If you answered yes to either of these, you should consider joining Greek life at your university! These organizations provide so much more than just a party to go to on the weekend. You will get the opportunity to meet between 100-250 different men or women in your chapter who will offer support, encouragement and are feeling like they want to belong just like everyone else. You will find many friendly faces across campus, and always have someone to talk to, and oftentimes will have a brother or sister in your classes.
Now, you may have some questions about what it entails to join a sorority or fraternity. Every school is different but generally follows the same structure. You may not know if you want to go Greek immediately, and that is totally okay! I waited until my sophomore year at the University of Tennessee before I decided I wanted to rush.
The general format of joining Greek life generally is listed here:
Rush week, one week in August where you go to each sorority/fraternity house and meet members. There is also a spring rush that takes place at the beginning of the second semester that is typically less stressful than fall rush.
At my school we had 4 different rounds (Go Greek, Philanthropy, Sisterhood, and Preference)
Every sorority/fraternity has different requirements for their members. You are typically expected to attend weekly chapter meetings, semester philanthropy events, volunteer opportunities, maintain a certain GPA, and of course you have the option to attend date parties and mixers. You might be wondering what the finances look like to join an organization like this. The best way to find a rough estimate of your investment will be to go to your university’s Greek life page which typically will have the dues for each chapter.
As for my experience, growing up in Parsippany and attending a school in Tennessee, I was very unsure of what to expect when I thought about joining a sorority. I immediately thought of cliquey girls and all other stereotypes that Greek life has. But after going through rush and getting to meet different women in every chapter, I found my home with the women of Sigma Kappa.
If you decide you want to try joining a sorority or fraternity, it is cliche, but you will be told to trust the process. You will end up in the place you belong with men or women who want to see you succeed.
I wish you the best of luck, and hope if you join one of these organizations that you meet people who care about you, encourage you and see how amazing people from Parsippany are.