Should You Do Greek Life in College?

Social life can be hard to manage in college. You have to get used to the new setting, all your classes, and how to find time for making new friends. It can get quite stressful and confusing when you don’t know where to start, which leads a lot of people to sororities and fraternities. But should you do greek life in college?

While it’s not necessary, greek life can be great for many reasons. However, there may also be a few reasons you may not be interested in such an idea. Here are some reasons why you should do greek life in college and why you should also exercise caution.

Career Benefits of Doing Greek Life

While there are plenty of social reasons to associate with a fraternity or sorority, you could also experience potential career benefits. Studies show those who were members of greek life worked in internships where they felt they could apply what they had learned. Additionally, over half of those polled said they had found a job right after or two months after graduating, compared to 36% of students who did not participate in greek life.

Those greek-life members also said they felt more satisfied with their careers and experienced higher life satisfaction. They’re also more likely to promote attending their college over others. The groups funding these studies say these career success and increased happiness could be because the organizations helped them develop better people skills and support networks.

Some may also find it beneficial to be associated with a fraternity or sorority’s name. Establishing good connections can be one of the most important keys to finding a job, and greek life can give you that connection. Recruitment can help you prepare for interviews and find kinship with those interviewing you, which could help your career prospects.

Social Benefits of Greek Organizations

Naturally, there are a host of social benefits to joining greek life. You can establish bonds with your fellow pledges and other members through recruitment, pledging, and initiation. While these may be just casual friendships, they could also develop into relationships you will have for the rest of your life. Friendship is not a guarantee, but it can be a reason you should do greek life in college.

Even if you’re more of a loner, friends are important to maintaining stable mental health. They allow you to learn about yourself, learn boundaries, and set boundaries. But it’s also vital to have other people around because human connection is essential to the mind. Humans are social creatures, so having relationships with others can help your state of mind improve when you find others you enjoy being around. Greek life could allow you to find those people, even if you’re unsure about joining at first.

It can be tough to find friends in college. You may find it difficult to approach new people in class or can’t imagine how to balance everything on your plate. If those sound familiar, try attending a few sessions of a sorority or fraternity’s recruitment sessions to step out of your comfort zone. You may find a few people who can help you with your course load or be great people to grab dinner with.

Why should you do greek life in college? Because it can afford you plenty of opportunities for future jobs and friendships that could improve your mental and academic success.

Aspects of Greek Life to Watch Out For

As you’ve probably already heard, some parts of greek life can be dangerous. Parties can quickly become hazardous places if you’re not careful and the others around you don’t have good intentions. There are countless stories of hazing and assault people have experienced from members of sororities and fraternities.

You should be aware of these large warning signs before you affiliate with any organization. Try asking other people around campus or looking up online if there have been recent or former allegations or charges against the group in question. Doing so can save you from joining people looking to do harm.

However, there are different kinds of greek life than social organizations. Some are for honors, religion, or service. They have other focuses than the social groups — these are more interested in academics, common faiths, and helping the local community and larger charities. While they likely still have parties, they could be less likely to have the notorious reputations of other greek life groups. These can even be mixed-gender groups that still use the title fraternity or sorority but don’t follow the typical gender binary.

Reasons You Should Do Greek Life in College

So, should you do greek life in college? The decision is ultimately yours. You could be excited about the potential social and career opportunities these groups could give you, but you might want to exercise caution about certain aspects. Be sure to do your research and ensure the group you’re joining has similar goals.