Is Greek Life Worth It?

As we enter into college, the big debate is whether or not to join greek life. Being a part of a fraternity or a sorority has become a major staple at colleges across the country. Greek life has ended up being the pride and joy of millions of college kids. Finding friends at college might be the scariest thing to do, which is sometimes the reason why kids decide to go greek. But is it really worth all the money and time that is required? Let's take a closer look.

Personally, I was never really interested in joining greek life before I began college. It just seemed like a huge time commitment that I wouldn't have due to my double major and the other extra-curricular activities I wanted to be involved in. Of course, typical Patrick decided to overload the amount of groups he was involved in and decided to join a fraternity during the first semester of his freshman year. In the beginning I was quite excited about it because all of my friends were joining greek life and it felt like the "right" thing to do. I ended up joining Sigma Phi Epsilon after receiving bids from them and Phi Gamma Delta. It seems like a blur from the time pledging began. There were many late nights where I ended up having to stay up so I could finish my homework. Along with some other problems that came along, I soon realized that greek life was not for me. But how in the heck do I just get up and quit the fraternity?! I felt like I was going to be banished away from my "brothers" if I quit but I knew I wasn't happy so I had to do something. Timing was everything.

While the fraternity was on a suspension from the school, I had time to think about my status in the group. I finally decided to withdraw from the fraternity so that I could save money and have more time for my studies. This ended up being one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I was finally happy again, now that I had my own time to spare. Yes, I felt bad about leaving behind my "brothers" but I had to put myself first and think about what I needed. There might be some awkward tension nowadays when I pass a "SigEp" guy but it honestly doesn't bother me. I don't feel the need to explain my reasonings because they are valid to me and that's all that matters.

So to answer the question, "Is Greek Life Worth It?"... It is different for each and every person. Greek life is not for everyone so it is really just trial and error. I have plenty of friends who are a part of greek like and love it to bits and pieces! And of course greek life looks excellent on resumes when you're applying for jobs. Truthfully, the decision is completely up to you but I encourage everyone to at least give it a try like I did. Even if you're not sure about joining a fraternity or sorority, go ahead and meet with some of the members and see what it is all about. You can even bring a friend with you!

Good luck my high societal souls... I hope you find out if greek life works out for you or not. Put yourself out there and always reach for the stars!

Word of the Day: Comity
Definition: Mutual courtesy; civility.

All the best