Sorority Life: not as seen on TV

In an attempt to slash all of the stereotypes about sororities as they exist on campus, I recently wondered to myself what assumptions incoming freshman may have already made about them. Well, if I was to judge by the oh-so-captivating MTV show, Sorority Life, I would guess they all had fancy houses, party girls, stupid rules and self-righteous members. Let me be the first to tell you, that other than being groups of girls that like to have a good time, the rest of those characteristics couldn't be more incorrect. However, the fancy houses would be nice ...

As an incoming freshman, I would have been the first to say that I would never ever join a sorority. I would laugh when my family and friends from home would ask about my intentions, and respond, "I'm not one of those girls." And then, somehow, I began to understand that Greek life at JHU was far from what I had come to know and understand from other college campuses.

I began to meet extraordinary and interesting women, who were involved all over campus in every activity from Student Council to the Pre-med Honors Society to the soccer team. I also began to notice how hard it was to meet other girls who I felt were like me. So, along with a small group of girls I lived with in the dorms, I signed up for recruitment in the spring.

We had no intention of joining any organization at the time, but had heard that rushing was a great way to meet other girls around campus who may have similar interests. So we went through the intimidating process together and not only found ourselves possessing the title of sorority girl, but so many more friends through the rush process.

The decision is a highly personal one, but often times a matter of comfort as the outcome often leads to heightening your college experience to such an amazing level. Don't get me wrong, joining a sorority is not for everyone, but for those who want to embrace what they have to offer, it can add so much to your life.

Being a part of an organization of such smart, talented and dedicated girls is incredibly inspiring in general, not to mention helpful as sisters become study partners and friends become like family. Having a network away from home of multifaceted young women to spend time with for a formal or date party, community service project, fund-raiser or even just sitting around studying or catching up while watching bad TV -- these are all benefits of being in a sorority.

The experience is what you make of it, much like college at Hopkins in general. You can be as involved as you want to be, with options for leadership positions within an organization, or even just use the strength of the group to pursue an interest such as a community service project.

The Greek scene for women is a small, but fast growing one. Within the Panhellenic council there exist four sororities, all of which participate in a formal recruitment program during the first week of second semester. These four sororities are Alpha Phi, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta and Phi Mu. Additionally, there is a historically Asian sorority, as well as a historically African American organization. These two hold their own programs for recruitment and are not affiliated with the formal campus-wide program of recruitment.

I'm sure over the next semester, you'll hear enough stereotypes on your own, so I won't waste space trying to recreate the ones I was told as a freshman. What I will say is don't be so quick to make judgments.

Attend some Panhellenic events in the fall, where you will meet some other freshman as well as a lot of older girls who are definitely worth getting to know. Free food and good company is never a bad combination. Even if you think that being a part of a Hopkins sorority may not be your thing, enjoy the numerous social events that are planned with you in mind. The social scene isn't exactly raging at Hopkins and you'll be glad to have a vast network of other girls to spend time with as your next four years progress.