“But I’m Not a Sorority Girl”: Dispelling the Stereotypes of Sorority Life

“But I’m not a sorority girl” is typically the first thing I hear whenever I talk to women about Greek Life. They think because they are not blonde, skinny, white, and rich they aren’t qualified to be in a sorority. Everyone automatically thinks you have to be Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde to get a bid.

Let’s look at a few stereotypical qualifications of being a sorority girl.

Number 1: Rich. Everyone pictures the rich girls with the Mercedes and designer clothes in a sorority. Here at Frostburg, no one cares how much money you have. That’s not something anyone asks about during recruitment or cares about ever. Yes, it costs money to be part of a Greek organization, this I true. But your sorority will work with you if you can’t afford it right away. They want you, for the person you are, not the money they can get out of you.

Number 2: Gorgeous. In the real world, people typically do not pick their friends purely because of their physical features. Neither do sororities. Sororities are looking for quality members who are going to live out their ideals and be their friends, not who has the prettiest hair or a perfect beach body.

Number 3: Party Girl. This is one of the worst stereotypes that most Greeks get. People just join for the parties. This is also not true. The majority of Greek activities has nothing to do with parties, and the ones that do are typically optional. In the Frostburg Greek community, people don’t pressure each other to drink or go out and if people chose to drink, you have your sisters to watch your back. But partying is not mandatory.

Number 4: White. Currently, our campus lacks any National Pan-Hellenic Council sororities – the nine historically African American, international Greek organizations – on our campus, for one reason or another. Many African-American or black women are nervous to join National Panhellenic Council sororities because they are predominately white. I can’t speak for sororities at other schools, but here at Frostburg, all three sororities are becoming more diverse every semester. Women of many different backgrounds are getting involved and helping to expand and improve our sororities. Being a woman of color should not hold you back from joining a sorority. Like stated before, we are looking for friends and women to live out our ideals, not for race or ethnicity.

There are many more stereotypes that go into the “typical sorority girl,” including dumb, easy, obsessed with Frat guys, and much more. However, none of these actually have anything to do with being in a sorority. I can tell you from personal experience, no one cares about any of these things. I’ve been a proud member of a sorority for two years now, and I am not what someone would call a “typical sorority girl.” My idea of a perfect Friday night is videogames and Netflix. No one in their right mind would call me a perfect model type, and I’ve had straight A’s for most of college. If these stereotypes were true, I would have never gotten a bid.

So let’s talk about what actually matters when joining a sorority. Qualifications for joining a sorority:

Number 1: Going to college. Yes, you must be enrolled at a university.

Number 2: Meet university requirements. Here at Frostburg a potential new member must have at least a 2.5 GPA and have earned at least 12 college credits to qualify, meaning you are at least a second semester freshman.

Number 3: Be willing to pay dues. I know I said sororities aren’t looking for your money, and they aren’t. But it is a necessary evil to pay for chapter operations. Each sorority has to pay for national dues, campus dues, and anything that the women want to do together. Unfortunately, it all costs money and each member has to help.

Number 4: Just wanting to be involved on campus. Sororities are very active, having events together almost every week, if not multiple times a week. They are looking for women who want to attend events, be with each other, and be dedicated to the organization.

And that’s it. After that, it’s up to you. Joining a sorority can be an amazing experience for anyone. It can help you become more outgoing, get leadership experience, do community service, and much more.  The next step is meeting the women of Alpha Sigma Alpha, Alpha Sigma Tau, and Delta Zeta and finding your home, not only for these four years, but for life.