Are sororities high value?

JulyParade · 2022-02-15T21:48:58+00:00

I enjoyed my sorority even though they fined me for not attending frat parties. I liked being around other women and getting perspectives I wasn't getting from my family and friend groups. Also, sororities are good for learning skills such as fundraising (all sororities have a charity they support) and leadership. I still network with the alumni network occasionally. I felt very supported.

There are plenty of alternatives to sorority life and your friend could join other clubs to get a less intense experience. Sorority life is very cult-ish! We had secret rituals, wore the same clothes, followed a set of rules regarding our appearance... (Can't drink in your letters! I still get peeved when I see college women flashing their letters in the bar.) In many ways the sorority is trying to refine young women and in other ways it is oppressing them.

I recently looked up the local chapter to see if there were volunteer opportunities. Turns out we have a low rating because frat boys find us "unfriendly". (Good job girls! Tell those date rapists to suck it!) This is from a school that had to expel a couple of frats for hazing. Seems like the local Panhellenic Council is dropping the ball but at the end of the day the Greek system is still a part of the larger university. If your Greeks have a problem you might want to re-think that college altogether.

CountingDownTheDays5 · 2022-02-16T02:48:19+00:00

Depending on the soro remember most sororities exclude POC and that's why black women had to create their own. I think anything built upon exclusion and racism can't be HV. And since many still practice the same ideals (allowing 1-2 POC to meet a quo), I still believe most are. But the black one slowly has lost its way as well. Excluding people based on looks and associations. My great aunt was a part of the divine 9 and always shakes her head when I tell her how some of the women are. She in the '50-'60s, and she is not impressed now.

I do suggest people look up the history of black sororities and how they differ from white ones. Start by looking up the history of the divine 9, AKA was founded in 1908

queen_azulaa · 2022-02-15T21:45:51+00:00

This is from my personal experience with one particular college but being a people pleaser is the worst thing you can be in a sorority. Youll have the know-it-all Im better at everything types who are willing to sabotage and play dirty to prove their point. Ex: late night mandatory "celebration" before a big exam. And the pickme culture is strong bcs *** is dating *** ect ect, Im friends these group of men ect ect. Anything that says I'm worth of a mans attention is a status symbol that youre desirable. Youre "that girl" . All in a while the frat fboy friendgroup is just passing her around.

Ofc its a great source of networking esp if your future career is based on that but clubs offer the same socialization without the heirarchy and what not. Im all for women banding together but not at the cost of other women.

katiekat0214 · 2022-02-15T23:58:36+00:00

Back in college years, I thought for about five minutes in joining one, and realized it wasn't for me on many different fronts. They want a uniform look, and I did not at all fit the slim, pretty, bow-head, extrovert, preppy-dressed, outgoing "type". I was leery of other frat boys, anyway, and even more leery as a fat girl who had never fit in anyway, being gifted and unwilling and unable to hide my brain.

I don't think sororities provide nearly the leg up in life that frats do. It's sisterhood for sale, in the years you're at college, but afterward, mayyyybbbe for women who go into business? I saw it back in the 80s as just a social thing for people who were super social, who fit a type, and who needed to be around people constantly. Absolutely none of that appealed. I was glad to be a GDI (g-damn independent).

idiosyncraticg1 · 2022-02-16T00:43:15+00:00

It really depends on the sorority and the university itself. If it has a good HQ, doesn’t haze, doesn’t force you to go to frat parties, and most important holds the frats they engage with to a high standard then it could potentially be high value. Otherwise a big hard NO.

Join a college club. You’ll be better off. There’s even women’s organizations in colleges nowadays - women in science club, women in engineering club, women in business club etc.

cheezbrod · 2022-02-15T21:39:12+00:00

A lot of this depends on the school, the sorority, and the perception of Greek life on that particular campus.

Depending on how things have (or haven’t changed), it’s not usually a place to learn or uphold FDS values. You will be put into a lot of social situations that you can’t always avoid, will be outcast if you don’t participate, or simply just won’t fit in. There is constant encouragement to hang out with frats both formally and informally - and there is also an unspoken hierarchy of frats and sororities. Depending on where your friend’s sorority falls, this could be good for her or really, really bad.

All in all. It’s just going to depend - can you give more context to this particular sorority and how the school views Greek life?

Source: was/am a member of a sorority

hopeful_flounder93 · 2022-02-15T22:03:06+00:00

I'm sure there might be a few HVW sprinkled throughout, but overall no, sorry, I don't think they're high value (from what I've seen, anyway). Some other commenters in this thread have mentioned a few good reasons, but the "forced" (or at least heavily encouraged) involvement with fraternities might be the biggest reason for me. I knew a few guys that had joined my undergrad uni's frat and, quite frankly, they were exactly the types you'd expect would have to pay for friends. Terrible attitudes about women, misogyny, racism, general cluelessness/toxic personalities, you name it. I was pondering exactly this whole thing a few months ago, just to get an email from my old uni saying they were no longer affiliated with or endorsing Greek life on campus due to repeated assault cases... so, there you go.

However, and I feel very strongly about this, it's a wonderful thing to have a solid group of female friends, and I think that's something that should really be prioritised. I personally worked in a lab that focused on prenatal stress during my undergrad, and it ended up being absolutely full of beautiful, lovely women who just wanted to help babies. Absolute goldmine of friendships, and it shaped so much of who I am today (and was such a positive, healthy place to build my confidence as a young woman).

What sorts of things are you and your friend into? What other interests do you have? Maybe go from there 🥰

2022-02-15T23:53:31+00:00

It depends on the school and the sorority.

spicyspa · 2022-02-16T05:56:18+00:00

My mom was in a sorority in the 1950s. Based on her description, it gave women solid values and behaviors.

I don't think that it's been the same ever since.

KetoKittenAround · 2022-02-16T04:16:55+00:00

I am proud to have been in a sorority.

I was given a scholarship to be in mine cause I was poor at the time. So it isn’t “buying friends” (nobody said it but it comes up)

My sorority sisters have made my life amazing and there was so much love and support.

100% believe sororities are amazing!

chardiddy04 · 2022-02-16T05:13:04+00:00

It varies so much by school and chapter but I think sororities are incredibly high value. As with any large group of people there are going to be some bad eggs but overall I met the most incredible, intelligent, funny women and my friends for life. They had all different interests/majors and I never would have crossed paths with them at such a large university without my sorority. It was always such a relief to always know at least a couple people in my huge gen ed classes and the study resources were incredible. Sororities are a lot of time and money but I also never had to plan social events (big time suck in college) and it’s provided me with a national alumni network. The frats/parties were part of why I joined, but by the end of college 2 years ago they were so unimportant to me and such a small part of my sorority experience. I got lucky with a great chapter too - no hazing and really welcoming people. It’s hard because obviously some chapters do give all greek life a bad time so just make a judgment call based on your college and the chapters there. But I wouldn’t write it off because of old stereotypes from the 80s!

Title	Are sororities high value?
Author	True_Call
Upvotes	79
Comments	21
Date	February 15, 2022 9:11 PM UTC (4 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/FemaleDatingStrategy
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/FemaleDatingStrategy/comments/stdhhf/are_sororities_high_value/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/FemaleDatingStrategy/are-sororities-high-value.1102115 https://theredarchive.com/post/1102115

Comments