They say you have to be in it to understand it, and luckily I have. I’m talking about Greek life, which 20 percent of student body is a part of. But is Greek life all it is cracked up to be? The stereotypical phenomenon is that Greek life consists of parties with sorority girls and frat guys who value “going out” over getting grades. 

But with the fraternity and sorority GPA being higher than the overall collegiate GPA, I believe some Greeks would beg to differ. My personal experience of being in Greek life for three years was an experience that had both its ups and downs. You have a built-in family, which is just what I needed after moving away from home. But as time continued on, I felt I was sucked into the endless drama, and I did not want it to control my life anymore. 

It is definitely all about surrounding yourself with good people within your chapter, since it is usually made up of 150 plus girls. It may work out better for a person than another, but there’s nothing wrong with giving it a shot. And if you don’t like it, there’s always a way out. 

The one thing that made my decision to become an inactive member in my sorority was the power control. There are elected leaders in each sorority who become obsessed with ruling over the other girls in the chapter. It became more of a tattle-tailing group rather than having each other’s backs as sisters.  

The city of Rohnert Park is aware, and also many Greek life members know that sororities and fraternities do not have the best reputation. There have been instances of disruption from parties in the neighborhoods, and a lack of respect from the Greek community. 

It could definitely be beneficial for the students involved in Greek life to show more courtesy to their fellow neighbors. Either by letting them know they will be throwing a party, rather than leaving trash on the streets for the neighbors to wake up to. 

One thing I can say about Greek life is that I was extremely involved in community service. It felt good to give back and have opportunities to help people. In college it is easy to get wrapped up in personal needs, but Greek life does make the time to reach out to the community. 

Fraternities are a whole different ball game than sororities. While I cannot speak on behalf of them, I have seen that their brotherhood is undeniable. It could be because men are somehow genetically altered to have each others backs more than woman are, but I rarely hear a brother speak badly about one another. 

We are supposed to be adults at this age, and I found myself right back in high school at moments during my time in a sorority. 

My hope is that everyone has a fulfilling experience during his or her time in Greek life. Luckily, I was able to make connections with people that I wouldn’t have if I decided not to join. While it did not ultimately work out for me, there are countless opportunities within Greek life. College is about taking risks and figuring yourself out as a person, so take all the chances you can get now, before asking yourself  “what if” in the future.