Now I got to a uni up in Canada so what I'm saying most likely won't apply to your school, but at my university there are girls in chapters with strange[ish] hair colours...one of my sisters has pink streaks in her really dark brown hair and there are girls in my chapter(and others) with tattoos and peircings. But for the most part, even on our campus that has a small greek life, sorority members are rather on the conservative side of appearance (most of the tattoos are in places that can be hidden, and the coloured hair isn't too extreme)


The only advice I can give is to assess what sorority members are like at your school; conservative? more-laid back when it comes to trendy/funky hair/clothing? and then go from there, but never change who you are as a person. A hair colour shouldn't define you or your personality, you can still communicate your style without having abnormal hair....you could also try having really dark brown/black hair and getting the purple put in after recruitment, then it isn't changing your hair up too much if you do recieve a bid and wouldn't jeapordize your recruitment either.

"The weirder you are going to behave, the more normal you should look. It works in reverse, too. When I see a kid with three or four rings in his nose, I know there is absolutely nothing extraordinary about that person."
-P.J. O'Rourke

I wouldn't suggest dying your hair purple and black before rush.

Everyone will be focusing on your hair, and not what's under it, YOU!.

Let's face it, it's a conversation starter or stopper.

While going through rush, with your normal hair, you will have the opportunity to meet more women. Maybe on day one, you talk to 3 girls, and THEY don't like purple and black hair, so they say you are boring, mean, or whatever, and get you released for a bogus reason. The rest of the sorority couldn't care less about your hair color, and would find you a great, cool member. Sadly, they'll never know, because they didn't have the opportunity to meet you. You will be giving yourself more opportunity to meet more girls.

Get your foot in the door, meet as many members as you can, be yourself, by the end of recruitment, you'll know which house would love YOU, purple hair and all, and where you are "at home".

Also, you will be with a lot of PNMs, who can be catty and immature, and recruitment is stressful enough, without this additional hassle. If you join the house that's right for you, and you still want to color it, then color it. Sure, there will always be some who won't like it, but you'll be with other great women who love you for you.

I just don't want 1-3 members that you initially meet, to get you released because THEY don't like purple hair. Also, there are older women who are advisors that if they heard "the purple and black hair girl" would freak, and they could sway some members votes. It does happen.

I speak from experience as a PNM, active, and advisor, and I hope it helps. I like purple! Good Luck!

LOL, if you look like a different TYPE of person, well just do not even think about it as The Girls will go EEEWWWWW!

You are gone in the life of GreekDom.:D

We are Elite as Greeks, ask anyone on site!:)

If you will not fit in as a Pledge, You will not fit in as an Active!;)

If someone has Purple Hair in the Chapter, they may not be very active or productive? Just my take on the wierd folks?

Tom, please do not judge the productivity of people with whom you are not familiar. I'd really like to know why you think purple streaks=not active in a chapter. Spell it out for me.

We've heard from women who say it wouldn't be a problem at their school and/or chapter, and we've heard from women who say it would be a problem at their school and/or chapter. To really put it to rest, the OP asked about Syracuse, and we got feedback from Syracuse sorority members and others familiar with Syracuse.

I think that if you are highly likely to have unnatural hair colors while you are (hopefully) an active then you should (pardon the pun) show your true colors at rush. If they wouldn't give you a bid because of unnatural hair color then it seems as if it would hardly be acceptable as an active member.

All this being said of course based on your word that is will be professionally done i.e. not looking like crap.