Costs and all that jazz.. how did you convince your parents?!
 

i was looking at sorority costs and it said it would be around $2000 for a new member @ FSU (that's including the badge, meals, new member fees, semester fees, but not including room).. so i was wondering how you convinced your parents to pay the approx. $2000 on top of room/board, tuition, books, etc..?

I got a job and paid for it myself.

laugh a lot
 

your room fee does not include board(food) if you live in a university owned dorm. you would eat your meals at the student union or at restaurants around town and pay accordingly. if you live in a privately owned dorm, you would eat most of your meals there.also factor in parking costs, if you will have a car.when you live at the sorority house, parking is no charge, although spaces are usually doled out thru some sort of lottery. no matter where you live you have to eat. on your own you may not take the time to seek out good tasting, nutritionally adequate meals, but if you join a sorority, you take part in their meal plan, eating your lunches and dinners there, and you are eating a balanced meal that tastes good.that can't always be said about the university or private dorm food. eating at the house gets you over there so that you meet more of the members and feel a part of the group, and is the best way to keep in touch with what is going on there. when you live in the house, you are not spending much more $$ than living elsewhere, and you are in some of the best facilities(and safest and most secure) that can be found at fsu.some of the sorority fees are one time fees-new member, badge, initiation. and usually the lump sum is amortized out over the semester, not due all at once.it is good of you to explore all the costs prior to recruitment, so that you have a ball-park figure to share with your parents, but remember that as you go thru recruitment you will be given exact costs for each chapter(the costs do vary). it won't be at the first set of parties, but later in the week.

No convincing. Mom was in a sorority and knew I wanted to join one as well. It was already an understood cost.

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But in all seriousness, most chapters here on our campus have some sort of payment plan worked out for sisters who can't afford it at the moment (Example: in my chapter, if you need to wait a week or two for a paycheck, you just slip the treasurer a note and you work that out. If you straight up just don't have the cash, you can work out a payment plan..$5 a week, 10 a week, whatever).

Ditto.

While it must be nice that some parents are able to pay for their son or daughter's greek expenses, many parents cannot or just do not. You'll be at least 18, at a place with plenty of jobs available, get a job and pay for it yourself.

I never even dreamed of asking my parents to pay.

Ask how much they pay for their membership in Masons/country club/professional groups etc. That usually works.

i'm not sure if this is the case at FSU, but at Iowa, for the most part, it's cheaper to be in a fraternity or sorority than it is to live in the dorms, so if this is the case at FSU, i'd point that out. the money that my parents and i ended up paying my first year, was definatly saved this year.

also, what i do, is i have to pay for all the chapter things, like t-shirts and dues, but my parents pay for my room and board. it also might help if you explain why you want to join a sorority.

I pay for all sorority expenses myself as well. I know that a lot of other girls in my chapter do as well... it makes the work seem worthwhile as I get wonderful memories in exchange!

I didn't convince my parents to pay. I paid my dues out of my own pocket. My dad is very anti-greek, so I knew better than to ask.

Like DZGirl pointed out, a lot of that $2000 is one-time fees, like initiation fees and the cost of your badge. Your dues (not counting room and board if you move into the sorority house) will be a lot lower in subsequent semesters. You can also work out a payment plan with the treasurer, so that you don't have to cough up $2000 all at once.

Like kd said, you're 18, there is no reason why you can't get a job and pay your own expenses. I know several people, including myself who did not get financial support from parents for anything.

What she said! if they pay, it's all good.

However, I look at paying dues like this: unless the parents SHOW YOU THE MONEY, always assume that you are going to pay for it yourself. If you know you want to rush, get a job and save the money for it

when I was in high school I was in show choir which was over $1000 a year... so when my sorority dues were only a couple hundred I simply pointed out to my father that he was actually saving money versus show choir and he came through after a couple choice comments about sororities...

My parents made it clear to me that if I wanted to join a sorority that I would be paying for it myself. However, if they knew then what they know now I think they would pay for it. Why? Because they saw what I got out of my membership (and continue to as an alum).

They saw the involvement I had in school, and the involvement I've had as an alum. The connections I've made have helped me get 2 jobs. The leadership experiences and the rush experience helped me interview and get that first job as well.

Keep in mind that many, many sorority women work and pay their own dues. It is definitely worth the cost if you are active and involved.

Keep us up to date on how you are doing!

My parents pay for all my sorority costs as long as I maintain above a 3.0 GPA. So far it's working out cuz I've got a 3.4. :D

If your parents won't pay though, I suggest working during the summer to save up some money to pay for dues. It's easier than working during the school year, when you might have to skip some sorority functions to work!

thanks for all your wonderful advice! i just want to point out that i have no problem working.. i've been working since i was 14 and have beaucoup d'argent saved up to buy a new car, however.. i just want to take a break from working and really focus on school and having fun in college. i currently work at the marriott and will be transfering down to another marriott hotel in tallahassee where i will be working one day a week (hopefully sunday night) just to have a little spending money. ;)

My mom's a friggin' immigrant. She didn't even know what a sorority was.

So I didn't convince her. I worked two part time jobs (three, at one point), went to school full time, and held office for a few semesters in my chapter.

If your parents are pro-Greek, you could also ask that things like your badge, Initiation fee, or new member fee be your Christmas/Hanukkan present for that year. Or, buy a little less car with that savings and keep some set aside for sorority expenses!

Payment plans are fabulous things, if your sorority does that. They can be a big help, even if you aren't strapped. You may have other expenses later on that you haven't thought of yet.....

My parents said I was on my own for sorority expenses, and it can be daunting at first. The trick is to pay on time, and not get behind. Budget what you have to pay each month and don't stry from that or you will find yourself in a heap of trouble....believe me, I had to find that out the hard way.

Good Luck to ya!!

I paid for all my expenses myself. I worked part-time on campus to supplement my income. The only thing my parents paid for was my badge as an initiation gift.

I joined KD many many moons ago. My parents paid all the expenses. They were going to pay for my dorm and meal plan when I let them know that I got a bid from KD and wanted to move into the house. Turned out they were saving about $75 a month paying for my room, board, dues and other expensed for the sorority over my living in the dorm.

Dad had been in a fraternity, but never talks about it. Mom was anti-greek until she met my sisters. Today, she goes to the largest philanthropy fundraising event our AA holds.

DaffyKD

I also pay for my dues myself - then again, they've never been anywhere NEAR $2000. I would encourage you to get a job and start saving now, and maybe strike some sort of deal with your parents, i.e. you work to raise half, and they chip in the other half. Hopefully, you will be made away of your schedule of fees for each subsequent semester early enough to earn the money and discuss the fees with your parents.

My parent's wanted me to have the option of not working while I was in college, so they made a deal with me that if I kept my scholarship (which required a 3.5 gpa and loads of community service) they would pay my way... The other part of the deal was though that I had to keep a budget. So when it came to sorority dues that was included in my budget. I had to give them a breakdown of where everything was going... Then anything in addition to the budget (money to go out, shopping, etc) came out of the money I made during the summer... The key factor for my parents was showing them where the money was going, not just telling them it would be a certain amount...

Overall though, my parents were very willing to pay for sorority dues, because they saw how happy it made me... It also probably did help that my mom, my sister and my aunt were all in sororities...

As nice as that would be, for many/most people that's just not realistic. And if you have a new car, don't forget those lovely insurance premiums that go with it :)

You really should look into setting up a budget for yourself. You're also going to have travel expenses between OH and FL (I believe you said you were in OH). Moving all your stuff there is not going to be cheap, and going that far, living at home for the summer probably wouldn't save you much money b/c you'd either have to move everything back with you or pay for storage, which can be pricey.

Once you know where you're going for sure, sit down with your parents and have them help you make a budget. Living on your own, you'll have expenses you never even thought of before :)

Talk to your parents about recruitment and sorority life before you register. Find out their level of committment.

They may offer to help you pay for it and/or help you budget it. Run the numbers. You may have to take a parttime job or work in the summers to pay for your dues.

While it may be nice to want to take your college years to have fun and focus wholy on school and sorority, that may not be a reality. Also remember that there are other campus organizations you may become involved with at a lesser cost, and that going through recruitment isn't a guarantee you will end up joining a sorority. Keep your options open and talk to mom and dad now about your goals while you are a student.

Hey LaughsALot -

My daughter is a freshman at FSU this year and a proud Sister of Delta Delta Delta. While she didn't have to convince me to pay for her sorority...I did have to convince myself a bit. I really wanted her to have the experience since I wasn't greek in college...but it does seem expensive when you first look at it. There's also a very wide range of fees between the sororities at FSU as well, from $900 - $2300 so it will really all depend on where you find a home.

Here's how I convinced myself -

My daughter lives in a dorm now that costs approx $2000 per semester and the average on-campus meal plan was around $1200 per semester...so room and board are $3200.

Her sorority fees were just under $1800 this semester but will be around $1500 next semester. TriDelt (as well as most if not all the FSU sororities I think) requires its members to eat at the house and these meals are included in her fees. So to me...because we didnt have to buy the school meal plan it saved me $1200 and her sorority only ended up "costing" me the difference...$600 this semester...next semester it will only be $300. She just loves their chef and is eating very well too!

On top of that, she plans to live in the house next year and rent will be approx $1000. Her meal plan will be a little more expensive because she'll be there for breakfast too but her total fees next year should be in the $2600 - $2800 range...making her room and board PLUS the sorority fees less than the $3200 we would be paying for her dorm and on-campus meal plan alone. So just tell your parents that you'll actually be saving them $$$ by being in a sorority;)

Honestly though, she is having such a great time and meeting so many people that the experience has really been priceless(to quote Visa) and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I didn't know I wanted to rush. I just did. It was the winter semester of my third year. I paid for the dues myself. But my chapter's fees were never that high.

thanks so much seminolemom!! i actually did a budget plan to compare the difference. without being in a sorority all my costs for both semesters would be approx. $10,971.00 and being in a sorority it will approx. be $9,933.00.. so i think if i show my parents this they'll definately agree to pay since i'll actually be saving them money (approx. $1,038.00)

You're welcome LAL!

Can't wait to read your rush thread in the fall...I got totally addicted to them when my daughter was going through rush(apparently still a little addicted since I keep checking in on GC every few weeks...even though I'm not greek!)

Good Luck with the parents....we can be a pain sometimes!:D

Wow rent to live in the house is only $1000?? That's so cheap! I'm living in my house next year and it's $6200 for the whole year, that's including my meals.
I thought that was what most sororities at my school cost to live in the house?

same here

Seriously.
As a wide eyed high school senior with a NPC member cousin, as soon as she said local sororities pay a lot less for dues, I jumped at the chance. Luckily it was a good fit as well.

But I also had money saved up from a summer job and worked a couple semesters as well.

Just don't assume Mom and Dad will pay for it all.

My parents were VERY pro-greek! So much so that my high school graduation present was "an upgrade on my sorority pin". As for dues, I worked all through school anyhow, so I was able to pay my dues at the beginning of the year. I usually paid for the incidentals, too.

We were actually surprised at how inexpensive rent was in the houses as well, especially considering how beautiful most of the houses are. I think the most expensive rent published is $1100 but we've found that the published expenses aren't completely accurate so there may be more expensive houses. Her fees for the year should end up being about $5600 for the year including everything...so that's not too much different than what you're paying I guess.

Laugh A Lot...Here's the link to the FSU sorority finances page...you've probably already seen it but it shows the wide range of fees between all the sororities.

http://www.greeklife.fsu.edu/index.a...c-finances.asp

Joining a fraternity was cheaper than living in the dorms and was a better location on campus with parking:) All I had to convince them was that my grades wouldn't suffer and that this was important to me. In the end, the membership fees were not bad at all after national dues were paid up.

If this isn't your situation, and your parents need convincing to give you the money, then show them the GPA and stats of your org. to explain the kind of (hopefully good) influence this experience will have on your life.

Option C: As suggested, if all else fails, get a job and raise the funds yourself...

- RUgreek

All this talk of cheaper sorority expenses and better parking, maybe I'm Greek at the wrong school! j/k :) The only sorority house at my school that provides parking for the girls is DG, lucky girls! As far as I know, most of the frats provide a parking lot for their in house guys though.