What age did you begin thinking about The Greek Life?
 

I just turned 17 about 3 weeks ago... and been thinking about becoming a part of the Greek Life since freshman year in high school.
I'm interested to see when, approximately, all of you began the thought of Greek Life. :D

Fourth grade was when I was first exposed to fraternity life; sixth grade was when I internalized it and knew it was something I wanted to pursue.

My mom was in a local sorority, and my uncle in a national fraternity, so I had heard about Greek Life when I was very young. It was only when older high school friends were coming home and talking about joining fraternities that I thought about it seriously.

Yeah, I hear family plays a big part as far as being introduced to it at a young age. I had to find out about it myself. I had always been interested, probably since 7th or 8th grade. Realized freshman year it was one of my biggest goals in life.

Around the beginning of my (high school obviously) senior year, was sure I was "going Greek" after my freshman orientation.

My freshman year.

Probably sometime in High school, but I don't remember when.

I just remember thinking "when I go to college, I wanna join a sorority." But I didn't know anything about national or local or anything. My mom was (and still kinda is) pretty anti-Greek.

Senior year of high school :)

I remember in high school thinking that it would be nice to join a sorority. Then as an incoming freshman, I received the rush booklet, and decided it was not for me. However, a few weeks into my freshman year, I met a girl who was interested in starting a Latina sorority. That's when I decided to pursue it.

About a month before recruitment started, so 18.

Age 18 and three weeks prior to recruitment ... I had no clue!

18, when I was already at college

my mother made me go through recruitment. "There are very few things I have ever insisted you do. This is one of them."

I didn't seriously consider it until I was in the midst of it.

Ironic, considering I became chapter president and to this day am constantly busy with sorority things.

Hah ummm...sophomore year of college? :D

I'd say early to mid junior high.

My cousin was talking about how her best friend from high school went Greek, and I had no clue what she meant. I was a complete computer nerd from 4th to 8th grade, so I researched and found out what a sorority was and I haven't looked back since.

Hmm..when I watched 'Sorority Life' on MTV junior/senior yr of high school lol...

didnt rush until I was a Jr in college though :)

I thought about rushing when I was a freshman in college, but didn't actually go to any recruitment events until my junior year.

Well I actually pretty much didn't want anything to do with greek life until I came to college because my whole family is a family of pastors and pastor's wives [basically] and my whole family thought it was a whole culture of debauchery and wasted youth.
It wasn't until I came to college and my freshman year a friend of mine took me to a bunch of parties and 'Greek Week' and homecoming events and sat down and talked to me about my preconceived notions of greek life, and I figured "Hey, why the hell not at least give them a try?"

When I rushed, my parents dropped all funding they were giving me for college and still refuse to give me any money. Lo and behold, I'm doing just fine financially all on my own [with a little help from loans]... some people are just thick headed and refuse to open their minds. My dad has tryed to make me go to AA meetings and my mom sends out prayer requests to her friends for me (Mind you, this is a christian fraternity! The only fraternity with an appointed 'spiritual chair' as an officer.) pfff oh well.

The summer before I started my freshman year. My roommate was going through rush and asked me to go through with her.

Considered it and was about 75% sure at 19 and became 100% the next semester. :)

I'm glad to hear a lot of yall were last minute. It shows that Greek life isn't all about who you know. More so who you are.

I remember being very little (maybe kindergarten age) and my grandmother explaining to me about the group the letters on an piece of mail she received. She was invited to Initiation and Feast of Roses at the nearby Alpha Gam chapter and told me about her college friends and how she had friends from her college, and friends from other colleges to. I thought (and still do) that having friends all over was a wonderful idea, and I was sold right then and there. I always knew I would go to college and joining a sorority was part of that. I was involved in Girl Scouts and thought the whole concept of friends forever and everywhere you shared something special with was the only way to go.

Also the constant readings of Beatrix Potters' Squirrel Nutkin books at bedtime didn't hurt either. I feel very blessed to have ended up my grandmother's sister even though she wasn't alive to share it all with me.

^Very sweet story. :)

I was 1st introduced to it my senior year of high school, and wanted to learn more from there

Sophomore year on bid day. I told someone in my hall way, turned out she was in a sorority, and the rest is history.

Dare to dream

Like I've always said. If you can't dream, then whats reality.
I feel like greek life can be my fine line between the two:)

I'm just teasing you. Greek life is great and all, but I would hardly call it one of my biggest goals in life. To me that's overstating it a bit. Maybe that's just me though.

Kind of when I was 17. I was visiting a particular university for an applicant trip and there was a probate show.

I got the different sororities mixed up (LOL) and was excited about one, thinking that it was the other. That goes to show that things like stepping, colors, and calls aren't the most important and identifying marker to every nonmember and aspirant.

Anywho, I was exposed to Greek Life much earlier than that through BGLO family members and teachers in high school. I wasn't a "future XYZ" or even concerned about that stuff, so I didn't actually start thinking about this stuff until I was 17. But I didn't seriously start obsessing (:p) over Delta and thinking about this stuff until I matriculated at a university (age 18).

Side note and words of advice:
I was president of a community service organization in high school and did mentoring prior to becoming a member. I didn't do service in high school and undergrad to build my resume' for Delta or "get in good" with the members--although some of the service was with Deltas. So I am apprehensive about women who never did service until college and/or never began service until they realized that an aspirant with no service isn't a Godsend. I've had women who aren't in college say "oh...I guess I can do this kind of service so I can apply for Delta." I prompty tell them to do service for service sake. Be sincere and genuine about it. I firmly believe that most tshirt wearers were once aspirants who didn't do service for service sake.

16 I was working with a fraternity guy who told me all about Greek life. I didn't pledge my freshman year though. I waited until I was a sophomore.

I had to chuckle DSTCHAOS when you were talking about service. I don't think it was even an option for me growing up. I remember doing service projects very early. Between my mother, Girl Scouts and the church, it was just expected of me. Now I just expect it of myself.

My mother was in a local sorority in her small college, and I had two older cousins who were very active members of a national sorority. The cousins were significantly older, and they were talented, sophisticated, and very sweet to their youngest cousin. When we visited them once or twice a year, I loved to hear them talk about sorority activities and look at their beautiful pins, so greek life was always viewed in a very positive light when I was growing up because of them.

My campus did not have one of their chapters, unfortunately. To this day, I absolutely love their organization, symbols and spirit.

While I didn't obsess over it, I wanted to be in a national sorority from junior hi on.

Um, after my first recruitment party, the 2nd semester of my sophomore year. If you ask any of the girls in my chapter, they'll all tell you, "I never saw myself as a sorority girl until someone finally convinced me to go to a recruitment party"

When I was in high school and my older sister joined a sorority.

I was indocrinated from birth, lol. I honestly thought that anyone who wasn't in a fraternity or a sorority in college had tried to get a bid, but didn't make it.