Joining a sorority as a grad student
 

Hi all, apologies if I've posted this in the wrong place. I'm a British student who will be beginning graduate studies in the US in the fall. I was unable to join a sorority as an undergraduate in the UK as they don't exist at British universities. How common is it to join a sorority as a grad student? I've already contacted the Greek life contact at my new college and have been told different sororities have different rules when it comes to grad students. An American friend of mine also suggested that alumnae initiation may also be an option for me. Any advice that anyone can offer me would be gratefully received. Many thanks, Pip

That depends on the council and conference.

Have you used Internet search engines to read the websites for the fraternities and sororities in the USA?

I've done a bit of research online and have looked at the websites of the chapters at my school. None give a definitive answer regarding grad students but it has given me some insight into each chapter. Is there a hard and fast rule or is it very much dependant on individual schools, chapters, etc?

If you are speaking of NPC sororities, the answer to your question is that it can be both a hard and fast rule, depending on the sorority, and it can also vary based on chapter and campus culture. In other words, even if it is allowed by the GLO as a whole, the chapter does not have to take a grad student. For other GLOs, they mauls not be allowed to pledge a grad student, even if campus/chapter culture allowed for it.

Please note that the first Unanimous Agreement of NPC is the Panhellenic Creed which begins, "we, as undergraduate women...."

Alumnae Initiation will not make you an active member of a collegiate chapter, if that is what you are seeking.

My sorority allows for grad women. I've never actually seen it happen, but it is allowed.

Mine does as well - but only if you were an undergrad and want to continue while in grad school.

So, these differences are the reason I worded my answer the way I did.

When my friend mentioned it, I think she was suggesting it as an alternative if joining a collegiate chapter wasn't possible. She said it might still allow me to enjoy some of the benefits of being a member of a sorority, get involved with various philanthropic activities and so on. She mentioned she knew someone who had joined as one but under different circumstances and did help out from time to time at her college chapter from time to time. But I appreciate that circumstances differ everywhere.

In fact as I wrote the paragraph above I received an email from one of the sororities at my school mentioning AI may be an option as that particular sorority does not take grad students. It might be worth mentioning that I have had a couple of emails so far from other chapters at my school saying that they themselves are unsure. So I guess it must be fairly rare for grad students to want to join, presumably because most had the opportunity to join as an undergrad.

This is why the OP needs to research the council or conference of sororities she is interested in instead of just searching for a sorority that has graduate initiates.

I certainly would not want a woman interest in an NPHC sorority, for instance, primarily because we allow graduate students.

I've checked out the websites and contacted all of the chapters at my college to ask if they allow grad students. I want to keep an open mind about each sorority but also think it's important to be aware which ones are 'off limits' because I'm a grad student. Is this the right way to go about it? Or does anyone have any recommendations as to other ways I should be approaching this? Thanks in advance.

Personally, I think pursuing AI would be a complete waste of your time unless you're planning to make your home in the US after grad school. Women who have no previous connection to a sorority can sometimes take years to build the sort of relationships where AI is appropriate.

The more important thimg is whether the College Panhellenic at your school will allow you to participate in recruitment (that's the process to take new members). You need to ask the Fraternity/Sorority Adviser in the Greek Life office at that school.

^^Well, not really, because you can be offered a bid without participating in recruitment. I think it would be silly of her to go through formal anyway and waste both her time and the sororities' time with groups that flat out can't take her.

IMO the best plan would be to:

1. Contact the NATIONAL headquarters of each sorority and ask what their policy is. If a group says no, cross them off your list.

2. Contact the local chapters of the groups (if any) who do take grad students and ask what their local policy is.

3. Realize that just because a group CAN do something, doesn't mean they WILL.