Debunking the Sorority Women Airhead Myth
 

There are stereotypes concerning sorority women. One stereotype is particularly disturbing in today's world. How many of us have heard only "airheads" would be in a Greek organization? Here are a few of the majors listed by members in two of our chapters. Greek sisters, please add on to this from your own chapters if you wish. MIT's list should be particularly interesting.


Architecture--- Univ. of Calif. at Berkeley
Molecular Toxicology
Integrative Biology
Chemical Engineering
Chemical Biology
Molecular and Cell Biology
Nuclear Engineering

Public Policy--- Stanford University
Biomedical Engineering
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Civil Engineering

I personally don't think that a particular major makes you airheaded or not. That is, unless your major is general studies or something.

I think the fact that greek women, on average, have higher GPAs says more than what majors greek women have.

^ True for my campus, in fact sorority women having higher GPAs than the other ladies on campus made the front page of my campus newspaper.

Ours don't sound like that, but then again our school isn't geared that way. I think the fact that the greek women's GPA is higher than the independent women's GPA is a better indication.

But just for ...and giggles...

Accounting, Acting/Directing, Art (BFA and BA), Biology, Business Management, Communication Studies, Elementary Education, English, Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, French, Graphic Design, Instrumental Music Education, Instrumental Performance, Interior Design Merchandising, Kinesiology, Marketing, Mass Communications, Mathematics, Musical Theater, Photography, Psychology, Retail Merchandising, Social Work, Sociology, Spanish, Vocal Performance

We like the arts. But I guarantee the old reputation of an easy arts degree isn't here...they take it real seriously. (I'm currently learning that the hard way...god it's a lot of work!)

When I was in school, there was one "cake" major. It was elementary education. Yes, a few girls in our chapter were El Ed majors, but we had others that were in very tough programs:
Pharmacy (not pre Pharm)
Zoology
Chemistry
Electrical Engineering
Finance
Accounting
Nursing

Those are just a few off the top of my head, but I saved the toughest for last. MINE! Economics with a concentration in Econometrics. Why? Because someone told me I wouldn't be able to hack it. I proved him wrong.

There was one major that was distinctly lacking in the Greek system at Otterbein: Nursing. There were maybe 2 or 3 TOTAL in the system when I was active. Lots of these girls would have made awesome sisters, but many felt they couldn't do it because of the crazy schedules and extremely stressful exams they took and the GPA they had to maintain.

My roomie during my senior year was a Nursing major. She was a junior, at the time, and her clinical schedules were awful. But, she was still our chapter president.
Where is she today? Director of Nursing for the Cleveland Clinic. She is one smart lady.

We had a ton of nurses in our chapter, quite a few pre-meds as well. I have no idea what our breakdown was but it was pretty spread out across colleges/majors.

Ask and ye shall receive. ;)

Amongst the active sisters from my chapter, we've got nuclear engineering, biology, architecture, mechanical engineering, environmental engineering, brain and cognitive sciences, civil engineering, biological engineering, chemical engineering, and mathematics - and we're the smallest NPC chapter on campus. If you include alums, you'll also see computer science (my major), aero/astro, business, economics, and physics.

No airheads in this chapter. ;)

My chapter
 

Architecture Biological Sciences Biomedical Engineering Business Administration Chemical Engineering Chemistry Communication Design Economics ECE Engineering and Public Policy Hispanic Studies Industrial Design International Relations Material Science Mathematics Mechanical Engineering Modern Languages Voice Professional Writing Physics Psychology Public Policy & Management Statistics Flute　

Our girls represent every college within the university.

For what?

The best way to debunk myths is by continuing to be successful in what you do without needing to say "hey! I'm not a dumb sorority girl...I'm an engineering major." That screams airhead to me.

These attest to the fact that sorority women manage to excel academically as well as participate in a sisterhood. Also, it is great to see the diversity of interests in each chapter.

Perhaps Carnation can confirm this, but I think it was in a Panhellenic article the NPC average GPA across the nation was above the all women's average GPA.

The people who read this and think "sorority women aren't airheads" are the people who didn't really think sorority women are airheads.

I've managed to challenge a few stereotypes individuals had about sorority women (NPC mostly because we're most visible on my campus) by just being me and doing what I'm supposed to be doing. I don't hide my affiliation, but it isn't the first thing about me that I tell people about. Usually when they say "but you're so smart and not <insert insult here> (drunk, skanky, air headed, boy crazy)" they realize that was kind of an assy thing to say. It is really annoying when you work hard in school and the community, and all it takes to tarnish your good image is some idiot driving drunk, hitting a fire hydrant and flooding the local hospital (true story) or someone to come to class in letters, hungover and unprepared, and if they aren't sleeping talk incessantly about how trashed they got at the TriLambs.

Ouchie. It would be tough to be part of the Greek system that had that image. Do you think it's more of a problem on your campus or just a general problem with Greek life?

Is it mainly a question of how the negative things ellipse the positive in the public mind?

ETA: I think that what might contribute is that people see what they expect to see and ignore what they don't. If you expect to see Greeks in easy majors, looking for MRS degrees, then those are the ones you notice, even though there aren't that many of them. If there's an idiot kid in class, hungover and chatty, people notice the greek shirt and if there isn't one, just kind of assume the person is Greek anyway because they fit their idea of the type. Unless the aeronautical engineering majors advertise their groups, no one knows how different the reality is.

And I don't know if hyping the high average GPA is enough because so many of those doing the stereotyping just kind of assume it's because the women are in easier classes or have access to test files, etc, whatever else confirms the stereotype. Maybe CPCs should start hyping the accomplishments of the women in hard sciences, etc.