Too Old to Be Greek?

[ThetaPrincess24]

I pledged at 22 and it turned out to be one the best decisions I ever made. Now having said that, I was honest with myself. I knew the odds were stacked against me going in due to my age, class standing, and being a transfer student not knowing anyone. I was released pretty heavy from most chapters early on, but ended up with a full preference schedule with two chapters. Greek life at my alma mater is very different from Greek life at other schools in the area and I did not go to a private college.

While it was a good decision for me, being a 22 year old new member with a group of 18-19 year olds did have its challenges from a maturity standpoint. Their priorities are going to be a bit different than yours. I liked my new member class but I was closer to members who were older (I sought them out) because I was not all Frat-boy crazy and in a hurry to get to the next mixer/party. At 22 I was past all of that and was not a reason I was interested in Greek life. Also consider that if you are entering as a 22 year old Freshman and stay all four years, you will be 26 by the time you graduate. Are you going to be cool with continue to fulfill the obligations of sorority/Greek membership after the thrill of joining has worn off (probably after your first year)? As much as I loved my collegiate experience, by the time i graduated at 24, I was SO READY to move on and be done with that stage of my membership.

Do the chapters have facilities? Is there a live in requirement? My chapter had a live in requirement and my age did not matter, I was still expected to move on to the dorm floor for a year. Being 23/24 at the time living on a dorm floor with 18-21 year olds can be a challenge, or it was for me. Are you prepared for that possibility? Signing a lease for an off campus apartment won't matter either if they have a live in requirement and need to fill the facility.

I don't know your background information, GPA, reasons for waiting to go to college, etc. other than to tell you it COULD happen, but will depend on a lot of factors, and I would expect, as it was for me, to be released pretty heavy early in the process. I would prepare now with getting as many references as you can for each chapter on your campus regardless of the competitiveness of your recruitment, because you will need every advantage you can get. JOin some clubs this fall to get your name out there and meet people, don't slack academically, and prepare to answer questions about why you waited this long to attend college, and why you decided to go through recruitment at almost 22, regardless if the Greek system is traditional or not.