sorority stereotypes

adpiucf · #1 07-19-2007, 11:59 AM

Collegiate sororities serve a dual purpose: service and social. There are 26 sororities that fall under the umbrella of the National Panhellenic Conference-- these are the sororities commonly referred to when you hear about sorority recruitment (rush).

These sororities are all national organizations, and they have various "chapters" of their organizations on various college campuses. Each chapter follows the bylaws and traditions of its national organization, but each chapter's culture or "feel" may differ from campus to campus.

I'll use an example. When I was a kid, I joined a chapter of a national youth group in my hometown. Loved it-- I was super involved. When I moved to another town, I expected to get involved again, but after a few meetings, I could tell that even though this was the same youth group with the same activities I didn't click with the people in the same way. This chapter of the youth group just wasn't for me. I didn't think any less of the organization, but I realized that even though its activities and traditions were identical, the feel of each group was a little different.

You'll find the same in a sorority-- the collegiate chapters follow the same ideals, but the "culture" of a sorority varies by chapter.

You should never base your impressions of a sorority chapter off of members you may know from another school-- look at the sororities on your campus and the members in them.

Sorority members in every chapter are from diverse backgrounds, races, religions, majors and hometowns, but there is a definite "culture" or "feel" in each chapter of a sorority. At recruitment, take the time to meet the sororities on your campus and see which culture feels the most comfortable to you.

So there's no general stereotype we can give you. And getting the opinions of people at your college isn't too helpful either b/c those are just their perceptions-- you won't really understand the culture and feel of a sorority chapter until you've met its members and see if it's "you."

Good luck!

honeychile · #2 07-19-2007, 02:59 PM

emsy, everyone has given you excellent advice. It's now your turn to do some leg work. Go to your future school's website, and look up the Greek Life section. It may be hidden under a lot of other names, such as Student Life, Student Activities or such, then to Greek Life, or Sororities. Some schools, but not most, will link you directly to each separate chapter.

From there, make a list of the sororities at your school, then look up their national website. Chances are that the site is something like www.sororityname.org.

Check out the philanthropies, the goals, the ideals that each of the sororities has on a national basis. Note the photos, the graphics, the mascots, the history - and realize that they are trying to put their best foot forward.

Then, attend all Recruitment Seminars or such, and go through Recruitment! You're not going to get any idea of who's special and who isn't from anywhere else but your heart.

Best wishes on a successful Recruitment.

SigKapCoug · #3 07-19-2007, 08:50 PM

I heard Sigma Kappas are funny, smart, and hot.

Actually, its really weird, I've heard that about ALL NPCs. We must be some awesome ladies.

emsy · #4 07-20-2007, 12:28 AM

aw thanks everyone for your input . sorry if i offended anyone eek. didnt mean anything by it. ive already looked into most of the sororities and i was only asking because all of the sorority webpages said the same thing. like the exact same thing but rephrased in like 20 different ways.

violetpretty · #5 07-20-2007, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emsy

aw thanks everyone for your input . sorry if i offended anyone eek. didnt mean anything by it. ive already looked into most of the sororities and i was only asking because all of the sorority webpages said the same thing. like the exact same thing but rephrased in like 20 different ways.

What were you expecting, a list like this?

ABC is the best sorority everywhere. They only take size 0 blonde women whose daddies have millions of dollars. Maybe they'll take a brunette woman, but only if you resemble Elizabeth Hurley.
DEF is fat nationally. They actually seek fat and ugly girls.
GHI is popular with fraternities everywhere because they are slutty.
JKL is nerdy and only take girls with 4.0s and never go out.
MNO is diverse everywhere.

No one of any repute on GC will actually give you a list like that. Most NPCs nationally speaking, are quite similar. They will have a variety of chapters. You want to find which chapter is best for you; why cut out a few chapters based on what some idiot says on the internet when the chapter at your school would be a good fit for you. It is best to go into recruitment with a mind untouched as possible about the sorority reputations, although your original post makes me question your intent of joining a sorority.

33girl · #6 07-20-2007, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emsy

aw thanks everyone for your input . sorry if i offended anyone eek. didnt mean anything by it. ive already looked into most of the sororities and i was only asking because all of the sorority webpages said the same thing. like the exact same thing but rephrased in like 20 different ways.

hahahahahaha

Congrats, you're already learning.

In all seriousness...every single NPC has a chapter or 2 or 10 or 40 that are at the top of the heap on their respective campuses. Every single NPC has a chapter or 2 or 10 or 40 that are at the bottom of the heap on their campuses that girls would rather drop out than join. Even if you look at things like campus awards or the national sorority awards - they may have absolutely zero to do with that chapter's standing on campus.

ISUKiteFlyer · #7 07-20-2007, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emsy

aw thanks everyone for your input . sorry if i offended anyone eek. didnt mean anything by it. ive already looked into most of the sororities and i was only asking because all of the sorority webpages said the same thing. like the exact same thing but rephrased in like 20 different ways.

It's tough to weed through everything when all you see is "Sisterhood! Scholastics! Service!" Coming from the inside I've taken a look and have sometimes gotten unfamiliar chapters from other campuses all blurred together.

Do go through Formal, that will give you a chance to meet each chapter face to face, and you'll get a better feel. Take copious notes.

As you look at each chapter, try to pick out what's different. Maybe their philanthropy? Maybe one leans toward general community service while another is specifically service to children? If the chapters include their fraternal history (if not, national websites commonly do), is there a difference in the purposes or the reasons the founders came together? You'll come up a few differences, and it'll get you in the gear of looking for them. Don't feel like you have to figure it all out beforehand - the people make all the difference in a chapter, and you'll meet them during recruitment.