Should you join a "lower tier" sorority?

[33girl]

I don't think this needs to be a sticky at all. A regular thread is more than ample. (I just love when people nominate themselves for stickydom.)

Automatically assuming that smallest group = lowest tier simply is not true at every single college, just as largest group does not always equal top sorority or fraternity. Sometimes the largest group is the subject of derision for "bidding anything that moves." Same with house condition, amount of money, looks, grades, etc. It is truly a campus by campus basis and at many places if you asked why PQR is thought of as the "most popular" group, you couldn't get a concrete answer.

There are some colleges where if you are in what is perceived as a "lower tier" sorority, your social options are significantly curtailed. I won't bump it because it pissed people off, but there was a post on here explaining this concept at UF. It made a lot of people understand why a girl would be wary of joining a not-as-popular group.

But there are also colleges where your social life, regardless of your sorority, is what YOU make it, not what letters you are wearing. If you let your Greek group either hinder you or you coast on its appeal, you're digging your own grave. If you say "I can't go to the Sigma Chi house because I'm an XYZ, and we just don't hang out with them, we aren't good enough" - that's YOUR issue. And if the Sigma Chis do truly believe that, why would you want to hang out with them? Conversely, if you have people asking you out or presenting you with opportunities simply because you're an ABC and they want the prestige of association with an ABC - NOT with you as a person - your life after college is going to be a jumbo box of suck.

Your letters do not define you. You define your letters.

[LaneSig]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I don't think this needs to be a sticky at all. A regular thread is more than ample. (I just love when people nominate themselves for stickydom.)

Automatically assuming that smallest group = lowest tier simply is not true at every single college, just as largest group does not always equal top sorority or fraternity. Sometimes the largest group is the subject of derision for "bidding anything that moves." Same with house condition, amount of money, looks, grades, etc. It is truly a campus by campus basis and at many places if you asked why PQR is thought of as the "most popular" group, you couldn't get a concrete answer.

There are some colleges where if you are in what is perceived as a "lower tier" sorority, your social options are significantly curtailed. I won't bump it because it pissed people off, but there was a post on here explaining this concept at UF. It made a lot of people understand why a girl would be wary of joining a not-as-popular group.

But there are also colleges where your social life, regardless of your sorority, is what YOU make it, not what letters you are wearing. If you let your Greek group either hinder you or you coast on its appeal, you're digging your own grave. If you say "I can't go to the Sigma Chi house because I'm an XYZ, and we just don't hang out with them, we aren't good enough" - that's YOUR issue. And if the Sigma Chis do truly believe that, why would you want to hang out with them? Conversely, if you have people asking you out or presenting you with opportunities simply because you're an ABC and they want the prestige of association with an ABC - NOT with you as a person - your life after college is going to be a jumbo box of suck.

Your letters do not define you. You define your letters.

33girl - You are always welcome at the Sigma Chi house.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by LaneSig

33girl - You are always welcome at the Sigma Chi house.

Thanks no place I would rather be!!!

[bostongreek]

Originally Posted by 33girl

I won't bump it because it pissed people off, but there was a post on here explaining this concept at UF. It made a lot of people understand why a girl would be wary of joining a not-as-popular group.

Would you mind PMing it to me? I'm interested in reading that.

[UGAalum94]

I think I missed the UF thread too.

I doubt that we need to discuss why not to join a lower tier house since those thoughts are probably already present in a PNM's mind, but I think offering reasons why, despite a lack of immediate popularity boost, joining a "lower tier" group can still be worthwhile.

My first reason is that members of "lower tier" groups enjoy their Greek experience. Even though it may not wow your friends from home when they see your letters, your college experience is likely to be enriched over not joining a GLO at all.

We probably kid ourselves about the number of women who find themselves honestly deliberating, should I join the commonly viewed #1 group on campus or the bottom group, where I can make a big difference. Instead, PNMs looking at the bottom tier have limited options, and it would typically be pointless to imagine that one is going to hold out and later receive a bid from a "top" group.

You should join a lower group to be part of a sisterhood, to experience being greek, and to be part of an alumnae network for the rest of your life.

Additionally, you should be aware that at many campuses with hard work and dedication towards recruitment, lower tier groups can become middle tier groups with a couple of pledge classes. You can have the satisfaction of working hard to enrich the experience that you will offer to the young women who follow in your footsteps. It may be a lot closer to the experience of being one of our founders than many sisters at strong chapters experience.

ETA: this really just repeats what others have said well, and I apologize for that. I agree that joining a "lower tier" house is still worthwhile and want to lend my support for that. I will say that sharing personal experience in a thread called "should you join a lower tier sorority" is a little complicated because matching usernames and chapters may serve to reinforce the tent talk. I don't know how much it really helps in the long run.