Costs and all that jazz.. how did you convince your parents?!

[LauGh A Lot]

i was looking at sorority costs and it said it would be around $2000 for a new member @ FSU (that's including the badge, meals, new member fees, semester fees, but not including room).. so i was wondering how you convinced your parents to pay the approx. $2000 on top of room/board, tuition, books, etc..?

[Lil' Hannah]

I got a job and paid for it myself.

[FSUZeta]

your room fee does not include board(food) if you live in a university owned dorm. you would eat your meals at the student union or at restaurants around town and pay accordingly. if you live in a privately owned dorm, you would eat most of your meals there.also factor in parking costs, if you will have a car.when you live at the sorority house, parking is no charge, although spaces are usually doled out thru some sort of lottery. no matter where you live you have to eat. on your own you may not take the time to seek out good tasting, nutritionally adequate meals, but if you join a sorority, you take part in their meal plan, eating your lunches and dinners there, and you are eating a balanced meal that tastes good.that can't always be said about the university or private dorm food. eating at the house gets you over there so that you meet more of the members and feel a part of the group, and is the best way to keep in touch with what is going on there. when you live in the house, you are not spending much more $$ than living elsewhere, and you are in some of the best facilities(and safest and most secure) that can be found at fsu.some of the sorority fees are one time fees-new member, badge, initiation. and usually the lump sum is amortized out over the semester, not due all at once.it is good of you to explore all the costs prior to recruitment, so that you have a ball-park figure to share with your parents, but remember that as you go thru recruitment you will be given exact costs for each chapter(the costs do vary). it won't be at the first set of parties, but later in the week.

[AOIIBrandi]

No convincing. Mom was in a sorority and knew I wanted to join one as well. It was already an understood cost.

[PhoenixAzul]

<local plug>

Join a local!

</local plug>

But in all seriousness, most chapters here on our campus have some sort of payment plan worked out for sisters who can't afford it at the moment (Example: in my chapter, if you need to wait a week or two for a paycheck, you just slip the treasurer a note and you work that out. If you straight up just don't have the cash, you can work out a payment plan..$5 a week, 10 a week, whatever).

[kddani]

Originally posted by Lil' Hannah
I got a job and paid for it myself.

Ditto.

While it must be nice that some parents are able to pay for their son or daughter's greek expenses, many parents cannot or just do not. You'll be at least 18, at a place with plenty of jobs available, get a job and pay for it yourself.

I never even dreamed of asking my parents to pay.

[33girl]

Ask how much they pay for their membership in Masons/country club/professional groups etc. That usually works.

[axidhawkeye]

i'm not sure if this is the case at FSU, but at Iowa, for the most part, it's cheaper to be in a fraternity or sorority than it is to live in the dorms, so if this is the case at FSU, i'd point that out. the money that my parents and i ended up paying my first year, was definatly saved this year.

also, what i do, is i have to pay for all the chapter things, like t-shirts and dues, but my parents pay for my room and board. it also might help if you explain why you want to join a sorority.

[LuvUTrulyKKG]

I pay for all sorority expenses myself as well. I know that a lot of other girls in my chapter do as well... it makes the work seem worthwhile as I get wonderful memories in exchange!

[aephi alum]

I didn't convince my parents to pay. I paid my dues out of my own pocket. My dad is very anti-greek, so I knew better than to ask.

Like DZGirl pointed out, a lot of that $2000 is one-time fees, like initiation fees and the cost of your badge. Your dues (not counting room and board if you move into the sorority house) will be a lot lower in subsequent semesters. You can also work out a payment plan with the treasurer, so that you don't have to cough up $2000 all at once.

[Buff]

Originally posted by kddani
Ditto.

While it must be nice that some parents are able to pay for their son or daughter's greek expenses, many parents cannot or just do not. You'll be at least 18, at a place with plenty of jobs available, get a job and pay for it yourself.

I never even dreamed of asking my parents to pay.

Like kd said, you're 18, there is no reason why you can't get a job and pay your own expenses. I know several people, including myself who did not get financial support from parents for anything.

[Jill1228]

What she said! if they pay, it's all good.

However, I look at paying dues like this: unless the parents SHOW YOU THE MONEY, always assume that you are going to pay for it yourself. If you know you want to rush, get a job and save the money for it

Originally posted by kddani
Ditto.

While it must be nice that some parents are able to pay for their son or daughter's greek expenses, many parents cannot or just do not. You'll be at least 18, at a place with plenty of jobs available, get a job and pay for it yourself.

I never even dreamed of asking my parents to pay.

[recentASAalum]

when I was in high school I was in show choir which was over $1000 a year... so when my sorority dues were only a couple hundred I simply pointed out to my father that he was actually saving money versus show choir and he came through after a couple choice comments about sororities...

[PKTKKG]

My parents made it clear to me that if I wanted to join a sorority that I would be paying for it myself. However, if they knew then what they know now I think they would pay for it. Why? Because they saw what I got out of my membership (and continue to as an alum).

They saw the involvement I had in school, and the involvement I've had as an alum. The connections I've made have helped me get 2 jobs. The leadership experiences and the rush experience helped me interview and get that first job as well.

Keep in mind that many, many sorority women work and pay their own dues. It is definitely worth the cost if you are active and involved.

Keep us up to date on how you are doing!

[WVU alpha phi]

My parents pay for all my sorority costs as long as I maintain above a 3.0 GPA. So far it's working out cuz I've got a 3.4.

If your parents won't pay though, I suggest working during the summer to save up some money to pay for dues. It's easier than working during the school year, when you might have to skip some sorority functions to work!