Being a First Generation Greek

Throughout your college life you'll meet lots of people whose family tradition is being Greek. Their parents met at a social, their grandparents met at Greek Week, their brothers and sisters all joined Greek life. You may meet tons of these people, but this is not necessarily the norm. There are lots of people who have no connection to Greek life aside from their affiliation.

Much like being a first generation college student, you can be a first generation Greek. No one in your family has had any experience with Greek life and if they have, it was as a GDI.

I was a first generation Greek myself. At first, my family was a little taken aback when I announced that I was going to go through sorority recruitment. A lot of people told me that I didn't seem like the sorority type while others said it might be good for me to experience this.

One main thing to keep in mind when you first consider going through recruitment is that everyone will have an opinion. Whether they think Greek life is great or needs to be wiped from the face of the Earth, everyone will have an opinion and they will voice it. If your family is starkly against Greek life I suggest taking them to informational meetings, meeting with the Greek life coordinator at your campus or exploring the events and activities that have been hosted by the Greek organizations at your school and then showing them your findings.

Another thing to think about and talk to your guardians or parents about is the financial aspect of Greek life. Chapters are normally very good about getting PNM's as much information about the financial requirement of their organization as possible. They do not want to convince you that you can afford it only to have you join and later figure out that you can't. Most girls who figure out that they can't afford their sorority tend to drop rather than try to work out their financial situation with the chapter's treasurer. If you join and think that you can no longer afford your sorority please do talk to your treasurer.

Some parents tend to worry about the time that Greek life can call for, they believe their children should be studying or devoting their time to other things. Lots of PNM's worry that if they are already busy with school, work, relationships, and family that they cannot manage to integrate a new organization into their already busy schedule. Adding anything to a busy schedule is doable with time management. One of the best things that a college student can have is a planner. Between work, school, and anything else you choose to be involved in a planner is a necessity. I thought I could get through Greek life, family time, two jobs, school and a relationship without having a calendar to keep everything straight. I was wrong. Now I have two forms of tracking my events, a planner I can use during chapter meetings and a calendar on my iPad.

The best thing you can do when your family is concerned about your interest in Greek life is to explain and share. If you can sway your family into letting you try then you can better show how you feel about it and the benefits it brings you.

Surviving Your First Sorority Formal

One part of sorority life that is a major plus for a lot of girls is the fact that they get to go to what are called Formals. They are reminiscent of your high school dances but without the teacher chaperones.

When it comes to formals there are often themes. These themes determine what you wear and can range from a beach party to masquerade. The food, venue, drinks and attire will all reflect what the announced theme is.
Some popular themes include:

• Under the Sea
• Rock n Roll
• Night in Venice
• Old South
• Your Wildest Dreams

When it comes to formals there are some important things to remember.

1. Think seriously about your date. You'll spend all or most of your night with this person and if they start acting irresponsibly then you will most likely be held responsible for their actions. Most chapters say if your date is getting removed then so are you and often, after being removed, you will not be let back in.
2. Don't be afraid to bring a friend. Sometimes having a friend there is better than having a significant other or potential hook up. Also, don't be afraid to bring non-Greek friends or friends from other chapters. If you think that person will make your night better then feel free to bring them along.
3. Don't feel like you are required to wear floor length formal gowns. The only reason to wear especially dressy clothing is if it directly correlates to your theme and if you can afford it. It's always more fun to dress to the theme than spend $100+ on a dress you may not wear again.
4. Wear or bring comfortable shoes. It's great to wear those adorable new heels but getting on and off the bus may end badly if you can't walk in them. It is also a possibility that there will not be any chairs to rest your feet in so it is ideal to wear or at least bring shoes you can dance and walk in comfortably.
5. Don't risk getting kicked out by drinking when underage. This goes for pre-gaming too. Some girls may get together, drink and get ready before the formal but if your chapter's Risk Management chair has said no pre-gaming that puts these girls at risk of not getting to go at all. At many formals there are normally strict rules for alcohol and anyone underage can be kicked out which may result in a judicial hearing and major consequences.
6. Eat. The food that your Social Events chair chose to be catered is probably delicious and expensive. Plus, this is the only food you'll have access to for probably 3 to 5 hours and you may not feel like going to dinner at 11 pm after formal is over.
7. Make plans for after formal. Sometimes the most fun you have the night of formal is what you do after. After my last spring formal one of my friends had the idea of watching movies with our dates in the chapter room. It was one of the best times from the formals I've been to.

What Happens When Something Isn't Right...

Every once in awhile, we agree to do something or join something and then think "Maybe this isn't for me..." Well, like everything else, sometimes that's how people begin to feel about Greek Life, as much as we hate to admit it.

Out of every pledge class there are some girls who decide they don't click with their new sisters, they don't want to be apart of the Greek community, or their dues are just too much. Whatever their reason, they think they may want to drop their sorority entirely.

If you start thinking that Greek life may not be for you or you can't afford it I recommend you take the following steps.:
1. If  you are close with any of the girls in your sorority talk to them about your thoughts and feelings. They could be able to help you and if they can't then you will have at least given them some warning about your potential decision. I emphasize talking to them even if there's no chance of you changing your mind, how would you feel if you were continuing your day-to-day life and one of your best friends just stopped coming around?
2. Talk to your organization's president or membership chairman. They might be able to ease your fears or help you work out some of the issues you may be facing.
3. If money is part of or the main problem, talk to your chapter's treasurer. She may be able to work out a plan with you so you do not have to drop. Be sure to talk to her before you are way behind in dues. If you are struggling to meet the first month but get it worked out that's okay, but if the struggle is a month to month thing then it's best to meet with her sooner rather than later.

If after these steps you still feel that you don't belong then you should make your own decision. Below I have a couple of sites that give you some more insight into dropping and the experiences of other girls who have had the same feelings.

HerCampus: Pros and Cons of Dropping Out of a Sorority

The Eighty8: My Sorority Experience

The Odyssey Online: If You're Thinking About Dropping Your Sorority, Don't Give Up Just Yet

Big/Little Week!!!!

Big/Little week is a very exciting time for everyone in the chapter. The new members are receiving their Bigs,  some girls are finally getting to claim their Littles and older members are adding new members to their sorority family.
At the beginning of Big/Little week the Bigs will leave notes and gifts for their Littles. The notes will include hints to the Big's identity so the Little can try to guess, however, some Bigs will toss in a few false clues in order to throw off their Little if they think she is getting too close to guessing her identity. These false hints are all in good fun and are typically trivial like "I have brown hair" when the Big actually has blonde hair.
As for the gifts, each chapter and "family" has their own traditions but there are a few gifts that most girls receive. Below are some images of different gifts.



Alpha Xi Delta Big/Little Canvas
 

Family Photo Frames

Kappa Delta decorated letters

At the end of the week the Littles finally get to find out who their big is and the rest of the chapter gets to welcome the new members into their families. Reveal can be done in a number of ways so to show you a couple of different reveal methods I included some videos of different reveals from different chapters.

Personally, this post is the most exciting for me because this Fall I am (hopefully) getting a Little!! I can't wait and I've already been thinking about gifts!