You ask "Should I go Greek?"

I'm going to discuss this now, you know, when no one is reading... But I feel like it's something that, if anyone ever reads this blog, will be some sort of frequently asked question. Well, actually, the people who are reading this will probably want to know how to go about getting into the house they want, but that's another problem entirely--but don't worry, I'll discuss that too.

Here are my thoughts on whether or not people should go Greek. I am a big proponent of trying everything once. A sport, food, an activity, whatever. Unless it's food and you tried it once as a kid, then you should probably try it again. Here's a list of food I used to hate that I now love: mushrooms, avocado, asparagus, artichoke, fish (sometimes). Here's a list of food I used to like that grosses me out now: hot dogs, tuna, pancakes (hopefully this one is only temporary).

So, where does the Greek system fall into this? It's an unfortunate thing that you only have a few years to think about--if you wanted to try rock climbing, for instance, you're probably fine as long as you're in good shape. The Greek system isn't something where you're so lucky. At some universities, you have about two years. At others, you have one chance. In some cases, these universities may give you three or two, respectively--but these are very rare instances.

So, let's take a look at what the Greek system offers:

• Family: The Greek system can provide a home away from home and a sisterhood/brotherhood of real friendship. Not everyone will be at your wedding when you marry, but if you ever needed an emergency hospital trip, they would take you without question. I think this is the part that really appeals to freshmen, even if they won't admit it. (see: parties)
• Leadership: The Greek system allows for members to take on leadership roles to help the house, better themselves, and learn a thing or two about what it takes to be a leader. There's the self confidence boost.... Or if you just like the feeling of power...
• Housing: This doesn't necessarily apply to all chapters, because not every chapter has housing. For the ones that do, when else will you be able to live in a mansion with all your best friends?
• Ritual: Every chapter of a national organization shares the same ritual. For this reason, if you suddenly end up moving cross country, you can either find a collegiate chapter to affiliate with (assuming your new school has your chapter) or an alumni chapter to join. Even if you all didn't join together, you share the fact that you did join and have the same ideals.
• Networking: Greeks run the world. Just look up any fraternity on Wiki and take a look at their list of notable alumni. This won't matter to you as a freshman, but it matters later in life.
• Just being a part of it: It makes the campus smaller and it gives you a chance to be a part of something larger than yourself. It's hard to explain this type of benefit, because it's something you can only understand once you're there. Membership means something different for everyone. So you really need to join to find out what it means to you.
• Social: This is probably a small benefit, but the one all freshman use for their reason for joining. You get to make new friends, meet potential dates, oh and beer... These benefits are small and fleeting. If people were just social, they could get these things without having them pre-packaged for them.

I could list more benefits, but a lot of them fall under "just being a part of it." It's something you can't really explain without being specific. And I haven't necessarily gotten this blog into the nitty gritty specific yet. I'd like to be the faceless disembodied voice of the Greek system for a little while longer, before I start reminiscing about my own time in it--though that's probably more interesting...

So, I've established the benefits of going Greek. But I've also mentioned briefly that you do not necessarily need to go Greek to get everything associated with it (see: beer). So, let me say that yes, there are other ways to gain leadership experience, make friends, and so forth. It takes a big Greek person to admit that not everyone should be Greek, and not out of an elitist nature either, rather because it's not for everyone. People have tried it and not liked it, and that's totally fine. It's not for everyone. But, I also pose this question: how do you know it's not for you if you've never tried it? That's like saying you hate California, having never been there (and you can't hate a place without going there, people maybe, but not a place).

So then, should you go Greek? Yes, to an extent. You should try it out, because there's something for everyone. I mean, how can there not be with twenty-six NPC sororities and seventy-one NIC fraternities (plus two others that left the umbrella organization)? Plus every chapter is different, so really if people would give it a chance, they might find it surprises them. Just something to think about in the "try it and see" mindset.