Going to college my freshman year I believed Greek life was simply partying and getting drunk. "Cool," I thought, "I'll get a good handle on my grades first then go Greek sometime sophomore year." College is a place to have fun and I do believe work and stress need to be balanced out with some wild nights. However, during my freshman year, I learned Greek life is so much more than just parties, and I ended up going Greek.
I am not a stereotypical fraternity man, I'm awkward and had only a few friends freshman year. The pledging process helped nudge me into more social environments without feeling too uncomfortable. A fair amount of my brothers are as reserved as I am, I would come to learn.
I knew early in the rush process which fraternity I wanted to become part of, and in my mind, it was there or bust. I have not regretted my decision once. I refused to be part of an organization involved with hazing and I'm proud to say my fraternity stands against hazing. We accept men from all disciplines and groups, priding ourselves on diversity and acceptance of different-minded individuals.
My fraternity makes me a harder worker. My GPA, like most of our brothers', rose after pledging. Sure, causation is not correlation, but not one brother experienced a drop in GPA after going Greek. Not only that, but we take pride in one of the highest Greek GPAs on campus. I work alumni relations for our chapter, and having a duty to perform helps keep me work-oriented in other areas.
I carry my head higher because of my fraternity. I am an anxious person by nature, and my confidence was near zero before going Greek. Being surrounded by brothers who truly and genuinely love me is a feeling beyond words. My fraternity builds people up, hoping to see each and every brother achieve their full potential.
I can sit here and romanticize my fraternity all day, truly I love all my brothers and the organization itself beyond measure. But the truth is, it's just home. The best nights are the unremarkable ones when a group of brothers is just sitting around watching Netflix and going on late night Taco Bell runs.
In short, Greek life is an important aspect of my life. I truly believe every man and woman interested in Greek life should look into it.
