Greek Life gets a bad rep: it's filled with nothing but parties, frat guys named Brad, and snooty girls who pay for their friends, right?!

WRONG.

Spring semester, I became a sister of the Sigma Alpha Omega Sorority at my school. Never in a million years did I think I would EVER join a sorority. It just "wasn't for me." See, I too had fallen into the trap of believing the stereotypes behind Greek life but it really is so much more than that. "Going Greek" was honestly one of the best decisions I have made thus far in college.

Whenever I tell different friends or people from back home that I went Greek, I often get "the look." By that I mean, the disapproving look in someone's eyes and slight judgment as they exclaim "Oh really?!" with a fake smile. But I shouldn't feel the need to explain myself here.

Being Greek is so much more than the letters.

My first semester of college, I felt very lost and struggled to really find my group. Joining Sigma Alpha Omega second semester of my freshman year, gave me that sense of love and belonging; it truly is a sisterhood. I have found a community of girls who uplift me and encourage me through every situation. We even have a whole group chat dedicated to prayer request and ways we can support each other.

Yes, we have many social events and formals, but we also have required service days and a philanthropy, that we support through various events and fundraisers. Yes, we will occasionally wear oversized Comfort Colors Tees and Nike shorts (which are super comfy so can you blame us?) but we also have GPA requirements and encourage scholastic achievement. Yes, we have "rush week" and recruitment events but we have a very strict no hazing policy. Yes, we do the "sorority squat" and will post too many pictures with our "big" and "little" but you form such an inseparable bond with your sisters that it's hard not to share those pictures. Yes, we pay money to be in the sorority, but those funds go directly towards different events and outings so we're not paying for our friends! Yes, we---

Alright, you get my drift.

All in all, we're still just normal college students and should not be looked at or thought of any differently solely based on the fact that we are in a sorority. I myself have definitely believed the media and different stereotypes when it came to Greek life but now that I have experienced it first hand, I can happily prove them wrong!