No matter if you join an academic or social Greek organization, you are bound to have questions about the process that you are about to go through or have just gone through. Maybe those questions happen before recruitment or maybe they happen after you've been inducted as a new member. Either way, your brain is in five different places with your new letters and a whole bunch of new sisters/brothers.
Will I be able to handle this?
Of course for most people, they are just entering college when going through the recruitment process. It is the perfect time to panic about the fear of the unknown, the unknowingness of what your workload for the semester is. When you get handed your organizations calendar for the semester, you're probably going to freak out but stop and breath fora second. It is rare that everyone is expected to attend every event. Especially upon arriving to a new chapter of life, it's hard to know but you'll never know if you don't try!
Is everyone as Greek-friendly as they seem?
During recruitment, you're taught "Panhellenic love" or to love every organization but to have a mutually exclusive love for the organization you end up in. Even your guide through the process has to disaffiliate themselves with their organization in order to be your guide just to show that there will be no bias in the guidance given. For the most part, yes! Everyone tries to support other organizations as much as possible. They all attend each other's events and it's not uncommon to have friends that are in other organizations.
Is the sense of unity they're giving off true or am I falling for a trap?
It's difficult to tell if these people you're talking to have the intentions of wanting to actually gain a member that holds their core values or wanting to gain a member for the sake of increasing the chapter size. Advice that can be given is that all of the information you're being given is legitimate and the people who are making conversation with you only have the intentions of recruiting you if they feel that you embrace the same morals.
Will I be expected to be a cliche?
Books and movies make Greek life look fun and glamorous but, being part of a Greek organization is not all about partying. Most of the time, you and all of your sisters/brothers will embrace these cliches in a jesting manner. You're part of something that's bigger than yourself (ha-ha, a cliche inside a cliche). No matter what anyone says, being part of this will help you, not hurt you. Think about all of the opportunities that you are given within the chapter - leadership, friendship, networking, opportunities to help you succeed within and outside the chapter. In the long run, all of the work will be worth it.
Was I recruited by the right organization for me?
It's common to question whether the process places you in the right organization. All that can be said is that the process is pretty accurate so have faith and trust in it. The people within your chapter believe that you are a good fit. There was some type of chemistry between you and the people within the chapter so trust that you do belong and deserve to be there.
Author's Note: A special thanks to Tish Singham, Sally Ancheva, and Andi Menaul for their insight on this subject.
