After surviving my first year in college, I learned something outside of the classroom that was both interesting and unsettling. Going to a large school like Montclair State University, you can imagine the amount of organizations on campus. However, the ones that rule them all are the sororities and fraternities. These groups rule college life, and everywhere you look on social media, you see their parties and pictures of groups together. There's nothing wrong with that, but I just wish there wasn't so much pressure to become a brother or sister.
I never understood why it was so important to "Go Greek". This is not to bash anyone who has joined a brotherhood or sisterhood, but personally, I see no point in it. It's very much like joining a club in high school. Sure, it may look good on your application, but after that, what good is it? I know that there is community service involved, but after observing some through those I know in the organizations, there doesn't seem to be much community service happening. All I see is parties and sitting around not doing much. True, there are events around campus that are servicing the community, but unless you are a top-tier sorority or fraternity, your event doesn't get much traction. These events are also far and few between, and they always happen during classes, which almost defeats the purpose of holding an event. Once at the event, even if you are trying to enjoy whatever it is, the members are always pressuring you to join their organization.
The pressure to join such a large organization is overwhelming, especially on such a large campus. During the fall semester, the quad is filled to the brim with so many of the groups trying to convince you to join their sorority or pledge their fraternity, but the truth is, I see no difference between any of them. To be completely honest, in my eyes, they all do the same things to me. They all do community service, and they all party. The only difference is the amount of money they get and their rank on the national level. I know that there are certain ones that are exclusive to certain majors, but in reality, is there anything truly special about them?
What I'm trying to say is, there shouldn't be so much pressure to join Greek life in college. I understand why people join, but I know that once someone is a part of it, they are always trying to recruit for their organization. I know it's not going to happen, but maybe we should stop shoving down everyone's throat just how "important" it is to join a fraternity or sorority.
