When some people hear the word sorority, they think of the stereotypical image: a bunch of silly girls who spend their time gossiping, screaming, and primping. Movies often portray sorority sisters as girls who focus more on their social life and beauty rather than academics or giving back to the community. But hey, that’s the appeal of being a member of a sorority, right? Young girls are drawn to the idea of being a part of a group that loves each other. They want to look fun and flirty and pretty, and they believe that this is what it means to be in a sorority.

The views that a lot of our society has towards sororities and their members are very far from the truth. Being in a sorority means so much more than looks and a social life.

Let’s start with philanthropy. Every sorority has a philanthropic focus and supports at least one national organization that pairs along with that focus. These focuses range from working with cancer organizations, Habitat for Humanity, or even building strong girls. Each chapter of the sorority finds a way to best help support that focus and organization in their local community. This means a lot of volunteering and fundraising. Most of a sorority’s big events are their way of raising money and awareness for their philanthropy. The more sisters get to work with their philanthropy, the more passionate they become about it.

Believe it or not, strong academics are very important to sororities and their members. Most sororities have a specific GPA requirement that girls must meet to even get a bid, and once you become a member, you must maintain a certain college GPA in order to stay in the sorority. Sisters take a lot of pride in having higher GPA’s and studying challenging majors such as engineering or nursing. Sororities can help support their members’ academics by holding study groups or even requiring the girls to log in a particular number of study hours each week.

Of course, the values of the sorority are also extremely important, and the longer a girl is a member of a sorority, the more she understands these values and what they mean to her. While each sorority has their own values, they all generally encourage the members to be the best woman they can be. Sisters work hard to maintain a stellar image of themselves and their sorority at all times.

There is a part of the stereotypical view on sororities that is partially true; the sisters truly love each other. It’s no surprise that they love to all hang out together all the time because they have the same passions and hold themselves up to similar values. There’s nothing better than being a part of group that is made up of truly wonderful girls who are just like you in the right way.

Being in a sorority means finding your sisters and family. It means making friends for life. It means volunteering, fundraising and holding yourself up to high standards. It means always working hard to improve yourself, your community, and your sorority. Being in a sorority is the best choice you can make, because it will truly benefit your life and others’.