I, like many others, do not understand sororities. At. All. I have friends in sororities and friends who have rushed, but none of my closest friends are involved in them in any way. So often I'm left questioning, "What the hell goes on in a sorority?" Because I have been an outsider to the sorority world all my life, I couldn't help but fall into viewing them as their stereotypes: they're cultish, everyone is so fake, they don't have any true friends, etc.. One great thing about being a part of The Odyssey community is that you get to interact with so many different walks of life from all over. Luckily, there are a few girls in sororities on our team. My friends and I came up with a list of twelve questions about sororities and sent them out to girls writing for The Odyssey and a few who don't. We asked them to answer as honestly as they could, even if all their answers weren't positive. By request, some answers will be kept anonymous.

1) Why did you decide to go through recruitment?

I wanted to branch out and go outside of my comfort zone. I am introverted, so for me, a sorority seemed daunting. I debated signing up, but I knew I wanted to be involved and I needed to push myself beyond my comfort zone. I also talked to my friend named Abi who was in a sorority and she told me that being in one has changed her life and she couldn't imagine herself without her sisters. She said that I would gain so much and to at least try. ~Sara: Sigma Kappa

1a) What happens during recruitment?

Panhellenic sorority is a very structured process. It's a week long process that allows you to meet with every Panhellenic sorority throughout the week. In my Odyssey article about sorority stereotypes, I talk about how it can be compared with a networking fair or job/career fair. Because you are having conversations with chapter women with 100+ other people in the room it can be a loud and intimidating process, but it really does serve as a preparation process for the real world. I am generally a very shy and reserved person, but recruitment during my freshman year really brought me out of my shell. Although I was timid at first, after the first day of recruitment, I couldn't wait to go back the next day. Sorority recruitment is a mutual selection process which means that you choose the sororities while the sororities choose you. This process ensures that women find the chapter that is the best fit for them and aligns with their organization's values. Here at UNO, we have a values-based recruitment that relies heavily on conversations surrounding our core values as a sorority community which are generally summed up as community service, leadership, scholarship, and friendship. These are the fundamental pillars and core values that all of the four Panhellenic sororities here at UNO are built upon. ~Sapphire: Alpha Xi Delta

2) Are you a legacy of your sorority?

I am through my aunt and five cousins. They all attended UNO and loved Zeta Tau Alpha, so I thought that would be the one I strived for, especially because I didn't feel like I really fit in with the other sororities. But that could be because I never saw myself as someone joining Greek life, and if you were to ask my friends, they would say I'm the last person to become a "sorority girl". With Zeta, I felt like it was a place I could fit in with compared to the other three sororities. ~Kathleen: Zeta Tau Alpha

3) Did you have a preference as to what sorority you wanted to be in? Why?

Yes, I didn't have a preference before Rush week, but the first night after I went to Sigma Kappa I knew I wanted to join their chapter. One of their philanthropies is Gerontology. I worked in a nursing home for two years prior to rush week, and I knew that I wanted to be a part of helping the population that I am passionate about. I knew the other perks of being in a sorority would fall into place with Sigma Kappa as well. The girls were so welcoming and seemed to care on a deep level that impressed me. I knew nothing about Sigma Kappa before that night, but I learned that they had a reputation for being well-rounded women and I wanted to be a part of that. ~Sara

4) What are some aspects of your sorority you don't like?

Despite what you might hear from some people, we aren't all "sisters for life". While we may be in the same sorority, which by definition classifies us as sisters, I definitely don't feel a connection to all of the people in my sorority. Some, not even a little. Of course, having a large group of girls, naturally you're not all going to be BFFs or anything like that, as sororities are pretty cliquey. During recruitment, we tell people that your sisters will always be there for you to help you out, and while that's true for some, it's definitely not for all. There are girls who wouldn't dream of coming to me for help in a million years and girls I would never look up to or go to. If a sorority ever tells you they are all true sisters at heart and love each and every one of the people in their sorority, they are lying to you. ~Anonymous

6) Describe some of your favorite events that you get to participate in with your sorority.

I love the exchanges with other sororities and fraternities. Zeta Tau Alpha think pink week I'm super excited for. I also really liked our sisterhood events and new member retreat. ~Madeline: Zeta Tau Alpha

7) Is everyone truly welcome into a sorority? If so, give me reasons as to why people get turned away.

The sorority community is a very inclusive one. We have a diverse student population on our campus and our community reflects that. Academics is a huge part of sorority life and something that we genuinely pride ourselves in, so our chapters do set minimum GPA requirements as other student organizations do. ~Sapphire

Of course not. When it comes to getting into a certain sorority, they have requirements. Typically they have a minimum GPA. They look out for people whose values might not coincide with theirs, or people who have "red flags" such as heavy partying or drinking. People get turned away for all sorts of things, from how well they socialize to their extracurricular activities (or lack thereof). I know Chi Omega seemed really strict on academics when I went through recruitment, so I heard they turn people down based on their GPA. ~Kathleen

8) Does everyone genuinely love each other as much as they portray it on social media?

In my opinion, yes. The pictures you see on Social Media are most likely capturing the best moments, but the real moments as well. They are also most likely with someone's big or little or someone in their family. On Instagram, girls are more likely to post pictures with their closest friends in the sorority, and they love them like their own sisters. Not every single girl is best friends but everyone shares a similar bond and accept each other for who we are. ~Sara

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate sorority life, it's just not 100% something you'd see on T.V., stereotypes and everything. It isn't all rainbows and braiding each other's hair, but we do have good times. There are some very nice people in my sorority and there are some people who I will probably never get to know. There's no way you can put a group of girls that large together and have them all wind up best friends. There are people in my sorority who hate each other, and there are truly people who love each other. But no, there is not a single person that loves everyone in the sorority, and if they say they do, then they probably don't truly know everyone.~Anonymous

9) Why do you love your big/little so much?

My big is one of the people I "love" in my sorority, meaning she is one of my closest friends in it. I do believe that if she wasn't my big, we probably wouldn't have become friends because we are two very different people, but we were put together and I'm glad. She was helpful when I first joined and had lots of questions. She made time for me to make sure I was going to events and felt like I wasn't alone in the sorority (something I highly felt in the beginning). After a year of being my big, I consider her a good friend. We get dinner regularly and hang out outside of the sorority. I know I can trust her and go to her for help if I need it. I now view her as someone outside of my sorority and as an actual friend. ~Kathleen

10) Do you feel like you are under any sort of pressure being associated with a sorority? Under any pressure from your fellow sisters?

No. We are pressured to get good grades but that's all. We are encouraged in many aspects of being in the sorority. For example, we are encouraged to come to events and encouraged to promote Sigma Kappa. ~Sara

If I do feel pressure, it is pressure to challenge myself to be the best version of myself that I can be. Sorority has pushed me to be a financially independent, empowered leader. It has driven me to succeed academically and challenge myself with new opportunities on campus and off and to get involved with different initiatives. For examples, I had sisters encourage me to explore study abroad opportunities and my experiences abroad have been the most incredible thing. I believe that there is such a thing as positive peer pressure and sorority has driven me to step out my comfort zone in the best possible way. ~Sapphire

11) Do you feel that being in a sorority gives you prestige?

I feel like being in a sorority gives you more prestige. It makes you more confidence to go out of your box. I believe that being in a sorority helps you manage your time. ~Madeline

12) Tell me why you love your sorority.

I love being in a welcoming environment full of positive, driven women. Everyone knows everyone and whenever you are out and about you manage to find a Zeta and have an instant connection. I have met so many people through my sorority and I love our philanthropy: breast cancer awareness and education. Breast cancer is such a prevalent issue in America today and everyone has a connection to someone that suffers from it. ~Madeline

Honestly, I don't. It's not a place I feel like I'll be bonded to for life. I don't wear my letters proudly (or even often wear them). I joined a sorority solely for the purpose of meeting people, which I did. And while I think I could come to love the people I befriended, I definitely don't feel a love for the entire sorority. Of course, there are girls who do love their sororities. There are girls who cry because of their sisters. In recruitment, for example, we had some of our sisters participate as recruitment counselors, so in order to have them be unbiased towards their groups, they were disaffiliated. This meant we couldn't talk to them for months. When it came time when we could see them again, many people were crying and were so excited to see each other and have their sisters back. Needless to say, I was not one of these people. We sang our sorority song together, and a lot of people were crying just because of how much they loved it, but I knew I would never be someone like that. I have two years left [in my sorority], and while I have had some great experiences and met some amazing people, once I graduate, I feel I will be leaving [it] behind. ~Anonymous

So there ya have it, the nitty gritty of sororities, good and bad. I want to thank the girls that took the time to really think out their answers and reply. There's no way I would have been able to get this out to the public without you rockstars (obviously). Thanks for giving people like me the down-low on what the hell goes on in sororities. I know there are probably many more unanswered questions that I can't think of at the moment, but I know you guys will be there to answer them in a heartbeat!