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Indiana University (IU) sophomore Andrea Williams listens to the gravel crunch beneath her feet as she walks across the parking lot. She's on her way to meet with her rush group before starting the first round of  

sorority

  recruitment.

Once again, Andrea will visit 19 Greek chapters, and give the Greek system another shot. Other pledges were talkative and noticeably nervous, but not her. She has gone through the recruitment process before, but this time, refuses to let friends influence her decision. "I was unsure the first time I [considered pledging] and let my three friends talk me out of it," she says. "But I have always wanted to [rush]."

Now she has friends in many sororities, which has given her a whole new perspective on Greek life. But she still has questions, as do most of the other 1,500 girls who will participate in recruitment at IU this year.

If you say the word sorority to 10 high school ladies, you'll get at least 20 different responses. Every girl entering college has her own ideas about sorority life, and every girl has a thousand different stories she can tell to back it up. But the one thing most high schoolers are missing from their perceptions about sororities is the truth. As a result, incoming freshmen across the country have a hard time deciding if sorority life is right for them.

It's hard to know what life is like in a sorority before you've been in one. And when you go through recruitment, you may only be exposed to the image the chapter wants you to see.

But don't stress out -- there are many people willing to shed light on those shady areas that might be hindering your decision. Here are a few...

1. Nothing in life is free, including the Greek system.
The financial responsibility you accept when you decide to join a chapter is substantial. New-member fees can range anywhere from $300 - $1,000, depending on where you are in the country, and which house you join. But the expense is not totally unreasonable when you consider the cost of apartment life. For example, the average rent advertised in the Michigan Daily (the University of Michigan's student newspaper), is $500 a month. Add in $50 for utilities, $10 for laundry, approximately $160 for food, a "social budget" of $100, and you get a grand total of $820 per month!

Then again, if you check the Web sites of the University of Michigan (UM) and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, dorm life is significantly cheaper than living in a sorority house.

UM's monthly rate for a quad room in Fletcher Hall is $455, including meals. You have all the conveniences of being on campus, plus someone to cook your food and clean your bathroom.

It's all a matter of deciding which lifestyle you want, and what's within your financial means.

2. Living in a sorority house may cramp your living space.
It's enough of a challenge to figure out how to live with one roommate - imagine trying to live with two or three.

Most sorority houses are built to fit anywhere from two to eight girls per room. Some houses have "dormers" or "cold dorms," which hold one or two big rooms for all to sleep in, and separate rooms on different floors where members keep their belongings.

Take Stacey Palevsky's room, for example. Almost every inch of the Sigma Delta Tau member and IU junior's 16x18-foot room is covered with something. The four desks that make a smaller square in the center of the room are barely holding the four computers, pencil cups, half-burned candles, empty film canisters, old papers, and planners that cover the top.

"I have no space and no privacy, and sometimes I feel trapped," says Stacey. "I love my roommates, but the high-stress environment we live in is totally not conducive to my ideal lifestyle."

Despite the limited space, Stacey says she has enjoyed certain aspects of the smaller community living style.

"Although privacy is a rarity, it is really comforting to know that there is always someone around to laugh with or talk to."

3. Grades are just as important in a sorority as they are out of one.
Universities are centered on education, and as a student, academics should be your top priority. Most sororities and fraternities stress scholastics, and provide many tools to help you along the way. "Most chapters are required to implement a Scholarship program," says Katie White, president of the Delta Gamma chapter at Denison University, Granville, OH. "In our chapter, we have a list of majors (for curious underclassmen), a list of tutors for each major, and a system where if a member falls below the chapter GPA requirement [2.25], we will work with that member to help her out."

"It's all about balance," says Mary Catherine Denmark, director of the student resource center at Washington & Jefferson College, Washington, PA.

"College is 90 percent about what you learn outside of the classroom, and 10 percent inside. But it's the 10 percent that keeps you [at college]."

4. All sorority girls think alike - NOT!
Put any group of 50 women together, and you're bound to find leaders, followers, and those who just want to break away.

Sororities are no different. Some people believe sororities promote uniform thinking, because of the environment of peer pressure they can create. To some extent, this can be true.

Psychologist Gregory Allen Martinez of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, discovered that girls in sororities who identified strongly with their chapter also happened to answer somewhat uniformly to his research questions. His study also revealed women in "high-status" sororities were more likely to identify themselves with their chapters than women in "low-status" sororities. Basically, the stronger, more popular houses showed more uniformity in their thinking than women in the lesser-known houses.

Stacey says she would tell anyone who is worried about uniformity of thought to make sure she knows what she's getting into before joining. "I think some girls lack a firm grasp on their identity and individuality, and therefore easily go along with the opinions and attitudes of the house majority."

By remaining skeptical and critical of chapter guidelines, however, Stacey says she is able to offer an opposing opinion and steer clear of falling victim to a "group-think" mentality.

Will Going Greek Be a Go for You?
Like most lifestyle changes, life in a sorority has its ups and downs. Despite the roller-coaster, many of the women who have experienced it say the ride was worth it in the end.

"It was a great experience for me," says Tri-Delta alumna Jennifer Martin. "I'm glad I did it. I gained a closeness with those women."

This time, Andrea hopes to get a taste of that as she goes through recruitment. Although she wasn't convinced last year, she is certain she will find her place in the Greek system this time around.


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Dawn Papandrea is the Managing Editor of The CollegeBound Network. Learn more about finding a school that's right for you.

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