Let me guess. When you think of what a fraternity or sorority is, you think of movies like “Animal House” or “House Bunny” where college students are constantly partying and degrading others who are not a part of Greek life. Well, I am here to tell you those stereotypes are wrong.

The Greek community is all about coming together with others who share the same morals and values as you do. Students striving to help each other become the best possible person they can be by encouraging others to reach goals while providing assistance and support.

Many people do not understand Greek life and are confused as to what it is all about; let me answer some of those questions for you.

Why would I join Greek life?

There are many benefits to gain from joining one of these wonderful organizations. You are grouped with people who have the same interests as you, making it easier to make friends coming into college.

Once you have joined a house, you will have many different studying resources such as tutors and designated places and times to study. Some houses even have their own libraries. Being part of a Greek organization also looks great on a resume. It shows you are good with managing time, you like to challenge yourself and like to stay involved. Also when you are looking for jobs, your chapter has many resources that can recommend you to positions.

How does the recruitment process work?

Recruitment, also known as “rush,” is a mutual selection process. Fraternities and sororities have different styles of recruitment, but in both processes you can choose the houses you like. Each day of recruitment the matches decrease until it is narrowed down to one: the perfect house for you.

Does it cost anything? 

Yes, just like any other organization, being a part of Greek life does cost money and time. In return, the organization offers amazing personal results. This isn’t different from a high school sport. Each chapter has their own specific requirements regarding the financials and overall time spent working with the chapter. Most chapters have semester dues, which can be put into payment plans of your own request. A lot of houses also allow financial aid to be used for semester dues.

What if I change my mind?

After you are selected to be in a house, you have a couple of months to see if it is for you before fully commit to paying dues or being expected at mandatory events.

You can end your membership with a chapter anytime you want. It’s not recommended, but the option is there. I suggest going through recruitment to see if you end up liking a chapter, you have nothing to lose since you do not have to fully commit right away.

What are the differences between each house?

Greek life strives to push others to be their best. Each house has their own goals for striving to be the best at more specific characteristics.

For example, some chapters focus more on service and scholarship. Other chapters focus more on leadership or the sister/brotherhood of the organization. Each house also has their own philanthropy, which they plan original events and fundraisers to raise money for. Some examples are cardiac care, hearing impaired and domestic violence.

Greek chapters have been a part of our university for over 100 years and they are continuously growing. Today we have 12 fraternities and seven sororities on campus. This makes recruitment even more exciting with all of the options to choose from.

Each year we have more and more young adults register to go through the Greek recruitment process. Countless amounts of UND Greek alumni say joining a chapter was the best thing to have ever happened to them.

Are you striving to be a better, well-rounded individual and to make life long friends? Sign up for fall recruitment 2017 now.

Jordan Hermes is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected]