Research+paper+Daren

 he pros and cons of joining a fraternity or sorority When you hear the phrase Greek life what is the first thing that comes to mind? My guess is that you think of a bunch of underage frat boys corralled around a keg of beer just guzzling away cup after cup then passing out in their own vomit. Well believe it or not there’s a lot more to it than that. The Greek community in college can be a very beneficial boost to a person in many ways as well as to the school in general. There are many pros and cons to becoming a part of a college’s Greek life. In my personal experience I was not a person who came to college with the attitude of “hey I’m going to become a frat boy” because I thought it would get way to much in the way of my studies plus I didn’t want to be pressured into drinking heavy amounts of alcohol. This all changed one day during the rush week in the fall and I was sitting in my dorm room really bored and my roommate came in and told me he was going to check out some fraternities and asked me if I wanted to come. I didn’t think anything of it because I was pretty set in my mind but I went because I was super bored. We went to a few houses and there were some guys who I was like “now this is why I don’t want this” but then we got to the Theta chi house and I was shocked. All the guys in the house were so close knit and undivided. They were all really cool to talk to and seemed like they had at least a shred of intelligence so after weighing the pros and cons of joining I finally decided on pledging and I’m so glad I did because I wouldn’t change it for anything. There are many pros and cons to Greek life. One pro is obviously the big boost to your social life. When you join a Greek organization it opens a new door for your inner social butterfly. Between parties, social events with sororities, philanthropy events, community service events, and fundraisers going Greek is probably the best way to meet people while in college since just going to class and then going to your dorm room doesn’t really leave too much of a window to make friends.( (pros and cons) One con to this is that if you don’t manage time well the constant social interaction could get in the way of school work. Another pro to Greek life is that when you join an organization there are many opportunities to take up leadership roles within that group. This will broaden your leadership skills and be one heck of a good boost to the resume. While this isn’t a good reason to join if it is your only reason, it is definitely a plus. With holding leadership positions, you can certainly help that resume look better. Just being involved with something, or doing service can really help resume building. It can definitely put you on the right track to getting a job right out of college. Many fraternities and sororities have service activities that members must participate in. If you’re interested in simply giving back to the community, then it might be a good way to give back, and help your resume in the process. Remember, if building your resume is the only reason you want to become a part of Greek life, you may want to re-think your decision. One more con though is that being in a Greek organization can be very expensive. They require the payment of dues each semester, rent if you are going to live in the chapter house, and various other expenses for social events and things of that nature. This is College and Finance, so money is the primary concern. Costs of membership aren’t universal at all. Therefore, it’s important to evaluate your own situation. Be aware that you must pay your dues, or face the consequences (again, these vary depending on the organization). Many fraternities and sororities offer payment plans; some even have scholarships, which can help offset costs (if you’re getting extra money for college, you can use leftovers for dues). Evaluate if it’s cheaper to live in house, or live out of the house and pay dues. Essentially, before you make your decision, consider the costs. Greek life also supports helping other people and giving back to the community in which you live. Each national Greek organization has specific charitable causes that it devotes its community service energies toward. For example, “UR's frats and sororities dedicate their time to Amnesty International and Boys and Girls Clubs of America, as well as local causes like the Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong. Students program fundraising efforts and events as a part of their pledge to complete community service hours. According to Brockport's Greek life website (brockport.edu/campuslife/greek), undergraduate Greeks perform more than 850,000 hours of community service and raise $7 million for charities each year.” (Bakeman). Another possibly not so appealing thing about Greek life at least for fraternities is the pledging process. The people who are already members of the group will put you though a tough set of tests to test how much you actually want to get into the group. I hesitate to list this as a Con, because it is an experience. Processes are different amongst organizations, but the general consensus is that it does suck to be a pledge at times. However, I’ve had a lot of fun as well. The process is supposed to be difficult though, so be aware of that. If you hate listening to authority, doing what you’re told, doing anything you would not want to do normally, and then you should strongly consider not going Greek. Hazing is condemned by all Greek organizations (that I’m aware of), but everyone knows that a certain level will most likely take place. Depending on how you deal with it, it can be a very big con, a minor annoyance, or enjoyable. (pros and cons) That does it for the cons but there are also two more huge pros to Greek Life. One is lifelong friendships. This is the biggest pro of all in my opinion. Due to the things you go through as a group and the time you spend together you become a close knit group and the people you meet in these organizations will be the people who come to your wedding, fishing trips, or just hanging out. The people you encounter during membership will be your friends until the day you die. Another huge pro is connections. When you join a Greek organization you encounter many people who are in differing study fields. These people can become great connections for business and even personal needs. There are also most likely some alumni if the group who work in the same field you want to work in so you could have help with employment just for being a member of that group. In conclusion there are both pros and cons to joining a Greek organization. It is just up to the individual to decide whether or not the good outweighs the bad. One thing is for sure. Make sure to do research on fraternities and sororities before you go to join one so you know what to expect and if you do decide to join put all that you can into it because you will get back from it what you put into it. Personally for me this was the best decision I have ever made but it varies between people. This concludes my research on the good and bad of Greek life.