In your opinion, is joining a sorority worth the cost?

[Vitashort]

I just want to know everyone's personal opinions on it. Tell me why you feel it is worth it despite the cost,if you do feel it is worth it. If you don't explain why as well! I just want this discussion to be a friendly chat on everyone's experiences

I haven't seen a discussion on this, but feel free to tell me if there is one and i'll gladly go to it!

[DeltaBetaBaby]

You are asking a bunch of women in sororities if they think it is worth the money to be in a sorority. This is dumb.

[Greek_or_Geek?]

Originally Posted by Vitashort

I just want to know everyone's personal opinions on it. Tell me why you feel it is worth it despite the cost,if you do feel it is worth it. If you don't explain why as well! I just want this discussion to be a friendly chat on everyone's experiences

I haven't seen a discussion on this, but feel free to tell me if there is one and i'll gladly go to it!

I really doubt women who hang out on a Greek message board are going to tell you it's not worth it.

[Vitashort]

Believe it or not i have met quite a few sorority women who although love being in a sorority say that if they had the option they wouldn't have joined due to financial problems. I also left for discussion the reasons why it IS worth it, so it wasn't one sided. For those who do feel it is worth it i just want to hear reasons why

[AGDee]

They just mean that the women who post here tend to be women who really value their sisterhood or else they probably wouldn't be here posting.

Why is it worth the money?
My sorority membership has provided me more gifts and skills than I could ever have time to list here but they include: leadership skills- how to run an efficient meeting, how to feel comfortable with public speaking, how to make decisions for the greater good, how to coach instead of manage, how to communicate effectively to obtain desired results. financial assistance- in the form of a grant from our Foundation when I was having a medical issue that put me into an emergency financial quagmire (which actually was a larger grant than I ever paid in dues over my 28 years as a member, but now that I'm in a better financial place, I am determined to donate at least that much, and hopefully a lot more, back to our Foundation so they can continue helping other sisters). Networking opportunities- connections with alumnae sisters all over the country. But, more than anything, the sisterhood I have experienced is priceless. I have a support system and bonds with women from coast to coast and in Canada through my involvement over the last 28 years.

When I was a new member, my sister-mom (our version of big sister) told me "You get out of it what you put into it." She wasn't talking financially though. She was talking about effort, involvement. And she was spot on. All organizations need money to function and the treasurer of your chapter can give you a rundown of where your money is going. Girl Scouts, marching band, spanish club.. you pay dues to all of them. What you get out of them is really up to you!

[Vitashort]

Originally Posted by AGDee

They just mean that the women who post here tend to be women who really value their sisterhood or else they probably wouldn't be here posting.

Why is it worth the money?
My sorority membership has provided me more gifts and skills than I could ever have time to list here but they include: leadership skills- how to run an efficient meeting, how to feel comfortable with public speaking, how to make decisions for the greater good, how to coach instead of manage, how to communicate effectively to obtain desired results. financial assistance- in the form of a grant from our Foundation when I was having a medical issue that put me into an emergency financial quagmire (which actually was a larger grant than I ever paid in dues over my 28 years as a member, but now that I'm in a better financial place, I am determined to donate at least that much, and hopefully a lot more, back to our Foundation so they can continue helping other sisters). Networking opportunities- connections with alumnae sisters all over the country. But, more than anything, the sisterhood I have experienced is priceless. I have a support system and bonds with women from coast to coast and in Canada through my involvement over the last 28 years.

When I was a new member, my sister-mom (our version of big sister) told me "You get out of it what you put into it." She wasn't talking financially though. She was talking about effort, involvement. And she was spot on. All organizations need money to function and the treasurer of your chapter can give you a rundown of where your money is going. Girl Scouts, marching band, spanish club.. you pay dues to all of them. What you get out of them is really up to you!

That is true i didn't think about it like that. In that case I will change the question to "Why do you feel joining a sorority is worth the cost"

It sounds like you have a wonderful sisterhood. Hopefully everyone gets to experience that. Public speaking can be very hard so for a group of young women that are able to get you out of your comfort zone and teach you about the world seems like an incredible thing.

[AGDee]

We are often asked "Why do you pay for your friends?" and we tend to get defensive about that question, because nobody asks that about Girl Scouts or school clubs with dues. Your question could be interpreted as a thinly veiled version of that same question, which is why some people will feel defensive about it. One comment made here in the past was "If my dues were paying for my friends, then I didn't pay nearly enough."

I don't think you asked the question in that spirit, but some may interpret it that way, because it gets asked a lot, usually by people who are anti-Greek.

[FSUZeta]

Vitashort, Why do you want to know? Are you deciding on whether or not to rush? Are you researching a topic for a possible book? A paper?

[Vitashort]

Originally Posted by AGDee

We are often asked "Why do you pay for your friends?" and we tend to get defensive about that question, because nobody asks that about Girl Scouts or school clubs with dues. Your question could be interpreted as a thinly veiled version of that same question, which is why some people will feel defensive about it. One comment made here in the past was "If my dues were paying for my friends, then I didn't pay nearly enough."

I don't think you asked the question in that spirit, but some may interpret it that way, because it gets asked a lot, usually by people who are anti-Greek.

Oh no! I don't see it that way at all! Like you said there are dues in just about every club! Yes, sororities are a bit more costly, but i guess that is because you usually live in a house with sorority women and have events. I don't see it as "paying for friends" because i'm sure it isn't an automatic friendship once you are in. I'm sure that takes time to build close bonds like with any starting friendship.So I hope nobody is offended by my post because that is not how I meant it to sound. However cost is usually a big deal breaker for people thinking about rushing a sorority when they already have tuition to worry about so that was the reason for my question.

[Vitashort]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

Vitashort, Why do you want to know? Are you deciding on whether or not to rush? Are you researching a topic for a possible book? A paper?

Hi, yes I am considering rushing. Please let me know why you feel it is worth it and what being in a sorority has done for you in every way! You can even add what you did for your sorority if you'd like!

[IndianaSigKap]

I second everything AGDee said! I also want to add that in my experience, the women who regret joining or don't feel like it was worth the added expense are usually the ones who joined a chapter for the social life/parties. If someone goes into it focused on the superficial like how many fraternity parties or dances/date parties a chapter has that individual isn't going to value the personal growth aspects or the alumnae aspects.

[Vitashort]

Originally Posted by IndianaSigKap

I second everything AGDee said! I also want to add that in my experience, the women who regret joining or don't feel like it was worth the added expense are usually the ones who joined a chapter for the social life/parties. If someone goes into it focused on the superficial like how many fraternity parties or dances/date parties a chapter has that individual isn't going to value the personal growth aspects or the alumnae aspects.

I agree with this and i like your view. That could very well be the reason why people regret joining because I do think you can learn a lot from being in an organization full of strong women. Parties only get you so far. I do feel that working on your social life and social skills is important though for networking purposes and just getting you outside of your comfort zone. I am sure there are pros and cons to it, but hopefully the pros outweigh those cons.

[28StGreek]

From a purely financial viewpoint, in some cases living in a sorority house (especially with a meal plan) to my knowledge from various campuses is actually more cost-effective than having to live in on/off campus housing. Definitely more competitive than private apartments in the school's neighbourhood.

[LAblondeGPhi]

Originally Posted by 28StGreek

From a purely financial viewpoint, in some cases living in a sorority house (especially with a meal plan) to my knowledge from various campuses is actually more cost-effective than having to live in on/off campus housing. Definitely more competitive than private apartments in the school's neighbourhood.

This was the case for me. My first year live-out dues were in the range of $2,000, and my dorm costs were around $8,500 (apartment costs would be comparable). I lived in the house for three years and paid about $7,000 for combined dues/housing/meals which also included a small account for shirts and favors, and included all costs for social events.

From a purely financial viewpoint, I think many chapters with houses are very cost effective for members, if they live in. But that doesn't even begin to cover all the other wonderful things that you gain from sorority membership.

I know that for many, Greek life can be a little hard financially, but I consider it kind of like the general college investment - it will pay dividends down the road as long as you go into it with the right attitude!

[SWTXBelle]

Yes.

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