No one’s perfect, not even the quintessential sorority girl. We all make mistakes, do dumb things, have regrets, and that’s only exacerbated when you’ve got an abundance of alcohol, estrogen and strong opinions. But which of those faux pas are forgotten by the time breakfast rolls around and which will forever ruin our reputations?

I reached out to our panel of sorority women to weigh in on that very question. They’ve been to a lot of events, parties and chapter meetings. They’ve seen it all, so they know what they’re talkin’ about. You new to a sorority? Thinking about joining? An older member with an exec board position? Listen up – we can all learn a little something from these ladies. Read More »

We are officially well into spring semester, and if you are a sorority girl that only means one thing: recruitment. For some it’s the first round of rush for the school year. For others, this is not your first recruitment rodeo. If you fall into the latter category, bless your little hearts! That’s dedication, people.

And while you’re all in the throes of cheers, small-talk and late nights in the chapter house figuring out who would make the perfect sister, let’s talk about a hot topic. No, not the latest recruitment chants for your chapter, or cutest matching outfits… something much more controversial:

Frill vs. no frill recruitment.

What the heck does frill recruitment mean? My own personal definition: frill recruitment amps up sorority rush all that….er…frill. The decorations, the matching outfits, the song and dance (literally). There’s so much frill that a PNM’s (potential new member) decision about a chapter could be swayed based on how over-the-top their house is decorated. Read More »

Hazing. It’s a touchy subject, and by “touchy” I mean one that we never want to touch on… or ever be a part of. I happen to come from a very anti-hazing chapter and university, both of which take ample precautions to eliminate hazing. Yet at colleges across the country, hazing still exists (and goes too far). And it exists in student groups and organizations that don’t have Greek letters in their names.

Why, then, are sorority and fraternity incidents the ones that are always making national news?

Most recently, two fraternities and one sorority at George Washington University were stripped of their houses on campus for hazing and underage drinking incidents. And of course, the story made it into the Washington Post. And this wasn’t the first time that’s happened.

In fact, it seems to me that the only time hazing stories get any media attention, they involve the Greek community. (It also seems that the only time the Greek community gets any media attention it’s for hazing, but that’s a whole different issue.) Should those who break the rules (and the law!) be punished for their actions? Absolutely. Should those who stand by and let it happen be punished too? Yes. But we all know that it’s not just the frat boys and sorority girls who partake in hazing rituals. Read More »

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Back in the day when I was a wee freshman just starting the rush process, I was scared. Scared of talking to all those older girls, scared of rowdy fraternity boys throwing water balloons at me as I walked from house to house (wet, frizzy hair? OH THE HORROR), scared of not even getting into a house….

Most of all though, I was scared of what being in a sorority would do to the rest of my life. I had watched many older friends go through the whole sorority process and I knew about all the activities, meetings, date parties, social events, etc. that come with it. Would I be able to handle it all? Would my GPA?

I think a lot of people (like my parents) have the same concern: is it possible to juggle everything successfully? The answer: YES. It may not be easy, but it doesn’t take long to figure out a way to balance out friends and exams, roommates and papers, tailgates and gym dates, and this week our panel of sorority sisters is going to share their secrets for making it all happen. (Here’s a hint: it starts with “plan” and ends with “ner.”) Read More »

This week’s Greek Speak is powered by our pals at GreekGear.com. Whether you wanna stock up on new sweats for yourself or get an adorable iPhone case for your big sis, they’ve got all the latest and greatest Greek goodies. They even have fraternity poker chips for the BF. And right now you can get it all for 10% off by entering “Candy10″ at checkout!

If you have been keeping up on your Greek Speak reading, then you know that last week I let it slip that sometimes there might possibly be teensy, weensy, little bitty cat fights between pledge classes. No big deal and nothing we can’t keep under control. BUT, I might have left out a somewhat important detail; a reason why these catfights happen….

Let’s face it. Sometimes you get a bid to a house and it’s just not a good fit. Hanging out at the house feels uncomfortable, you and your new pledge class just aren’t clicking, you realize Greek life isn’t for you. Bottom line: you hate it and you want out. NOW.

To put you in the stickiest situation, I am going to assume you are a pledge who is not been initiated but has paid your dues (because those often come during the pledge process, when you are part of the house but not officially IN it yet). You’re in an uncomfortable situation… SO uncomfortable you feel like you have drop out. Get over the fact that you’ve been brutally robbed of all the new member fees; those won’t be coming back to you so just forget it and move on. At this point, what you need to be thinking about is how to bow out gracefully, sans a drama-filled and unnecessary scene. Read More »

We have incredibly exciting news coming straight from the CollegeCandy headquarters. This just in: CollegeCandy is  launching  a brand new column this fall for sorority girls across the country. We’re looking for the ultimate sorority girl, a Greek life die-hard willing to dish out an honest perspective on sorority life.

She needs to have strong writing skills, a sense of humor, knowledge on all things Greek (from rush etiquette to theme parties), and an overall willingness to give advice to sorority girls (and soon-to-be sorority girls) from all over America.

Does this sound like a girl in your house? Does this sound like you? Read More »

[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site. We love a strong woman, so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like dating a geek!) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

Having spent my college years at a *ahem* non-traditional school, sororities were never something I considered – we don’t even have a campus, let alone a Greek system. But nonetheless, I suppose I’ve always looked down a bit on sorority girls… at least until recently when one of my best friends told me she was going to rush this year. So now, in all fairness, it seems like I owe it to these Greek girls to re-examine my thoughts.

I can certainly see the appeal of a sorority - the belonging, the sisterhood, and it would definitely have been handy to have some older girls around as a kind of mentor for those times when I let myself get out of hand. You have a place to live (a place that’s probably nicer than the dorms); you have a choice of what kind of group you want to be with, so you probably have some things in common. By being thrown into a sort of automatic family, you up your chances of making friends, moreso than in most ordinary social situations, and you are more bonded with those friends because of all that you share. Read More »