What Greek Life Did For Me

One of the most common questions that often leads to heated debates stems from the relevancy of participating in Greek life. Often, as I speak to non-Greeks, their big question is why they should join a Greek letter organization and what it will do for them that they can't get from joining other organizations. I often have more answers than I can cohesively and concisely explain in a short time. Now that it is the season of new member presentations, a lot of young new Greeks will be stepping into a world they didn't know they were signing up for and sparks of interest will start to stir in some non-Greeks. Therefore, I though I'd take the time to shed some light on what type of personal growth I experienced as a result of being a member of my organization.

Posts for each of the 7 aspect of Greek Life that contributed most to who am I now are linked below for easy access.

Putting Your Best Foot Forward

Joining a BGLO forces you to take note of how other people view you. Your actions reflect your organization (and possibly other BGLOs), thus you are expected to act accordingly. Being mindful of how your actions are viewed by external parties is not just helpful for the image of your organization but for you as an individual as well... Read more

Mastering the Art of Public Speaking

Many times as a Greek you may be forced in the spotlight, but no spotlight is brighter than the new member presentation. Introducing yourself to campus this way is quite the jolt in public speaking lessons... Read more

Leading the Way

While a BGLO is not the only place for you to find topics you are passionate about to drive you into leadership positions, it is definitely chock full of opportunities. At the very least, if you join a small organization you will automatically be placed in leadership positions and if you join a large organization you acquire the voting power to win elections in other organizations... Read more

Excuses Are Tools of the Incompetent

Eliminating excuses ensures that you recognize two important things: 1) the task did not get completed and 2) it is you who did not complete it. This puts a lot of things into perspective... Read more

Creating Bonds

The people in your organization become your extended family—you might not like all of them and some of them will probably embarrass you. However, they're always there when you need them. It's great to have friends; but it's also great to know that while I'm 2 hours away from my nearest non-soror friend, I have plenty of sorors around that I can count on like family. That's what you get when you join a BGLO, not a few friends, not a network, but a family... Read more

The Little Details of the Big Picture

Knowing how to plan for a small organization is more useful than knowing how to plan for a large organization in the sense that you can carry these traits over and they will still be advantageous. Large organizations have bigger budgets, so you may not have to scrape and find deals to afford everything you want/need. Large organizations also come with more advertising; you may not have to learn how to market your event without the aid of an advertising budget. When you can't hire a professional designer for your flyers or a professional cameraman for your promo videos, you have to learn to make quality advertisement pieces on your own. All of this comes in handy as you continue on in life... Read more

How High Will You Jump?

When you interview with a company, they want to see how much research you've done on them, how bad you want to work for them, what you bring to the table, and how much you are willing to give to mold yourself into what the company wants. Greek life is no different. While those who feel they should not have to "work" to join the organization grumble over the idea of being taken out of their comfort zone, those of us who have been there see it for exactly what it is: an interview... Read more