So either your school year has just started up, or you’re about to get back to the grind (kidding) of living the college dream. Most schools have fraternities and sororities that make up Greek life, and chances are you either know a couple people involved, or some people that are thinking about joining. Whether you’re a freshman, or have already been in school for a bit, the option to join Greek life is available to you, and you might be thinking about it yourself. We have put together a list of pros and cons to donning the letters:

Pros

Awesome parties

It’s a pretty well known fact that Greek life typically throws some bangers for parties. Frats are where it’s at for a huge rager with a ton of people that are all in it to get hammered and meet each other. This is especially perfect for you incoming freshmen that want to meet as many people as possible. You’re too young to hit the bars, so everyone flocks to the frats. Now if you’re a member of the frat, you’re the one throwing the party, and everyone wants to be buddies with the guy throwing the party of the year. Not to mention the sorority girls typically have an easy in at all the frat parties.

Instant group of friends with same interests

Now, if it is a big house with a ton of members, you might not be best friends with everyone in the house, but chances are you’ll get along with most of them. Current members pick the new members based on how they think they would fit in with the rest of the house, and you get to have a say in which houses you want to join as well. Because of this, most likely you will end up with a house with a bunch of instant friends you share for life.

Great connections for after school

Greek life is perfect way to land that job you want after school. With the many members in your own chapter, as well as nationwide, employers look for their own as they know the values they hold. Many people have gotten jobs because of the fraternity or sorority they were in during college, whether it was from a member they knew, or the interviewer happened to be a part of the same letters.

Get involved with your school

Fraternities and sororities have to complete a minimum number of community service hours and events each year, and they typically compete with each other to see who can have the most. This means putting on events for the school and surrounding town. These typically aren’t boring events either. It’s a great way to get involved, have fun, and meet even more people while boosting your resume and helping others.

Cons

Can cost a lot of money

Fraternities and sororities are essentially like small business, and they cost money to run. Between throwing the theme parties, being a part of a national chapter, and getting the perks that come along with it, it costs money per member in the form of member dues. Typically paid for by semester, depending on which house you’re in, they can add up. Sororities are notorious for costing a ton of money to be a part of, so make sure you ask about these.

Pledging can suck

We aren’t getting to get too much into this, but it’s a well known fact that pledging a fraternity or sorority can be brutal. Pledging is the initiation processing period for potential members to join, and we are sure you’ve heard plenty of stories. Now, laws have buckled down on Greek life to make pledging not as dangerous, but expect to sleep little, and to do menial tasks for current members at all hours of the day and night.

Some people look down upon Greek life

Not everyone is a fan of Greek members, and some will let you know it. Whether it’s because of the stories about pledging, the money it can cost, or the parties that are constantly thrown, some people are really against it. Like anything in life though, there are going to be benefits and drawbacks to doing something, so take anything people say about Greek life with a grain of salt!