The Pros and Cons of Going Greek

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Purpose

As soon as students graduate high school they are faced with choices that they must make that will have an everlasting effect on the rest of their lives. They must first make one of the hardest decisions on whether or not to pursue higher education or go directly into the workforce. At this point in their lives they are regarded as adults and must make adult decisions, and whatever they decide they will only lead to more choices. Now many of these new adults will decide to go away to college to get an education. Now just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean your family is out of the picture, they want you to succeed and will help you make difficult decisions like choosing where you will live while you are away. This can be a very difficult and in-depth decision because you want to live where you will succeed academically but also thrive socially. The purpose of this article is to give students and their families some knowledge of what they are getting into if they decide to live in a fraternity or sorority and whether or not it is right for them.

There are many factors that go into choosing the best place to live while in college. Some of the more common factors are cost, proximity to campus, amenities, size, and popularity but are these really the only things to consider? What about alcohol / drug use, events, limitations, commitment, and belonging? These should be addressed where ever you look, and if you participate in a housing fair you can get some good answers in these topics but you also need to do your own homework on each individual place. If you decide to look at the Greek life there are a few things that you should know that you probably won’t hear by talking directly to the fraternity or sorority. Gre...

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...=300583 on April 2, 2014.

Mayfield, J & Mayfield L. Living in Greek life. (November 8, 2013). Twice the college advice Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/twice-the-college-advice

Sanday, P. R. (1990). Fraternity gang rape sex, brotherhood, and privilege on campus. New York, NY: New York University Press.

Wilkie, L. A. (2010). The lost boys of Zeta Psi: A historical archaeology of masculinity at a university fraternity. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Winston, R. B., Nettles, W. R., & Opper, J. H. (1987). Fraternities and sororities on the contemporary college campus. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

7 Considerations When Thinking About Greek Life, (2011, September 20). U.S. News Retrieved April 10, 2014, from http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/twice-the-college-advice/2011/09/20/7-considerations-when-thinking-about-greek-life

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