By lwilliams
Article by Melissa Pope
You may very well know that going Greek means joining an organization that encourages friendships in college, but what about the future? Isn’t that why people go to college, to think about what lies ahead? What if I told you that joining Greek life could help you in the real world and a gateway to networking, would you believe me? No? Well, let me convince you otherwise.
An Unspoken Bond
Something you may not be aware of is the underlying bond between each member of a national Greek organization. This bond is rooted in Greek traditions and rituals, and it’s something that only members of a fraternity or sorority share. So, even if you meet a complete stranger who you learn is a fellow member of the same Greek organization you joined, you and that stranger have an instant connection. As corny as it sounds, the bond of sisterhood and brotherhood is real, and it could potentially give you a leg up in life after college.
Greek Connect
Now, I’m not saying that if you join Greek life you will automatically get a job offer from a fellow sorority sister or fraternity brother. That’s not what the gateway to networking means. What I am saying is that it can definitely help! My sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, has the motto, “Real. Strong. Women.” Its national organization website states that there are approximately 230,000 women across the country who have adopted this motto as their own. That’s a lot of people who share this commonality with me! This similarity can be a great way to break the ice with a complete stranger, and potentially transform a new relationship into a much stronger one.
To get the gateway to networking ball rolling, look for ways to connect to alumni of your Greek organization. For example, you can join your Greek organization’s LinkedIn or Facebook page. A Chi O has nearly 15,000 members on LinkedIn alone! There are even ways outside of social media to get connected and network. One really great way is to become involved in national Greek conventions. Thousands of Greek members and alumni attend these gatherings, discussing ways to develop and improve the fast-growing Greek community. This could be a great opportunity to meet future mentors or build stronger relationships with Greek affiliates, new and old and that is why Greek life has a gateway to networking.
Joining Greek life definitely benefited me especially for the gateway to networking and Greek connect, so I have no doubt that you can experience the benefits, too! If you want to know more about what schools have strong Greek systems on campus, you can search for schools with high student ratings on Greek Life at Unigo.com. It also has thousands of college reviews from students with ratings on things like sports culture, intellectual life, professor accessibility, and more.
Do you have a story about how being a part of a Greek community helped you after graduation? Share your Greek networking stories with us in the comment section below.