Campus Life | Overview of Greek life

Greek life can feel very intimidating no matter what school you go to. At Pitt, Greek life is not widely known and is not that much of a big deal compared to other schools such as the University of Alabama or Syracuse.

However, if you are involved in Greek life here at Pitt, you know that sometimes it can feel very overwhelming. I can speak from my own experience that being a part of a sorority on campus has been really gratifying for me. I have met so many amazing people and made many lifelong friends which I am very thankful for. I have also been given many opportunities to help me succeed in school and my future. Greek life can provide many opportunities, such as leadership, community service, alumni networking and academic support.

I hope I can persuade you to put yourself out there if you want to join Greek life but are hesitant to do so due to rumors you may have heard or things you may have seen on TikTok.

The rush, or recruitment process, is initially difficult to comprehend, but after your first day, it is an easy and enjoyable process. I say “after your first day” because you are meeting with so many people that it can feel a little overwhelming and exhausting, especially after talking to them. There are many chapters at Pitt, and there is a place for everyone to fit in. It is important to not have unrealistic expectations and not have your hopes up too high.

It’s also important that you keep an open mind when meeting each sorority, especially as each has different philanthropies, which is when a sorority picks an organization or charity that they raise money for. On your second to last day of recruitment, Preference Round, you will feel a mix of emotions because you have to rank your top two chapters. You have to trust that everything works out in your favor and you will end up in the chapter that you are meant to be in.

This semester’s recruitment recently came to an end this past week, and Bid Day, which is the final day of recruitment when bids are given, was this past Sunday. And for me, meeting all of the new members in our chapter has been an amazing time. I am so excited to see all of the new members grow and make amazing friends with one another and with other members in the sorority. I remember my Bid Day last year — I was going through so many different emotions hoping I would end up in the right chapter for me. I opened my envelope and was so excited to see the sorority that I picked chose me as well. I picked up the crewneck that they gifted me and ran outside to Soldiers and Sailors to see all of the girls that I talked to during recruitment. This is by far one of my favorite memories to date. I hope that all of the new girls get to experience that same excitement and rush of emotions.

Since my freshman year was all online, and I still wanted to get the in-person experience somehow, I decided to rush as a sophomore at Pitt. I thought that the chapters would think it was a bit odd that I was rushing as a sophomore and not a freshman. But after talking to so many girls, I realized that it was completely normal and met so many other girls during the process that were also going through recruitment as sophomores.

This year, while I was recruiting and got the opportunity to talk to the new girls during each round, I saw that there were many sophomores just like me at the time who were also nervous and thought they were going to get judged because they were rushing during their second year. I tried my best to reassure them that it is completely fine. Personally, I think it is a better choice to rush as a sophomore because you have your friends that you met your freshman year, and now you get to meet more amazing people. It also gives you a chance to ask your friends or different people on their perspective of Greek life and what they are gaining from it.

Many people have varied opinions about Greek life, whether they are negative or positive, and some may not think it is for them. But from my experience in my chapter, I am so grateful to have put myself out there and to have met new people and have amazing opportunities.

Shriya writes about her experience as an active member in Greek life and gives an overview of the whole process. Talk to them at shy76@pitt.edu.