GreekScholars redefining the Stereotypes

William & Mary's Greek community always makes a big point about being different from Greek life at a lot of  other schools, and to me  that starts with Greek students focus on academics. When people think about fraternities and sororities, what is it that usually comes to mind? Probably a bunch of drunk college kids going out every night of the week, hazing their pledges, and ignoring their academic responsibilities. Here at W&M, while we still certainly know how to have fun, everyone is conscious that they are here to be students first--and it shows. Greek students aren't just campus leaders, they are leaders in the classroom too. There are tons of Greeks on the Dean's List, in Honor societies, and with tremendous GPA's--and they are not a small minority.

As you're reading this, you may be thinking, so what? Which is I guess where my own personal experience comes in. Coming into college I was adamant that I would never go Greek, and my parents were pretty happy about that.  They saw it is as something that would detract from  my college experience and not something that would enhance it, and so did I.  However, after a few months at school, I began to have a change of heart, rushed, and found myself joining a fraternity. My parents were less than pleased--they were concerned that I would perform terribly in the classroom and that my brothers would be a terrible influence, but they were definitely proven wrong. I excelled in the classroom and once my parents spent some time around fraternity men, they realized I wasn't lying when I told them it was different at W&M. They saw my friends, who were in a variety of chapters, acting responsibly, excelling in the classroom, and developing life-long friendships, and they eventually became supportive of my being a fraternity--even offering to pay my chapter dues. My story is no anomaly either--Greek students all over campus have stories to share that are similar to mine. So if you're thinking about going Greek, and you're concerned it'll hurt your school work, all I have to say is: What are you waiting for?