Greek life has long held a bad reputation in the media. Fraternities and sororities are often portrayed as party houses in the media.

However, not all sororities and fraternities are actually just party houses.

Halle Nick, 2013 graduate, Josh Hoeven, 2014 graduate, Jolee Webb and Hewleek McKoy, 2015 graduates, are all in Greek life at the colleges they attend; they all stated that they love being in their respective sorority/fraternity.

Nick and Hoeven both said that they didn’t expect to be a part of Greek life at their school.

“I didn’t expect to go anywhere near any kind of ‘frat’ when I came to college, but once I got here, I met some really amazing people, and they all turned out to be in a fraternity,” Hoeven said.

Being in a sorority means being in a house that sometimes holds over 160 girls, but that doesn’t take away from the sisterhood bond that the girls feel.

“I may not be best friends with them, but I honestly feel like I can walk into any room of my house and talk to any of the girls if I need a heart-to-heart,” Nick said.

The stereotypes of Greek life are sometimes true, but definitely not in all cases.

“Every sorority and fraternity is different,” McKoy said. “While most don’t fit the stereotype, you will find one or two that do.”

People shouldn’t judge all sororities and fraternities based on the media or the select few that fit stereotypes because there are many more that don’t fit that stereotype.

“There are plenty of fraternities and sororities that defy what TV and movies show everyone,” Hoeven said. “The goals of fraternities and sororities focus on developing and helping their members to grow, while giving back to the community around them through philanthropy and community service.”

Webb and Nick both recommend that anyone who is thinking about joining should join.

“Greek life isn’t for everyone, but it is impossible to tell until you try the experience,” Nick said.

The benefits of being in Greek life are definitely worth being a part of a sorority or fraternity according to Webb.

“For me, the benefits are leadership positions, a family away from my family, community service, philanthropy opportunities and just a lot of fun activities,” Webb said.

Hoeven has also benefitted from being a part of his fraternity.

“I’ve been able to serve as the Recruitment Chair of my fraternity and also on the National Executive Board, for which I got flown out to Las Vegas to attend a board meeting and provide undergraduate perspective,” Hoeven said.

All of the graduates believe people shouldn’t judge sororities and fraternities from what they think they already know; they should go out and see if it would be something beneficial to them.