I go to a small university, which in turn has a small Greek population. There are only four sororities on campus and they each only have twenty to thirty members each. Tiny, I know. So the first time I heard the term “top-tier sorority” was only about a year ago. At first, I didn’t get it. Sure, the words all made sense to me and I understood the concept, but it wasn’t something I instinctively understood on a deeper level. The essential root of being a top-tier sorority is that you are the most popular and every girl strives to get a bid from your chapter. At least that’s my understanding. It’s the crown jewel of the sororities.
Usually the sorority, or sororities in some cases, have been on campus for decades and have built up a good reputation of some sort. It might be that they have the best parties, hang with all the right people, or are super pretty and flawless. It sounds shallow and superficial but it is what it is. You want to make sure you’re in with the best and so you gravitate towards these sororities. Since Greek life at my university is so small, the term is difficult to apply. In short, there really is no such thing as a top-tier sorority at a small school. At least not in the traditional sense. Let me break it down.
When you only have four sororities to choose from, the “popular” sorority varies from year to year. There is a smaller pool of PNMs and with each new group comes new personalities. The same goes for bigger universities for well but the mass amount of girls coming out compared with the different personalities usually equals itself out. At a small school though, you may have an abundance of one type of girl one semester and another the next. When looking to join a sorority, you look for the girls you’re going to click with. The ones who are like you. Because of this, there’s usually one sorority that becomes super popular that semester. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the other sororities. It’s just that the group of girls who came out click with a specific one. This leads to one of the four getting the majority of the PNM’s and the other three dividing the rest, essentially making them the top-tier sorority that semester.
There is also a different level of competition when it comes to being “the best” each year. Since we’re small to begin with, there’s an underlying feeling of comradery between the four sororities. At larger schools, being top-tier puts a target on your back. You almost always get the girls you want, leading to constant competition. There seems to be less of that when you only have ninety girls in the entire greek community. Of course you’re devastated when you don’t get the girls you want or find out you’re getting less than you expected that semester, but it’s really only disheartening for a moment because you know that next time around you could be the “it girls”. The uncertainty is stressful and it makes you want to pull your hair out during recruitment but when you are the top-tier sorority, you feel like you’ve earned that status.
Just because your sorority may not be top-tier every semester doesn’t mean you’re any less amazing than the sororities that are. Hell, I think it makes you appreciate it even more and work that much harder to make your sorority the best. And who knows, all of your hard work could earn your sorority a permanent top-tier spot in years to come. Or maybe you’ll just have to enjoy the merry-go-round that is being part of a small greek community..
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WineFirst_AskLater
WineFirst likes her wine white, chilled, and alone, although she's been known to share on rare occasions. In an attempt to not grow up, she procrastinates all things adult, such as not paying off her credit card bill and watching re-runs of Sex and the City. If you have any funny stories or new leads (or videos of kids falling down) e-mail her at: winefirst.asklater@gmail.com
@meg_lee_eliza
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