From a young age, children in the United States are taught to work hard in school in order to get into a good college and go on to a successful career. A successful career can be measured strictly by the profit someone makes; sometimes that is all people look for. However, in order to make those substantial salaries one must have the intelligence, but also the social awareness, financial, and leadership skills to thrive in the workplace. Fraternities and sororities provide the platform to do so.

Regardless of the organization someone is a part of, the best way to prepare for life after college is to get involved and enter a leadership role (Reid). Greek life does assist in both involvement and leadership, but the public sometimes fails to recognize this. No matter how beneficial it is, being a part of Greek Life does not make members better people than their non-Greek counterparts. Also, success and career readiness is not exclusive to sorority women and fraternity men just because they wear foreign letters and pins on their clothing. The lessons and skills Greek members have learned through their organizations over a course of four years is what makes them successful post-graduation. Exposing the truth about Greek life to potential college students, parents, and employers will allow them understand that these specific organizations can create a positive impact and serve as a tool of value for the futures of those who join.

Sororities and Fraternities are just like any other organization on a college campus. Forming relationships and working towards a common goal are aspects that all types of organizations have in common. The only difference is that Greek life is just a little more exclusive. Greek life was started to provide support and fellowship for students when getting a college degree was not the most popular course for young men and women (Routon). These organizations were initially structured by looking at the traits from the Greeks. Two aspects of life valued by the Greeks included “enlightenment” and the “entitled youth.” These traits, in theory, were instilled to make members more competitive in any evolving society (Bronner). 

A person cannot survive in a workplace unless they are able to work with the people around them. Social awareness involves being able to understand and respond to the needs of others. Situations involving constantly having to talk to and interact with others on a daily basis builds social skills, therefore furthering social awareness. Institutions are the reason for ongoing socialization of students and the development of their values. Because of this, the combination of academics and socialization is critical to earning a degree. The more engaged the student, the more access they will have to social capital in their future (Hu). Student engagement in college extends to early on in one’s career. 

A Gallup survey was conducted that concluded Greek members are significantly more engaged and happier in the work place. The survey itself covered both work place engagement and well-being in order to determine what happens during college that leads to success (Jacobs). Thirty-thousand surveys were distributed to and answered by graduates of Purdue University. All responses were self-reported, and suggested the Greek experience could provide benefits to everyone. Results showed the members of fraternities and sororities are more likely to be intellectually and emotionally connected to the organization they are working for. The education director of Gallup concludes that Greek members thrive in all five elements that pertain to well-being; purpose, social, financial, community, and physical. Under each category Greeks were ten percent higher than their non-Greek counterparts (Reid). In addition, forty-three percent of full time Greek members reported feeling engaged in the workplace; while, thirty-eight percent of non-Greek members felt engaged at work. Work place engagement falls under doing what you are best at, liking what you are doing, and having a personable figure that cares about personal development. Community well-being goes hand in hand with these concepts; it also relates to the sense of engagement someone has, but includes liking the area someone is in, feeling safe there, and feeling pride towards it. Greeks are more likely to feel fulfillment in their work and their interactions with co-workers. Strong social relationships provide for access to numerous resources (Jacobs). 

Another study was conducted on the graduating classes of 2005 and 2006 at Duke University (Walker). Their entire college career was analyzed through four surveys that were administered in the summer prior to each year. This data does not specifically represent every higher educational institution, but Duke is similar to other public and private universities. Results showed that Greeks have more advantaged social origins and arrive on campus with a greater emphasis on maintaining a social life throughout college. Membership led to a higher level of involvement and satisfaction with the social scene on campus. Eighty-five percent of all Greek members surveyed in this study reported being an active member in at least one other extracurricular activity on campus. Other findings included that Greeks are no less committed in class compared to the non-Greeks. Also, sixty percent of Greeks studied abroad while only thirty-eight percent of non-Greeks studied abroad. Finally, there was no difference in grades, academic performance, and post-graduation plans between both groups. 

Financial stability is a very hard thing to achieve and maintain especially when first entering the real world. If one is prepared to work hard and knows how to handle their accounts appropriately, the transition will be smoother from a dependent college student to an independent member of society. Membership requires a large financial commitment, but the returns are projected to be much greater in the long run.

 It is true that members of Greek life are more likely to come from more well set off families when compared to their counterparts. This can be proven through the monthly required dues. At Duke University, members are normally paying a minimum of one thousand dollars annually. Most of the time the money is provided by the parents of the members. However, many parents require their children to pay their own dues. When that is the case there tends to be more of a struggle since college is already expensive. What people do not know is that Greek life is dedicated to scholarship. Money can be provided to the less unfortunate members that are unable to pay their monthly dues. These opportunities must be sought out by the members themselves, and most of the time there are extensive requirements (grades, need, etc.). No matter where the money is coming from, it is still the members’ own responsibility to make the actual payments. The monthly statement is in their name, not their parents’ or their organization’s. This process provides skills in working with financial statements and balancing accounts. Members will need these skills in order to pay their bills after college and remain financially stable. 

In order to provide for one’s self and pay bills on time a salary is required. A study was conducted to examine the correlation between engagement in college activities and early career earnings (Hu). The overall goal was to analyze the economic value in post-secondary education and its function in society. Two factors being examined were student background achievements impacting earnings and positions, and the mechanism by which a college education can influence how much someone earns and their well-being. Three surveys were administered to the students of the University of Chicago over the course of five years.  Half of the students surveyed were Gates millennium Scholars while the rest had applied but were not accepted to the scholar’s program. The program was only open to minorities. Through the surveys they reported their major, involvement, and annual earnings. 

The result was that involvement had a positive effect on students once they were working as a part of the labor market. This positive relationship between engagement and early career earnings allows people to identify with the fact that being social in college can determine levels of productivity. The interesting part was that academic engagement was not directly related to earnings. Fraternity graduates earn six thousand more than non-Greek men annually. While on the other hand sorority women are slightly less likely to be employed compared to non-Greek women, but are more satisfied with the amount of money they are earning (Routon). Similar to most circumstances, the males do have the advantage over the females. 

The only way to make more money in any kind of job is to rise in the rankings. In order to reach the highest managerial position, one must be good at their job, but also know how to lead their people to greatness. Half of the Top 10 Fortune 500 CEOs were apart of Greek life. In addition, forty-four percent of American Presidents, thirty-one percent of Supreme Court Justices, thirty-nine senators, and one-hundred and six Congress members were a part of a fraternity or sorority (Routon). 

According to the CEO of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, Pete Smithhisler, fraternities and sororities have always emphasized the value of mentoring and intergenerational relationships (Reid). Mentorship and leadership roles are very prominent in the Greek world and provides great experiences for members.  Experience can be directly linked to the ability of someone being able to transition smoothly to a workplace setting. The more experienced someone is, the more likely they are to feel comfortable with sharing their ideas with others. For example, fraternity business meetings and holding multiple officer positions can mimic real world management roles (Reid). An organization will work optimally when everyone is providing the same level of quality effort. 

Greek life can be considered similar to any other organization whether it is a sports team or a service club. Everyone involved has a common goal that bonds them together as one—like raising a certain amount of money or winning a championship. All organizations have a purpose, but Greek life presents more opportunities to network and build interactive skills; whereas sports and clubs build more task based skills. Having a certain skill set can secure a job for life; the world always needs hard workers. However, management and higher level positions require having the skills, but knowing the “why.” Skills are the “what” and managing is the “why.” Knowing why is what creates strong leaders that people will be willing to rally behind (Koesters). All of these organizations (Greek, service, sports, etc.) provide the opportunity to hold a leadership role, but being a good team captain can only get you so far. Presidents and Vice President of fraternities and sororities are exposed to real world situations that will apply after college. Greek leaders have to maintain a lofty budget, while also remaining accountable for all of their active members. Many hats are worn that the average team captain or coach would not have to think of—that is what managers and athletic directors are for. In the Greek world, there are higher counsels that oversee each chapter’s conduct and can provide punishment accordingly. However, most of the time this is done internally by the chapter itself; larger groups only get involved if there is a high risk situation at stake. Leaders within a sorority or fraternity can always ask for help, but most of the time they are the ones that are making the hard decisions about spending or risk management. 

 Fraternities and sororities can generate good experiences; however, they are believed by some to be outdated. At Cornell Professor Schwarz believes that Greek life is unnecessary since they have a multitude of organizations that can provide the same, and even more, benefits as sororities and fraternities. Social sororities and fraternities were created to provide a community and networking opportunities. He argues that Greek life is not the only way to create that kind of community. He challenges universities to consider whether or not Greek systems are still useful. His main argument is that Greek life is not worth maintaining because it is one of the main cause of problems on a campus that brings out the worst behavior of students. The professor blames institutions for keeping Greek life due to money purposes and ignoring the negative effects. Schwarz ultimately concludes that students should be wary of Greek life and look at other alternatives to finding friends (Schwarz).

Over the past few decades, sororities and fraternities have gone through the “Animal House Effect.” Most Americans undermine and discriminate members of Greek organizations based on a stereotype—just like Mr. Schwarz.  It is not a secret that drinking and drugs are present in college, and even more so for Greek members. Outsiders get distracted by the social endeavors of sororities and fraternities. Some potential new members only go through the recruitment process because of these “social perks.” These social settings are first seen through movies, television, and social media platforms by younger generations. Greek organizations are viewed as private worlds within a democratic society, which brings national concerns because of the secretive nature. However, there are aspects of Greek life that are not hidden from the public eye. Binge drinking, hazing, and sexual assault has been at the forefront of almost all public references to Greek life. These aspects of sororities and fraternities aren’t accepted by the public; however, these organizations serve to do much more than party and haze their pledges. It is unfair to assume that all members are in accordance with these behaviors. Once someone joins a fraternity or sorority, they will recognize why the existing stereotype does have some truth to it. However, they will then learn to see the organizations for what they really are, and not the stereotype.

It is unethical to say that it is impossible to succeed in a career if you were not a part of Greek life in college. Employers cannot accept or deny applicants based strictly on two to three letters from the Greek alphabet that are listed—or not listed—at the tops of resumes. However, the point of college is to seize every opportunity there is to better ourselves mentally and academically. No matter if someone decides to go Greek or not, all experts strongly advise to do one thing. The numbers all show that being involved in something and having a leadership role can better prepare someone for life after college when it pertains to social, financial, and positional matters. 

Greek life provides college students with the tools needed to gain social awareness, leadership skills, and financial skills that will allow for greater success in the work place from an involvement and financial stand point. This research is not here to guilt anyone into joining a fraternity or sorority—it is not for everyone. These proven statistics are here to show that Greek life does not exist in order to provide parties and social activities on a college campus. These organizations do provide social aspects, but they are subordinate to the amount of benefits that are acquired behind the scenes. Someone that participated in a sport or book club may do just as well in the real world, but a club can only get you so far. The power that lies behind the connectivity of a brotherhood or sisterhood can be hard to match.  As Jean Mrasek, head of the National Panhellenic Conference, once said: “The bond of sisterhood [and brotherhood] is powerful and sustains overtime, transcending ages and distance,” (Reid). 
