The Masochist's Institute of Technologyanecdotes of an ambitious MIT student

As most of you may know, I was born and raised in Texas, also known as The South. While Austin is radically liberal, and the state in general has gotten past its heavy southern roots, the rumours about sororities still fly like wildfire. As a high-school student, I heard that sororities were composed of snooty girls who formed cliques to drink and party, all while wearing too-short skirts and too-tight tank tops.

my former mental image of a typical sorority -
thank god MIT sororities aren’t like this!

Needless to say, my impression of sororities was not the best when I first arrived at MIT. When some friends of mine decided to do rush/recruitment for various fraternities and sororities, I stuck up my nose and adamantly insisted that I would never become a “sorority girl.” I could never picture myself wearing Greek letters and attending mixers with a bunch of bubble-headed girls, nor did I ever want to.

Through the course of the last year, though, I met many amazing women who were actually affiliated! From the president of the Panhellenic Association (Minh), to one of the hardest-working upperclassmen (Eshao), to some of the most compassionate and friendly girls in Next House (Shion and Angela), to some of the most involved girls on campus (Sandra, Amy, and so many others). It started to dawn on me that the people who were most involved in campus organizations – the people who were making the biggest impact in areas about which they cared  - were all part of MIT’s Greek societies!

Alpha Chi Omega carnation ball 2009
MIT sororities have such professionalism
and finesse – it’s amazing!

After chatting it up with some amazing “sorority girls” themselves (thank you Angela, Sooyeon, Shion, and Laura!) I decided to try recruitment this year. After all, what was there to lose (besides four days of my time)? Although the process was tedious at first, I later found it extremely fun to be able to meet so many amazing girls. Nowadays I can identify many of them in the hallways, in classrooms, or in my dorms, and it’s awesome to be able to wave and say hi. I know a lot more people now, which is helpful when you need a study buddy for a class! ;D

Making the choice between the different sororities was extremely difficult – my preferences seemed to waver from day to day. All of the ladies in each of the six sororities on campus (Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Epsilon Phi, Alpha Phi, Kappa Alpha Theta, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Kappa) were amazing, but I ended up narrowing my choices down to Theta and Alpha Chi. In the end, I feel as if I made the best choice by choosing to accept my bid to AXO! More than anything, AXO impressed me with its very down-to-earth and friendly environment, diversity, and acceptance. In fact, when I walked into the room and said, “I accept,” a large group of sisters rushed forwards, engulfed me in huge teddy-bear hugs, and then led me back into the crowd as one of their own. They taught me one of the Alpha Chi chants, and before long I was bouncing and clapping with everyone else to welcome the other new members. It was very amazing to know that from day one, we were treated just as equally as the upperclassmen sisters, and I am proud to be a new member of the pledge class of 2009 =)

So what’s so great about joining a sorority at MIT?

• You get to actually be involved! I am only a new member, but already I’ve planned an AXO event (karaoke trip) and landed myself a potential cabinet member position as the Panhel webmaster!
• You get to choose how much time you want to put into the sorority activities. Everything is optional with the exception of chapter meetings, which are 1-2 hours each week. Of course, the more you put in, the more you get out! I feel like either way, I still get the experience of being in an amazing group.
• You get to support an amazing philanthropy! Each sorority has its own, dedicated various causes. For example, Pi Beta Phi focuses on promoting literacy, while Alpha Phi raises awareness about cardiac disease. Alpha Chi Omega actually operates for its own philanthropic organization (appropriately name the Alpha Chi Omega Foundation), but we also raise money to support the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. It’s amazing to know that the events and parties we throw (such as our annual fondue) actually raise money towards a good cause. In fact, many MIT faculty even show up at our events, which just goes to say how respected we are by the administration in general!
• You meet a lot of girls who genuinely care about you. Many people have been sick lately, thanks to a strain of flu currently going around, and I’ve seen sisters bring the invalids food, make them get-well cards, etc. (I even participated in a few of the get-well activities myself!) One morning, Sam emailed us saying she really needed to go to Medical, and immediately three sisters responded to say that they would go with her so she wouldn’t faint. Likewise, when Julia nearly blacked out at the new member sleepover on Friday, three girls rushed over to prop her up, and about five others, me included, watched over them with umbrellas to block the freezing rain as we waited for the ambulance to arrive. We missed the shuttle back to campus and ended up having to wait another 30 minutes, but no one complained – we were just happy that Julia safely made it to the hospital.
• Sororities offer connections! I was wearing my pin at the Career Fair yesterday, and one of the Microsoft recruiters noticed it and remarked that she too was a member of AXO! We eventually ended up chatting a bit about the sorority in addition to my coursework and resume. In fact, one of our own MIT Alpha Chi Omega alumni was able to land a job at the CIA as a freshman because of her AXO status!

What’s not so great?

• Only one thing – cost. Unfortunately, since the sororities have their own house and are affiliated with national philanthropies, we are required to pay a fee per semester to remain a member (at least for the duration of our college life). It’s not too much (about 3 weeks of my RAship at Harvard Business School could pay it off easily), but nonetheless it is still a significant chunk of money. At least we know it’s going towards a good cause!