“Are you thinking of joining Greek life?” If you haven’t heard that question from a friend or relative already, you almost certainly will once you step foot on campus. It’s one of the most commonly asked questions that first year students get asked upon entering UNH. I personally was asked numerous times by multiple people if I had an interest, along with suggestions of which fraternity I should rush. It took me until fall semester of my sophomore year to join my fraternity and not joining sooner has been one of my biggest regrets since becoming a student here.

As a first year student, you probably have no idea if you are interested or not in joining Greek life, and that’s totally normal. So consider the following as my attempt to spark an interest for you in joining a fraternity or sorority:

The best thing I can say about Greek life is that it goes far beyond just wearing the lettered sweatshirts around campus and going to chapter meetings once a week. Each fraternity and sorority is different and has its own unique style to it, but ultimately, they all share some common advantages when you become a member. Let me explain.

Greek life gives you an incredible opportunity to make an instant connection with people you wouldn’t even look twice at back in high school. It’s not buying your friends, as some people may try to tell you, rather it’s a unique bond and understanding of a choice through the shared belief that joining Greek life is a benefit, not just a cool perk. I can say that my brothers are some people I can count on to be friends and companions for life, not just within the four years I have here at UNH. Fraternity brothers and sorority sisters are people you can look to for assistance and help once it’s time for you to walk away from UNH. The best example of this in action is networking.

Being a member of Greek life provides another huge opportunity to establish a working relationship once you start preparing to find a job in the real world post graduation. Alumni of fraternities and sororities frequently will give back to their chapter, such as donations for chapter funding, but more importantly, these contributions can be future employment and housing opportunities, or other things of that nature. Don’t take that the wrong way, as I’m not saying being in a fraternity and sorority will instantly land you a job once you graduate. But don’t you think it’s better to have a connection with someone, like a brother or sister, when looking for a job? Just a little something to consider.

Personally, I like to look at the bigger picture and find promise in those things, but the most important reason why you should join as a first year student is this: it’s a heck of a lot of fun. Whether it’s just hanging out after class, going out on the weekends or getting all dapper for the semester formal, I’ve never had a bad time when I’m with my fraternity brothers. Being a brother now and looking back on my endeavors before Greek life, I can’t imagine life without it; it’s an awesome time that gets better as you go along.

Now, I  also understand that being a part of an organization of that stature isn’t for everyone, and that my points in this piece won’t instantly change people’s minds on their opinion of Greek life, and I don’t expect it to. What I hope you take away from this is that choosing to join Greek life isn’t all about the partying and the other stigmas attached to it. It’s an opportunity to grow as a person and advance your life, which is probably a big part of why you chose to come to UNH in the first place, isn’t it? So I highly encourage you to come out and rush. If you don’t like it, no harm done; but if you choose to join Greek life, I can say with strong conviction that it will be one of the best decisions you will ever make.