College is the perfect place to form lasting relationships, and cliques or groups characterize the social scene. Such groups consist of students who share a common interest or have a common background. They come in handy when you need some sort of help and provide a level environment for your comfortable stay in the university.
The Best Sororities to Join
Among such groups that you can join are sororities. Sororities are like fraternities, only that they are for ladies. Both are Greek Letter organizations that are present in many colleges around the country in the form of chapters. Membership to sororities is open to all undergraduate students and sparingly to postgraduate students.
Why Should You Join Sororities?
The sororities, as earlier hinted, are like sisterhood bodies and look out for the welfare of their members. Being a member of one introduces you to many lifelong friends and essential connections when it comes to your professional life.
The alumni from the organizations are present in the corporate world and may step in to help the junior members get up their respective career ladders. The societies also provide housing facilities to their members, and if you lack accommodation, you may crash at your sorority house for some decent time.
You also get to participate in some of their events such as tournaments and parties, and membership to some societies guarantees you a fun-filled stint in college.
So which are the best sororities to join when you step in college? To answer this question, below are some of the organizations you may consider taking membership.
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Chi Omega
Chi Omega is one of the largest and oldest societies that you may consider joining. It has over 180 collegiate chapters and 240 alumnae chapters that you may as well be a member when you sign up with them. At the moment, it boasts of over 350000 initiated members, which makes it one of the largest sorority connections.
It initiates roughly 30000 undergraduates each year, and you might as well be part of this number as you join college. It has a rich history, as it was founded in 1895 at the University of Arkansas, with its headquarters being in Memphis, Tennessee.
Its history and a large number of initiates make it an excellent society to choose as you are sure of professional links to help with your career advancement.
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Sigma Sigma Sigma
Sigma sigma sigma also referred to as tri sigma, is another Greek Letter Organization that you may opt to sign with. It started as a society mainly for teachers and educational colleges; it now admits members regardless of their course. It became a fully-fledged sorority in 1951, and presently it boasts of membership figures of almost 125000, with chapters on 112 colleges. It also has 90 sections for its alumnae.
Its foundation was set in 1898 by eight students at the State Female Normal School, in Farmville Virginia. Presently the institution is Longwood University. From the same school, other three sororities came to life and took the tag of Farmville four.
The society is keen on philanthropy and distributes funds and other allocations for charity and education, among other critical courses.
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Delta Sigma Theta
Delta sigma theta is one of the sororities that came through for African American college students when they could not get a membership to the Greek Letter Organizations. It was founded at Howard University in 1913 by a group of 22 women. At the moment, it operates based on equality with no discrimination against race, religion, or nationality.
It is one of the largest black sororities with an impressive number to back it up in the neighborhood of 300000 initiated members. It is present in the United States of America, Canada, Germany, Japan, Liberia, and many other countries, bringing its total chapters to 940.
The sorority comes up with programs to help boost the political, educational, and economic conditions, more so those affecting the black community.
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Kappa Kappa Gamma
Kappa kappa gamma is one of the oldest sororities and, at times, takes on the tag of women’s fraternity as it was founded before the term sorority came to use. It came by in 1870 and currently boasts of a decent membership of 260000 with 140 collegiate chapters in both the United States and Canada and 307 alumnae chapters all over the globe.
The sorority is a founding member of the National Panhellenic Conference, which is an umbrella body constituting 26 sororities. If you become a member of this sisterhood, you may land scholarships in case you need financial support in school. It is part of its philanthropy program, the same to charities it takes part in.
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Zeta Phi Beta
The zeta phi beta sorority is an international sorority that prides itself on being one of the historically black collegiate sisterhoods. It came through after five women envisioned an organization that would empower their people in the face of injustices. It was founded in 1920 at Howard University and fostered a sense of unity among its members, which was one of the reasons behind its conception.
The sisterhood focuses more on social issues and presently has over 800 chapters under eight intercontinental regions. It is present in America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean and was the first sorority to set up a chapter in Africa. That was in Monrovia, Liberia in 1948
It is one of the best considerations if you want to take part in its various advocacy programs focusing on social justice.
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Gamma Phi Beta
A time travel back to the 1870s, you meet a situation that would make many women cringe. At the time, women enrollment in universities was low, and it was due to the ill perception of them having inferior minds. It was in this environment that Gamma Phi beta came to be around 1874. It is one of the founding members of the National Panhellenic Conference.
Currently, it boasts of over 200000 initiated members, 130 collegiate chapters, and 155 alumnae groups spread all over the USA and Canada.
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Delta Zeta
Delta Zeta is one of the largest sororities having the third-largest number of initiated members. It presently has 244400 initiates and over 370 collegiate chapters in the United States, Canada, and The United Kingdom.
Its history dates back to 1902 during its formation at Miami University in Ohio. It is noted for absorbing other smaller sororities throughout its existence. A critical point to note is that the sorority came by the same year Miami University opened its doors to the first female students.
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Phi Mu
Phi mu is the second oldest sorority, and you may consider joining it due to its vibrant alumnae network. Its conception came by in 1852 at the Wesleyan college in Macon, Georgia. Over its one and a half-century of existence, Phi Mu has 137 college chapters and chartered over 228 sections.
It has a vast alumni network who may mentor you as their small sisters.
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Sigma Gamma Rho
Sigma gamma rho came to life in 1922 at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was the combined effort of seven young educators who stood by it until its official recognition in 1929. It takes on a non-profit organization setting with the primary purpose of improving the quality of life among the community.
The sorority has over 100000 members and 500 college and alumnae chapters. The sorority also has two affiliates, the Philos and Rhoers, who are its ‘friends.’
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Kappa Alpha Theta
Closing the list of the best sororities to join for unsure students, there is kappa alpha theta, which was the first Greek Letter Organization fraternity for women. It came to life in 1870 and was the conception of four women from DePauw University.
The sisterhood presently has over 270000 initiates and 147 chapters all over the American and Canada. There are also 200 alumnae chapters found worldwide. It has its headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. It has the philanthropic division that, among its courses, includes offering scholarships at both undergraduate and graduate-level to its members.
Points To Note About Joining Sororities
The topic of sororities is usually one that brings about the notion of hazing and bullying, which feature as initiation rites. Some of the sisterhoods take the joining rights too far to the point of banning the organizations altogether in some colleges.
Also, some of the sororities are not available in every college. Some universities do not have any chapters at all, while some may feature all of them.
Conclusion
Sororities are some of the college societies that you may consider to join if you want a fun life and also be among a group of friends when you join the university. Above are some of the best sororities to join. What makes them more prestigious is their rich history and also large membership numbers. With a significant membership figure, you are sure of your bond continuing far into the professional world.
Before joining one, be sure of your school’s policies on such sisterhood associations and also know that at times their joining rites may go overboard.