Rows of houses are decorated with their own set of Greek letters. Within, large living rooms are packed with members — coming and going in their perfectly styled outfits — all of whom are navigating a social hierarchy that seems nearly impossible to rise to the top. 

That, at least, is the superficial stereotype that shows up on social media—the curated, high-energy highlight reels you always see about college Greek life. 

Moving into college is a big step for many students. For some, they are leaving the comfort of their hometown to immerse themselves into a new environment. Many students decide to lean on Greek life to better ease their transition into college life, an entry into a stable, built-in network.

The support embedded in the Greek system is especially valuable when navigating a big city, according to Kayley Ko, who recently moved to New York to attend New York University (NYU)  after graduating from Paly in 2025.    

“At NYU, it’s a really spread out campus in a really big city, [so] I thought [Greek life] would be the best way to make my circle smaller and find a community off the bat,” Ko said. “It really did bring me my favorite people here at the school.”

For Ko, Greek life goes beyond that built-in community; it has given her opportunities to volunteer at organizations and give back to other communities alongside her chapter. 

“We do certain events where we participate in fundraising for mental health,” Ko said. “We also fundraise in Washington Square Park, or we do sponsored events with different organizations.” 

Having an active role in these events and organizations has made philanthropy a central part of Ko’s Greek experience. 

“That has been a really amazing part of being in Greek life, trying to help others as much as we can with the position that we’re in [and] give back to the community.”

On the other coast at Loyola Marymount University (LMU), Ella Hwang, Paly graduate from the class of 2025, found a similar philanthropy setting in her sorority. 

“A lot of our events are geared towards [philanthropy],” Hwang said. “When people hear about sorority and fraternity life, they just think of partying and that kind of lifestyle, not the official things we do in our events.” 

A lot of these events are focused on helping other organizations, both by raising money and awareness on various issues.

“We’re doing the red dress gala for women’s heart health,” Hwang said. “ It’s a really big thing, and a lot of our events are geared towards that.” 

Outside of the philanthropic aspect, Hwang was able to find an immediate group of friends through her sorority, something she initially found difficult due to the large campus at LMU.

“Going to a college where there’s so many new people can be really scary. . . Greek life is a great way to meet a lot of new people,” Hwang said. “It’s good to be part of a community where you are forced to be close to other people and make connections.”

As a current freshman in college, Hwang is still actively building those relationships. Yet, for UC Irvine (UCI) alumni Lisa Duffield, UCI class of 1995, similar bonds have proven their longevity. 

“A couple of my sorority sisters were in my wedding, and I still talk to them today,” Duffield said. “Sorority life was life-changing. It gave me confidence. It helped me . . . [find] some of [my] best friends.”

One of the ways Duffield met people was through her participation in the intra-sorority sports that were hosted each quarter. 

“We would make our own teams within our sorority and play against other sororities, and we would have fraternity guys coach us, so that way we’re meeting fraternities [while] interacting with other sororities,” Duffield said. “I was lucky to meet people who were open to being friends with me, even if we weren’t in the same sorority.”

Similarly, current LMU student, Watson Koegler, a Paly graduate from the class of 2024, joined a fraternity in search of people to play sports  and spend time with.

“[Joining a fraternity] was a no brainer,” Koegler said. “I wanted to join a group with a lot of people who shared the same interests as me—people I could golf with, go to the gym with, go out at night with, people that have your back and you can lean on.”

At the beginning of his first  year at LMU, Koegler visited information booths of different fraternities to meet the members—a process he recommends to get a better feel for the unique environments. Visiting those tables helped Koegler find the fraternity where he ultimately gained the connection he desired.

“It’s definitely made me more comfortable in my surroundings and made my college experience way better,” Koegler said. 

Through his decision to join a fraternity, he also gained the valuable networking that comes with being part of Greek life.

“[Before joining a fraternity,] I didn’t fully know the benefits of being connected to 90-plus people that truly have your best interest at hand, and how much opportunity there is to do unique and adventurous activities,” Koegler said. 

Paly graduate, class of …,Scarlett Cummings who is a part of Greek life at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo had a similar experience socially. Besides creating bonds with people within your chapter, greek life also provides the opportunity to expand your connections beyond your school by collaborating with non-profits and brands that often sponsor greek life events.

“Something that I’ve noticed  and something that I feel like isn’t talked about as much, is  the networking that you can get from being in a sorority, not just socially, but for my future” Cummings said.

At LMU, Koegler’s pledge process, which is often seen as a new member education before being initiated into the frat, gave him an opportunity to participate in more brotherhood bonding activities. Yet, the pledging process is not always as positive at other schools. 

“You have to be careful about what school you’re at and know what you’re getting yourself into beforehand,” Koegler said. “There’s certain schools that have bad hazing incidents and [people can] get kicked off campus. Those are horrible. But that’s one chapter in America’s schools . . . it’s not everywhere, and it’s not most places, in fact.”

Alex — an anonymous source — was part of the Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter at University of Arizona, experienced first hand how hazing can have a negative impact on students. With his frat getting investigated for multiple hazing incidents, he had an overall bad experience with Greek life.

 “I think hazing has a place, but when it’s taken too far and people get hurt or emotionally affected it’s lost its role,” Alex said.

While leaving the frat did dismiss him from the social circle that he had built, he didn’t see that as a major drawback.

“Leaving didn’t really affect anything since I already had the friends from it and the house was just .. a house,” Alex said. 

While fraternities are often associated with harsh hazing incidents, they can also offer a tight knit community within the broader Greek system at schools across America. 

“Everyone I’ve rushed [process of joining sorority or fraternity] with, [and] I know that’s in Greek life, has not regretted it. They’ve loved it,” Koegler said. “They’ve made so many new friends through it. . . . so I would say, do it.”