Sorority Life

I was in a national sorority back in college and this is a poor representation of what it's like. First of all, no national org would let MTV come in and tape. Every sorority is different and even an individual national sorority is different on each campus so I can only speak of my university experience. As a pledge I never had to deal with the "sister police", curfews, etc. When I pledged I was treated as any other member. Nothing really changed after initiation, except I was an official sister. It was not near as petty and nit-picky as the "get a life" sisters on this show are. Also, Greek organizations don't vote out loud the way they do on Fraternity Life, and Sorority Life 2. The idea is that you don't want to taint each other's vote & it's kept anonymous.

I watched this show a number of times and it is so stupid that I stopped soon after. Being a college graduate who was in a fraternity in school, I know a thing or two about "pledging". There are so many examples that I can give that fall underneath either the "Oh, Please" category or the "If This Were a Black Sorority, It Would Have Happened Like This" category.

First of all, the pledges are knowingly parting and getting drunk almost every night while the pledgemasters catch them and hardly reprimand them. They just basically say, "They may be ruining our image." Man, if I were to sneak out during my rush, I would have been gotten dealt with for sure! But what really gets me is that the pledges break all these rules (i.e., drinking, having boys over, breaking curfew), and they wonder why the big sisters are being mean to them??

If you still watch this show, stop it. You're only encouraging MTV to keep airing this show and maybe make another season of it. Even non-Greeks can look at the show and tell you it's fake. This soap opera-esque show highly glamorizes the rush process (they don't show everything, possibly because it would take the mystique away from the who process), so if you want to really know how sorority life is, join one instead.

"Entertainment Weekly" described the show as "those pugnacious pledges" and frankly, it's what makes the show so watchable. It reminds me of the girls I actually knew in college, whether they were in a sorority or not, and you have to admit there is non-stop conflict and drama on this show. A lot of it is self-made (as the mom of one girl told her "everything in your life is drama!") but hey, that's what makes it real. When the Real World began in 1992, these girls were only 8-11 years old and most likely have seen it throughout the years, so they know how to talk to a camera in confessionals yet they don't turn themselves into camera-aware hogs.

I love when someone is speaking in English yet they give you English subtitles because they are so unintelligible -- it's a hoot!

I watch it everyday, I don't want to miss it. My favorite character is Jordan because she doesn't take any crap from anyone. And I believe it's really different from The Real World and Road Rules, because it's about college,you know, real things that people have to face. I mean when you grow up your not going to live in a house with seven strangers and broadcast it all over the world. Don't get me wrong, I love The Real World, but Sorority Life gives you a behind the scenes footage of what college is like in a sorority.

Like many other girls, I had preconceived notions of what a sorority would be...you know, ditzy, superficial. The previews on MTV didn't help either ("I love to party!") After watching five episodes, it's my favorite show. I still don't want to join a sorority but now I see that many of these girls are intelligent and generous. My favorites are Jordan and Candace. I often look forward to every Monday night to catch the new episode. My only complaint is that "Sorority Life" is almost identical to "The Real World"...they even have confessionals! And there are no black people in the show either.