You may have already seen in college movies students partying or organizing events in the campuses with that popular student – boy or girl – who is at the head of a group of people. The group sometimes stands out from others because this one belongs to a supposedly prestigious organization with Greek names like Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Delta Chi or Delta Tau Lambda. They call each other brother or sister; and when a new student enters the organization, the leader whom others show more respect sets up integration rituals to welcome the new student. Those student organizations in colleges are called fraternities and sororities.

Most of US colleges and universities have these popular organizations, commonly known as Greek-Letter organizations (GLO’s) or “Greek life”. These are social organizations that have particular significances in American college life and play key roles in college students’ life. Historically, the first college fraternity in US history was established at the College of William & Mary in 1775 and was at that time a secret society named Phi Beta Kappa. This secret society was told to be involved in secret activities such as having dining clubs, elite literary societies and then it spread in other US colleges. Etymologically, the terms “fraternity and sorority” were taken from Latin frater and sorer which mean brother and sister and mostly refer to organizations of university students, but can also apply to other general forms of organization such as charitable or public ones. Fraternity is generally understood to be a social organization consisting of men, whereas sorority one of women. As far as the name “Greek life” is concerned, fraternities and sororities have been generally referred to as the “Greek system”. That is why these organizations usually name themselves after letters taken from Ancient Greek. As both social and University student organizations, fraternities and sororities’ purposes are to promote social and intellectual interests. At the same time, they aim to and are committed to help one another through developing character, literary and leadership ability.

In US colleges, fraternities and sororities have always acted as an integral part of American college life that continues to shape a student’s life, whether it is academic or personal. Although Greek life is not easy – since it is well-known that it is not everyone who could afford studies in American colleges or Universities – it may be a huge opportunity to create networks and develop great careers, especially for international students. Here a list of three famous American fraternities and sororities:

• Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men, founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University, New York by seven college men.
• Alpha Delta Chi, a Christian Greek-lettered sorority founded in 1925 at the University of California in Los Angeles by ten women.
• Delta Tau Lambda, a collegiate and professional Latina-based sorority founded by two women in 1994 at the University of Michigan.

Sources: Life in the USA/ Studyportals / Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity / Alpha Delta Chi/ Delta Tau Lambda Sorority.