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Involvement in Greek Groups Linked to Better Financial and Social Standing After College, Gallop Survey Suggests

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Several studies have proven recent college graduates need all the help they can get in the job market, but a new survey suggests joining a Greek group may provide that extra push.

According to a new Gallup survey of 30,000 college graduates, involvement in a fraternity or sorority mostly improved student's social and financial situations after leaving school. Greek group graduates said they felt better prepared for "the real world" about 10 percent more than those who did not join a fraternity or sorority.

Greek groups often mimic real life companies and corporations and members hold offices and perform tasks that will prepare themselves for the workforce. Employers also take into account the history behind certain Greek groups, as they have been part of the college experience for decades.

Mike Sweeney, a recent graduate with a degree in finance, told USA Today, his involvement with St. Louis University's Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity prepared him for life after graduation.

"I was the [vice president] of finance as a junior, and not only was I able to completely control the financial budget for an entire year, I was part of a team of seven (officers) leading a fraternity of 120 guys," he said.

According to the study, 43 percent of Greek group graduates said they felt engaged in their workplace, five percent more than those who were not in fraternities or sororities. Outside the workplace, 52 percent of Greek grads said they were involved in their community, compared to 46 percent of their non-Greek counterparts.

Certain Greek groups have a bit of a stigma due to hazing, especially since Bloomberg News labeled Sigma Alpha Epsilon "the deadliest frat" in the nation. For the most part, it is only isolated cases that make news headlines and the vast majority of all Greek chapters at every school in America do not get in such trouble.

Greek groups also have proven valuable for their membership since people do not stop being part of their fraternity or sorority upon graduation.

"My interviewer was in the same sorority I was," Mallory Robinson, Chi Omega alumna who graduated from University of Illinois in Champaign, told USA Today. "We bonded over it and she hired me that same afternoon."

Natalie Kish, an incoming graduate student and rowing team member at Johns Hopkins University, said Greek groups are not the only way to prepare for life post-graduation. For example, if you want to be a journalist, join the campus paper and if you want to be a politician, join student government.

"I think Greek life and rowing prepare for the professional world in the same way in that they both teach discipline and commitment, but otherwise I think the lessons are different," Kish told USA Today. "Greek life seems to present more opportunities for networking and interactive skills, whereas rowing builds more task-based skills."

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