What’s Behind Female College Students’ Social Clubs... US Female Students Paying Hundreds of Thousands of Won for Consulting Fees to Join

'Sorority', a Social Club Mainly for Female Students
Exerts Influence on School Life and Career Paths After Graduation
Some Pay Hundreds of Thousands of Won for Professional Consulting to Join

Among American college students, competition to join sororities?a type of social club primarily for women?is reported to be fierce. Parents are even paying large consulting fees to get their daughters into these clubs.

On the 25th (local time), the U.S. financial media outlet Wall Street Journal (WSJ) focused on the sorority craze sweeping among American female students.

Sororities are college clubs for female students. In the U.S., college social clubs wield enormous influence, affecting future employment and promotions. Members of the sorority at Howard University, the alma mater of Kamala Harris, the first Black female Vice President of the United States, even held a "Go to the Polls" campaign to support her.

As such, competition to join sororities is extremely intense. There are average GPA requirements, and applicants must write and submit essays, as well as provide records of volunteer work and high school sports activities. The interview process can involve up to four rounds, making it as rigorous as many large corporations.

According to the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), 125,000 female students submitted sorority membership applications across 500 campuses in the U.S. last year, but 20-25% either dropped out or were not accepted.

Meanwhile, specialized consulting businesses that assist with sorority admissions are thriving. According to WSJ, the consulting firm It's All Greek to Me, headquartered in Georgia, teaches sorority hopefuls what to wear, how to behave, and what conversations to have during interviews.

Members of Chi Omega, the largest sorority in the United States, established in 1895. [Image source=Chi Omega]

Education costs vary widely depending on the depth of consulting, ranging from as little as $600 (about 750,000 KRW) to as much as $3,500 (about 4.5 million KRW). The media explains that the quality of information provided by consultants differs according to the fee.

Parents find it hard to readily accept having to spend large consulting fees just to get their children into school clubs, but they feel they have no choice for their children’s sake.

Janine Rust, a woman whose daughter attends the University of Georgia, told WSJ, "My daughter was discouraged because she kept failing to get into female student clubs, so there was no other option."

She admitted, "Paying for a female student club consultant is crazy," but added, "I have no choice but to keep hiring them."

A college student who recently joined a sorority at the University of Georgia described the membership criteria as "trendy but not too trendy, modest but not too modest, not flashy but unique." WSJ explained that "competition for female student clubs is as fierce as admission to top universities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.