The Greek system at Cornell is kept extremely hush-hush during first semester. Freshman girls are not allowed to enter a sorority house, hang out with sisters or know anything about specific chapters before rush. We are forced to turn to other sources for research about sorority life. Last semester, my friends and I thought the best way to learn about the Greek system would be to watch Greek, ABC Family’s collegiate dramedy about fraternities and sororities at a fictional college.

Greek, whose third season premiered this past Monday, puts the spotlight on Zeta Beta Zeta, the fictional sorority of Cyprus-Rhodes University, focuses not on sisterhood, but girl-on-girl drama. There is always a catfight in the house, whether it’s between Casey and Frannie, Casey and Ashley or Casey and Rebecca Logan, the ONLY pledge featured in the show. The show dramatizes the idea of sisterhood — no longer is it about a group of girls who happen to share a set of traditions and a social organization. Instead, it turns sororities into political organizations, complete with bribes, power struggles and hostile takeovers. The entire point of joining a sorority — to make new friends, have fun and create lifelong bonds with your sisters — is lost in a sea of soapy plotlines about cheating boyfriends and conniving, jealous wannabe presidents. The sisters of ZBZ appear to be anything but and their backstabbing and boyfriend stealing made me nervous to rush myself. Would the Greek system provide me with a new group of friends and a lifetime of sisterhood, as promised, or would it bring me four years of judgment and misery at the hands of girls I could never call friends, let alone sisters?

I found upon rushing, however, that sorority life at Cornell was a far cry from the soap opera of ZBZ. At the first house I visited, I was greeted not by cold, calculating looks and pointed once-overs, but by loud music and even louder screams, as the girls excitedly welcomed us to their house. A girl grabbed me by the arm and sat me down, making a point to serve me hot chocolate, ask me about myself and make me feel comfortable. From then on, I realized that the catty girls of Greek are nothing like real sorority girls. In fact, I have never been treated with more hospitality, graciousness and excitement than I was during rush week. Contrary to Greek’s model, bids are not offered based on bribes or connections. Instead, they are offered based on a rushee’s conversations and where she feels most at home. Pledging too, is completely different than ZBZ shows us — it’s a lot less about catfights and wild, over-the-top open frat parties with thousands of dollars’ worth of decorations and more about getting to know your pledge class at events, meetings and bonding activities. The Greek system at Cornell is about solidarity, not spitefulness.

It’s important to keep in mind that Greek is a teen soap. It does not pretend to realistically portray Greek life — instead, it aims to provide its viewers with drama and entertainment with the Greek system as a backdrop. Therefore, it is not a useful tool for providing freshman girls with information about sororities — in fact, my friends and I would have been much better off had we entered rush without any expectations whatsoever. But, dubiousness aside, the show is extremely addictive, and, in retrospect, actually very funny in its over dramatization of Greek life. I would highly recommend Greek to anyone, Greek or non-Greek, looking for a guilty pleasure.