It’s not that surprising that celebrities go to college given that a lot of people do. What is sometimes surprising is to hear the majors that they took. (Vinny Guadagnino from Jersey Shore has a political science degree?!) What can be even more surprising than hearing about an actor/singer studying something completely unrelated to the entertainment biz, though, is hearing that they were in sororities. Celebrities are so closely associated with their public roles — be it actor, singer, model, reality TV star — that it can be hard to picture them in a different role, especially that as a sorority girl.
These are the celebrities who went Greek and pledged to become sorority sisters during their college days.
16. Jenna Dewan
Sorority: Pi Beta Phi
Jenna Dewan is a woman of many talents. She’s a dancer, host, actress and YouTuber. She is also a sorority gal. While she was attending the University of Southern California, she was part of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. Hands up if you wish that you had her in your college sorority?
15. Lo Bosworth
Sorority: Kappa Kappa Gamma
We saw a lot of Lauren “Lo” Bosworth‘s life documented on Laguna Beach and The Hills. We saw a ton about her relationship with Lauren “LC” Conrad, but we didn’t see much of her post-high school education. Lo went to University of California, Los Angeles and pledged to be part of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She graduated from the school with a Bachelor’s Degree in art history in 2008. What you might remember from Lo’s early reality TV days is that she originally went to the University of California, Santa Barbara before she transferred to UCLA.
14. Jennifer Garner
Sorority: Pi Beta Phi
Jennifer Garner in a sorority? Yeah, it happened. In 1990 she enrolled at Denison University in Ohio to study chemistry. She later changed her major to theater (a wise move) and she pledged to the Pi Beta Phi sorority, making her and Jenna Dewan sorority sisters! She graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater performance.
13. Sophia Bush
Sorority: Kappa Kappa Gamma
Yup, Sophia Bush was another sorority sister. When she attended the University of Southern California she pledged to the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, just like Lo. You might have thought that the actress’s One Tree Hill character one-time cheerleader Brooke Davis would make the ideal sorority sister, but some might be surprised to hear the Chicago P.D. star went Greek. FYI: She was a journalism major.
12. Connie Britton
Sorority: Sigma Kappa
Connie Britton was a proud member of the Sigma Kappa sorority during her time at Dartmouth College in the late 1980s. Fun fact: She majored in Asian studies with a focus on Chinese. She later attended the Beijing Normal University, but there’s no word of her pledging to any sororities there. Her high level of education is probably what made her so good at acting as an educator on Friday Night Lights
11. Elizabeth Banks
Sorority: Delta Delta Delta
Before she was in the Hunger Games and Pitch Perfect, Elizabeth Banks attended the University of Pennsylvania from 1992 to 1994. During her time at college, she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. If you think that sorority life inhibited her scholarly pursuits in any way, you can think again. She graduated magna cum laude with a major in communications and a minor in theater arts. She went on to study and graduate from the American Conservatory Theater but wasn’t attached to any sororities there.
10. Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Sorority: Delta Gamma
Most people want Julia Louis-Dreyfus to be their friend, so they would very likely want her to part of their sorority, too. The lucky people in the Delta Gamma sorority at Northwestern University in 1982 got to live the dream. They didn’t get to have her for very long, though, because the comedienne dropped out of school to focus on acting. She performed with The Second City before she secured a spot on Saturday Night Live. And you know how the rest of the story goes… Seinfeld, Veep, and everything in between!
9. Carrie Underwood
Sorority: Sigma Sigma Sigma
Were you aware that Carrie Underwood was part of a sorority when she auditioned for American Idol back on the show’s fourth season in 2004? After high school, she attended the Northeastern State University to study for a Bachelor’s Degree in mass communication/journalism. She was part of the Alpha Iota chapter of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. She graduated magna cum laude in 2006.
8. Sheryl Crow
Sorority: Omicron Delta Kappa, Kappa Alpha Theta & Sigma Alpha Iota
Would you have pegged Sheryl Crow to be a sorority girl? Probably not. So, it will likely surprise you to hear that the country singer wasn’t just in one sorority — she was in three. During her time at University of Missouri, she pledged to Omicron Delta Kappa, Kappa Alpha Theta and Sigma Alpha Iota. If you’re wondering what the deal is, it makes sense. Sheryl was studying for a Bachelor of Arts degree specializing in music composition, education, and performance. The Sigma Alpha Iota sorority is actually an “International Music Fraternity for Women.”
7. Michelle Pfeiffer
Sorority: Alpha Delta Pi
Michelle Pfeiffer attended Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California in the late 1970s. During her time at the school, she was a part of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. In just a few short years, she would go from sorority sister to starring as Elvira Hancock in Scarface in 1983. Before the movie shot her to A-list status, she appeared in the 1979 TV series Delta House as The Bombshell in a raucous fraternity.
6. Katie Couric
Sorority: Delta Delta Delta
If you bet that Katie Couric was not in a sorority, sorry, but you lost this bet. The journalist went Greek and pledged to Delta Delta Delta at the University of Virginia. What isn’t as unexpected is that she held multiple positions at the school’s newspaper, The Cavalier Daily. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in American Studies in 1979.
5. Lucy Liu
Sorority: Chi Omega
Some might classify Charlie’s Angels as a special kind of sorority. Lucy Liu would obviously have been a part of that thanks to the 2000s reboot. But, she was a part of a proper sorority during her college years. The actress was a member of the Chi Omega sorority when she attended the University of Michigan. She graduated from the school with a Bachelor’s Degree in Asian languages and cultures.
4. Kristin Chenoweth
Sorority: Gamma Phi Beta
Kristin Chenoweth is kind of the way you typically imagine sorority girls – so her participation in one might be a bit less of a surprise to many. The Wicked star was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority during her time at the Oklahoma City University. She studied musical theater during her time there and graduated in 1990 before she went on to secure a Master’s Degree in opera performance just two years later. Broadway life was basically inevitable.
3. Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Sorority: Alpha Epsilon Phi
No, we are not lying when we say that Ruth Bader Ginsberg just might be your sorority sister. The Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States pledged to be part of the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority while she was at Cornell University. She studied in the 1950s, so who knows what sororities were like back then. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government (obviously) in 1954 and had the distinction of being the highest ranking female student in her class. Yasssss, girl.
2. Aretha Franklin
Sorority: Delta Sigma Theta
Can we get a little S-O-R-O-R-I-T-Y? That’s right, the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin is a sorority sister – but her story’s a bit different than most. The singer is part of the Omicron Eta Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta. It’s a special position because she’s an honorary member of the sorority. She attended the Northern High School in Detroit, Michigan before dropping out to pursue music during her sophomore year. Thefore, she never really had the chance to properly join a sorority.
1. Bette Midler
Sorority: Delta Phi Epsilon
Did you know that Bette Midler attended college in Hawaii? She was actually born in Honolulu and studied drama at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. While studying, she pledged to the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority. She wasn’t the longest pledge because she left the school after a couple of semesters to chase her dreams of making it in showbiz.