Sending lots of love to ABC Family for allowing me to spend yet another summer weekend reclined on my living room couch watching movies. Harry Potter weekend is definitely going on my résumé under “lounging abilities.”

Hogwarts houses are super important, okay? In both reality and the fictional realm, the house that you are placed in can reveal a lot about your personality. As a Slytherin, I value ambition and self-preservation. As a Kappa Delta, I strive for that which is honorable, beautiful, and highest. And although the sorting hat’s method of placement can seem pretty straightforward, it’s got an unpredictable twist to it that’s similar to recruitment.

The biggest payoff in my experience with Greek life thus far is having the opportunity to meet extremely cool, diverse ladies that I probably wouldn’t have crossed paths with otherwise. It’s true that when you join a Greek organization, it’s because of the corresponding traits that you and the house share. But that doesn’t mean that you’re all going to be carbon copies of each other, right? It’s just like Hogwarts.

Let’s start with Hermoine. She’s the cleverest witch in her year. Then why isn’t she a Ravenclaw, who are known distinctively for their intellect? Well, that’s because while she is smart, she’s also brave, as demonstrated in every Harry Potter movie/book ever, and is thus a Gryffindor. Then there’s Luna, who is a Ravenclaw, but she also happens to be one of the most eccentric characters. I really, really believed that Neville should have been a Hufflepuff before all of that character development that lead him to standing up to Voldemort in the Deathly Hallows (and also when he joined and co-led Dumbledore’s army). The sorting hat was just about ready to drag Harry over to Slytherin by his hair when Harry begged not to be placed there. Which reminds me, just because a lot of bad wizards were Slytherins does not mean that every Slytherin is a bad wizard (Merlin, anyone?). And am I supposed to believe that every single Weasley fit perfectly into Gryffindor? Seriously? Please, at least one kid in that family had to have pulled their legacy status strings.

Okay, now that I’ve dispelled a few stereotypes, my point is this: When it comes to Hogwarts students, and Greeks, there’s way more than meets the eye.

A big theme in the Harry Potter series is the importance of choice. Choices between right and easy, light and dark, etc. Harry chooses not to be a Slytherin, and so he wasn’t. Choice also plays an integral role in Greek life. The people in your house come from all different walks of life, but it is your shared choice to become a part of your organization that makes you brothers or sisters. I went Greek to make a large school feel a little bit smaller. As I said before, I’ve already met amazing people and I am beyond excited to get to know them even better in the fall. But not everyone in a house is going to operate the same way and there will be people you mesh with and people you don’t. That’s what I love the most about it all. Going Greek introduces you to a vastly diverse community. Each house will have their own Draco, Hermoine, Fred & George, Luna, etc. And when you are a part of the same house, you can get to know these people on such an intimate level because your entire relationship is based on that shared choice you made. As Minerva McGonagall says, “While you are here, your house will be like your family.”

One last similarity: In both Hogwarts houses and in college, everyone tries to represent their house the best that they can. We don’t get house points and a house cup for motivation, but we do want others to recognize how hard we work to uphold what our houses were built on. In that respect, aren’t we all trying to reach the same goal?

Dumbledore keeps it real for us, as always. “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort’s gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.” Yeah, so we don’t have a dark wizard to fight, but you know what we do have? A point to prove. I’ve only been Greek for a few months and for the most part I think we’re pretty supportive of each other. But every once in a while I hear someone putting down another house and it’s just unnecessary. As Greeks, we’re all living in the same community that is filled with academic achievement, philanthropy, mixers, lifelong friendship, and playing as hard as we work. We’re not a cliché stereotype of college kids abandoning their morals and going wild. Even if we’re in different houses, we want our community to be given the respect it deserves. And the only way that we can do that is by sticking together. 

Reminder: During the last battle, nearly all of the houses fought together to defeat Voldemort. Even some Slytherins.