Sorry for being a little cliché, but yes, as Miss Montana proclaimed a while back, it is indeed the best of both worlds. 

I never thought I was the type to join a sorority. And even though the experience of rushing was wonderful (read: exhausting), I met some great girls through recruitment that I can truly say are my best friends.

Honestly, I am so glad that the rush process at Penn happens in the second semester (for most freshmen). Having been the only student to come from my high school on the west coast, I knew absolutely no one. That being said, the first semester was a fantastic experience that allowed me to meet people that other schools do not provide you with. Other universities immediately dive into rush the first week of school, and that's a hectic adjustment. You're immediately thrown into a sorority/fraternity right away, where yes, you do meet many of your life long friends. However, I feel like this restricts you from making other friends, for you may feel like you are trying to get to know the girls in your chapter so well and make those friendships stand out.  

That is why having a semester with no urgency to hop into Greek life right away is amazing. I know many people, including myself, that established very strong relationships within the first few months, without sorority/fraternity assistance. I am glad that I am able to have friends who I can have both inside and outside of my chapter. The friends you have outside of your chapter have known you from day one of your college experience. They are the ones you will have the first and second semester for those rough nights, late night Wawa runs with, and shared secrets that probably no one else knows.

If one of your sisters/brothers isn't available, there are always other core groups of people to surround yourself with. Whether it be study sessions or nights out on the town or Netflix and popcorn dates in your bed, your pals will always be there for comfort. We are privileged enough to have two entirely different groups of people who love and care about us. These are people you may take trips back to your hometown or catch a flight out to Mexico for spring break with. Friends both inside and outside of your chapter can offer you double the advice when you are struggling with serious things like family or school issues to more trivial ones (to some of us) like what color shoes to wear to formal. More importantly, they are there to motivate you when you do things like hesitate to make that trek down to Pottruck after that tub of ice cream. It's okay, it happens to the best of us. Those involved in Greek life can definitely attest to the fact that having friends in both worlds is one of the best parts of college, especially when you're in the amazing environment that Penn has to offer.