This past weekend, I went on a lake weekend with my pledge class. We didn’t have Internet or cable and we were just on our own for the weekend. It was one of the best weekends of my college experience so far, and I’m so glad I got to know everyone so much better.

At first, I was hesitant about going on the trip because I didn’t really know anyone in my pledge class that well. One of my friends from high school convinced me to go, because she said it would be a great way to meet more people from my pledge class. I was really only close to my big and her friends because that’s whom I mostly hung out with this past semester. Everyone seemed to already have their little group within our pledge class, so I stayed out of most of the class events becaue I didn't want to intrude.

Well, I decided to just go for it and have a positive outlook about the weekend ahead. I got a ride with one of the girls who I went to high school with and there were three other girls in the car. I thought it might have been an awkward car ride because I didn’t know any of the other girls, but they all made me feel included to a point where I felt like I actually fit in with them. When I got to the house, all of the girls that were already there told me how excited they were to see me and that they were so glad that my knee was better from the previous semester. 

We all hung out that night in the big living room and everyone played card games, like Cards Against Humanity and just talked about their lives. I learned so much about all my sisters and I felt so close to all of the girls I hadn’t known at all before. We all shared secrets and talked about boys, pretty much the usual. Whatever was said that weekend in the cabin wasn’t shared with anyone that wasn’t there because there was a feeling or trust with all the girls there. The following day, we hung out at the lake and the waterfall all-day and just relaxed without a care in the world.     

That weekend was all I needed after a long week, and I didn’t even know I needed it. Now I have good friends both in my pledge class and with my big and her friends. Since sororities are so big, its important to find a good amount of people that you know and can talk to so that you feel like you fit in. You joined a sorority for a reason, and one of those reasons was lifelong friendship. Now I can say that I have finally found that within my friend groups.