I remember my freshman year oh so well. I remember feeling terrified the night before orientation. The one thing that I dreaded the most was not the new people, the new environment, or even the academic pressure. I was dreading having to talk to sorority girls about Recruitment. I remember cutting off and avoiding any Rho Gamma/Panhellenic Officer that came my way during First Week. I looked at them like they had asked me to cut my arm off whenever they asked me if I wanted to rush. To be honest, I did not even know what rush was, but I knew that I did NOT want to be a part of it. To me, it was dumb. It was a waste of money. It was a waste of my time.
And guess what? I did not rush my freshman year. I spent the first half of my freshman year isolating myself from everyone on campus. I spent all of my time in the library, and then (since I was a commuter) went back home once my work was finished.
I was lonely. I was miserable. I was in need of sisterhood.
Fast forward to my second semester of college. A bad breakup put me into the mindset that I needed to put myself out there. I needed to develop relationships with people on campus. Through my new boyfriend, I became friends with girls and guys involved in Greek life and realized I had made a huge mistake. I then decided to rush the fall of my sophomore year.
I went through rush as a sophomore and even though it was anxiety inducing and stressful, I still found my home. I met wonderful girls who were on the same journey as me and now we share a Panhellenic bond that beats awkward orientation "ice breakers" any day.
Maybe you're interested in Greek life too. Maybe you're just as confused as I was last year. If you are still a little weary about the idea of Greek life, take a look into some truths about what it is like to be a part of a sorority!
We Learn How To Lead
As a member of a sorority, you are given the opportunity to run for a position in the chapter. This can run anywhere from the president to a small position. Regardless of the duties and actual job of the position, sisters who hold positions can learn a lot about themselves. Most importantly, they learn valuable leadership skills that they will take with them wherever they go in life.
We Have A Financial Obligation
I am not going to lie and say that we don't. But I promise that it's worth it. Contrary to popular belief, we don't buy our friends. Wow. Crazy, right? Our monthly dues go toward important activities such as mixers, socials, formal, semi-formal, and some chapters even use their dues to send sisters to leadership conferences and sisterhood retreats. We pay for our social outlets. And like the cliche goes, "If I had paid for my friends, I surely did not pay enough" Not only do our dues pay for our activities, but it teaches each sister to learn the valuable lesson of controlling her money and paying a monthly bill.
We Like To Eat (Together)
You will never sit alone at lunch ever again. Or at Chick-fil-A. Or Moe's. If there is one thing that we love more than sisterhood, it's food. Sisters who eat together, stay together.
We Support Each Other
Photo by Melissa Askew on UnsplashI know that whenever I need advice, support, or someone to be completely honest with me, I can turn to my sisters. There are times when we seriously mess up in life, but we can always count on our biggest supporters. If a sister calls me in her time of trouble, I am more than willing to step in and help her. We sit and listen to each other freak out about papers and tests. We cheer each other up. We are each other's lifeline, no matter what.
We Aren't Cookie Cutter Versions Of Each Other
This is a common stereotype about sorority women (maybe it's the matching Bid Day shirts). It's not true at all. In fact, we are a diverse group of women with our own talents and abilities. In fact, we strive to promote diversity in almost everything we do. Each of us brings something different to the chapter and it's not all t-shirt ideas. In one big group, sure, we may look all the same, but each girl is different in their own perfect way.
We Still Have Bad Days
Photo by Zhivko Minkov on UnsplashWe are still human and even though we are surrounded by women who love and support us, we still break. Joining a sorority is not a cure-all for every problem we may face in life. You as a rushee may experience a girl who was not being genuine with you during rush because she's had a tough week. Or maybe we did not stop to say hi to you on our way to class because we just failed a test. We have bad days too, but don't let that sway your decision.
We Care About Our Grades
Photo by Kyle Gregory Devaras on UnsplashBelieve it or not, grades are a very important part of being in a sorority. We are in college to get an education, after all, and our chapters respect this. All Greek Letter organizations have a GPA requirement and though they may differ from one to another, it is strongly enforced. Most chapters have study hours that they are required to attend in order to keep their sisters in their studies.
We Have Families And It's Confusing, But Wonderful
There comes a time in every new member's life that they find out who her big sister is. It's one of the best days of her life. But soon after she falls in love with her big, she discovers that she has a twin, an aunt, a great-aunt, a grand-big, a cousin, etc. You have your immediate family (your big, twin, g-big), but then you find out it goes back for ages and it can be really overwhelming. As hard as it is to explain how Greek families work, it's best to just enjoy what is given to you. These are the people who you have another awesome bond with and will always be down for anything with you.
We Like To Have Fun
Photo by Jed Villejo on UnsplashWith all the stress of school, work, mandatory events, and late night studying we like to let loose a little. Whether it be a Gossip Girl marathon, a social, or just painting the town red, we like to have fun and we are pretty darn good at it. There is no better entourage than that of your sista friends!
We Genuinely Love Our Sisters
Photo by Olena Bohovyk on UnsplashI am about to get really cheesy on you but bear with me here. We do not just go around acting like we love our sisters because we wear the same letters on our chests. We don't "pretend" to love the girls we don't get along with because deep down, they are still our sisters.
The bond that we share through sisterhood is a bond that cannot be explained from the outside looking in or the inside looking out. I would go above and beyond for my sisters and they would do the same for me. Even when drama shows up, we can always look back to what holds us together as a chapter. That is what it is all about.
