FIDM is anything but the typical college experience. The complete lack of dorms, dining halls, sports teams and, most notably, boys, can make the Fashion Institute seem like it should barely be included in the category of "colleges." However, for a lot of us, FIDM won't be our only college experience. Many of us (myself included) attended a different school before coming to this one and many of us will go on to get our Bachelor's degree at another university, which brings us to the point of this article:
Here's almost everything you need to know about Greek Sorority Life.
Choosing a house:
1. Formal recruitment (AKA rush week) isn't for everyone. Rush week can be intimidating, so informal recruitment is an option for those who want the experience to be a little less scary and a little more personal.
2. Every house on campus is unique, so you can't judge a house by its letters, its chapters or just one girl.
3. Just because you don't get along with or like everyone in your house, it doesn't mean it isn't the right house for you. It just means that you have 150 women in the same place and there's bound to be some sort of consternation.
Being a sister:
1. Being a sorority sister means a lot more than just being a friend. You have each others' backs like family.
2. Be accountable for both your words and your actions. Your sisters will call you on your bullshit with no hesitation, so have a strong character.
3. Take the time to tell people when they've made your day. You don't have to get melodramatic about it; you will brighten someone's day even if it's only said casually in passing. Text them, Facebook them, send a carrier pigeon; whatever you have to do to get it done.
4. There aren't adequate words in the English language to describe big-little relationships. It simply can't be done.
5. Go out with your sisters (even sometimes when you'd rather stay in). You'll make more meaningful memories with them than you ever will with the random guy you met at the beer pong table or the guy who comes on to you wearing a dress shirt drenched in red wine (avoid this guy at all costs). This gives you the perfect reason to paint a canvas commemorating your adventures together.
6. Your sisters are your future bridesmaids.
7. If you've "always gotten along better with guys" it might be because you are a crappy girl friend. Being in a sorority will help to open your eyes on how to become a better friend and sister.
Sorority life:
1. Liking Chipotle is not a formal requirement but it does help with bonding.
2. You will learn to bedazzle tastefully.
3. A major key to success is to have a stellar business casual wardrobe. Learn to dress from the job you want, not the job you have.
4. Learn to manage your time successfully. In a sorority, you might be balancing philanthropies with chapter meetings, sisterhoods with study time, and chapter leadership positions with internships, and all these responsibilities and experiences translate to life after college.
5. Painted canvases definitely qualify as proper adult house decor.
6. College is the only place that your randomly-assigned chemistry lab
partner can become your best friend, roommate, and life long sister.
General life lessons:
1. Everyone you meet is going through something difficult. Whether or not it's reflected in their disposition, make an effort to be kind to everyone because they probably need it.
2. Writing letters (or just a note if you're in a hurry) to those you care about shows that you value them enough to use your time and energy to put your thoughts and feelings down on paper.
3. Be yourself and be consistent in who you are. Your character and sense-of-self is the foundation of all you have.
4. You're eating a cupcake wrong if you don't rip off the bottom half and make a sandwich.
5. Leadership is incredibly important personally, professionally, and as a member of an institution. You will grow exponentially in this area if you apply yourself in college, and in your sorority.
Thanks to Ella and her Chi Omega sisters at UC Davis for sharing their experiences and life lessons.
