I'll admit it: I was nervous about having my friends picked for me. Rush is a process where you barely get to know a bunch of girls and hope they somehow successfully cherry pick you, and others like you, to form a group of friends. In deciding to rush this last fall, I was confident that I would find some of my best friends in whatever sorority I landed in.

What I didn't anticipate was the overwhelming unconditional love I'd feel from just about every single one of them. These are just some of the moments when it hit me that we are forever indebted to the girls who picked us for each other:

1. Bid day, when you were tackled by strangers hugging you and all but drowned in glitter.

2. When you first made your GroupMe, in which everyone professed their love for each other even though you all met literally two hours ago.

3. Let's be honest, the first time you realized you had 50+ new “loyal likers" on Instagram no matter what you posted.

4. The first time the older pledge classes forced you all to hang out and it surprisingly wasn't the most awkward experience of your life.

5. Your first night out together when half of you almost didn't even make it to midnight but you got each other through.

6. I-Week when you first really confided in one another and have never felt more overwhelming support.

7. When you realized you were in the same classes and only really had to do half the work you thought you did because sisters stick together.

8. Your first weeklong when you watched everyone's physical and mental deterioration take a back seat to their determination to be with each other every night, and you've never been more proud.

9. The time one of your sisters tried to fight a girl in a different sorority for you.

10. The time one of your sisters tried to fight a girl in your own sorority for you.

11. When you realized you had the same favorite frats to inevitably frolic to every night together.

12. When you were upset that one night out and they offered to leave and get greasy food with you even though it was only 11:00.

13. The time you almost slept through a day/night out but they showed up at your door and forced you awake.

14. When you forget what it's like to eat a meal without one (or 10) of them.

15. Every morning after a night out when you swear you've never heard more ridiculous stories come out of someone's mouth.

16. The first time you all got scolded at chapter for whatever reason but you didn't worry about it too much because you still liked each other and that's all that matters anyway.

17. When you all collectively agreed to be each other's dates to one of your dated functions.

18. All the times you ended up sleeping on one of their floors/couches because you didn't want to call it a night and leave each other yet.

19. When you realized you suddenly had access to at least 20 more closets.

20. … and they were all honest enough to let you know what you should/shouldn't borrow (out of love, of course).

21. When someone from home visited you and they immediately treated them like an extension of the family.

22. On your birthday when they bought you a tiara and sash then demanded that everyone treat you like the center of attention all day/night.

23. When summer rolled around and you all cried at the thought of four months apart but you haven't stopped texting/calling/FaceTiming/planning trips to visit each other since you left.