It feels as though whenever someone asks me about school, the questions that come are consistently:

"How are your classes?"

"Do you like your roommate?"

"Are you in a sorority?"

My answers are also consistent:

"Good."

"Yes."

"No."

My last answer is one that I am trying to change. As a freshman, I didn't rush. I was already so overwhelmed, rushing is expensive, and I didn't want to come back a week early from Christmas break. Now that I am a sophomore, I regret not taking a chance and trying it out. I know that rushing as a non-freshman sometimes has a negative stigma and sounds scary, but I am still doing it, and these are the reasons why.

1. It's not as scary as you'd think

Rushing as a sophomore, I know girls in the sororities now. Even if they aren't the members of the chapters that I will talk to during recruitment, seeing a familiar face will for sure be a comfort. Plus, it doesn't hurt to have someone to talk about the process who has already gone through it if you have any questions.

2. You are never done making friends

I think a lot of people leave freshmen year with a group of friends and decide that they're done meeting new people because they have found their "clique." That, to me, is such a sad, boring way to go through life. Even if you have a solid friend group, you do not know what is going to happen and it never hurts to branch out. Closing yourself off and not having an open mind can hold you back from meeting some amazing people, so try new things, join new groups!

3. Your friends have already gone through it

Rush sounded so scary to me as a freshman because I had no upperclassmen friends who had rushed or were in a sorority, so I didn't know what I was getting into. Now, I have friends who went through it last year who I can talk to. Rushing has a lot of myths that I thought were reality until I talked to my friends who have already gone through it. It's super nice having people to talk to who so I know what to expect.

4. Being a sophomore gives you a conversation topic during recruitment

Recruitment consists entirely of conversation. You get to talk to new people and while that can be super fun, sometimes it's hard. Rushing as a sophomore, there is more to talk about. For starters, the question, "what made you decide to rush this year?" is an easy question to answer and shows that you really put thought into making the decision to rush, you really want to be there. Also, since you're no longer a freshman, you know more about how the school works, have had more professors to either mutually critique or praise with people, and overall can relate more to the upperclassmen who you will be talking to during recruitment.

5. If you want to do something, there shouldn't be an expiration date

I want to join a sorority because I want to find a sense of community on campus, make friends, and to have fun with people who are similar to me. I shouldn't let anything stop me from doing that if that's what I want to do. In the end, if you'll regret not doing more so than doing it, then what are you waiting for?