I was sitting in my usual spot at the lunch table my friends and I had rightfully earned due to being seniors when the question came up. “Are you thinking about joining a sorority?” I remember waiting for everyone else’s answers before jumping in. Not only was that my personality, but I also didn’t want to be the loser who was either obsessed with Greek life or completed shunned the idea. Truthfully, I had no clue what I wanted to do. A lot of people had brought up the idea of Greek life to me, some out of worry, some out of excitement, but I never really put much thought into it. However, that day I told my friends that I would definitely look into it, but I wasn’t sure. It was a safe answer, one that promised next to nothing.
Four months later I was running home to my sorority sisters, but not before doing tons of research on each chapter and my school, worrying about which would be the right choice. Some people have experience with Greek life prior to starting college because of family and friends who were involved in it, but I was going in cold. I had a cousin who joined a fraternity, but I knew that fraternities and sororities differed significantly. The only thing I knew about fraternity and sorority life was what I saw on the news, which wasn’t as convincing as I would have liked it to be. However, now knowing more about the experience, I want to share five reasons why going through sorority recruitment may just be the perfect experience for you.
1. You Get to Meet a Diverse Group of Women
We're not perfect, but sorority women are diverse. Coming from a small school, I went into the recruitment process with preconceived ideas about each chapter. But as I began to meet each of the sisters and the other potential new members that would go on to join these organizations (or not), I found that there was no mold that each member fit into. There are so many women that I met through recruitment that I might not have met otherwise. They are some of the kindest, smartest and ambitious women I know, and even if we didn't become best friends, it's nice to see a friendly face around campus.
2. It Will Prepare You for the Job Market
Recruitment is basically a double interview. Not only are you being interviewed by each of the sororities to see if you are the kind of woman who would fit in with them, but you also have the opportunity to interview these organizations and see if they align with your own values. You are required to put on your best self even though you are an exhausted emotional wreck. At the end of the process, you'll be able to talk about that one time you went to a park and somehow managed to make your credentials known.
3. You'll Learn to Leave Your Mind Open
Going into recruitment, I did one thing that everybody tells you not to do. I was convinced that I was going to join one sorority, and recruitment was just a formality before being invited back. I was proven wrong when that sorority decided not to invite me back. However, at the end of the day, I needed them to let me go so I could realize the best place for me was not with them, but with the women of Alpha Gamma Delta. I thrive with my sisters, and if I ended up joining the other sorority, I wouldn’t have shined as bright. It had nothing to do with them, but at the end of the day, that place wasn’t fit for me. I wanted it to fit because of the image it would have given me, but I would have felt awkward and out of place. Sure, I was bummed when they didn’t invite me back to their house, but it taught me that sometimes life has different plans for me, and sometimes a door has to shut so that you can realize the other door was 10 times better for you.
4.You Don't Have to Say Yes
At the end of recruitment, you just might find that fraternity and sorority life aren't for you, and that's okay! Signing up for recruitment does not mean you have to join a sorority. You'll get a cool t-shirt, and you'll get to tell people about how nerve-wracking it was for the rest of your life, regardless of what you decide. Going through recruitment gives you the opportunity to try something you may have never seen yourself doing. If it turns out you were right and sorority life isn't for you, then that's the end of it, and you go back to your regularly scheduled business.
5. But If It's Amazing ...
You just might find your home away from home. I was so emotionally drained from the entire weekend that bid day was actually not the best day of my life. Don't get me wrong, I was so excited to get my bid from Alpha Gamma Delta, but my introvert levels were high, and I really wanted to go to bed and wake up a week later. However, it is the time I've spent with my sisters since then, the leadership positions I've taken, and the amazing men and women I've met that make me so glad that I went, Alpha Gam. I have joined a group of women who empower each other, and, by the way, every leadership position is filled by a woman. Where else on campus can you see that? Unless you go to an all girl's school, which if that is the case, you go girl! Sure, you may not enjoy going through recruitment, but what if at the end of the stress and the nerves and the fear, there's an amazing, strong group of women waiting for you to run home?
