There is no feeling like Bid Day. I remember how excited everyone was to welcome me into my new home. I thought choosing to go through recruitment was the best decision I had made in college, but I was wrong. Choosing to live in my sorority house was.               

Looking back as a senior who lives out, I miss everything that living in had to offer. They always say, “You never know what you have until its gone,” and unfortunately that could not be more true. (Not to mention we have a BOMB chef who makes great breakfast smoothies that I will never realistically wake up in time to try. We will save that rant for another time.) 

As nostalgia has magically made me have feelings as a senior, here are the top six things I will forever cherish about living in my sorority house.      

1. 52 Closets

Let me say that again: 52 CLOSETS. There is nothing more glorious that having an unlimited choice of dresses for date parties. More than half my pledge class has worn one specific blue dress. (I’m not kidding.) 

2. Roommates

I always had at least one roommate, even two at times. Having a roommate who is also a best friend helps you grow a lot. I now make my bed everyday (shout-out to Steph) and have come to the realization that just because people do things differently than I do, doesn’t mean its wrong. It’s not my job to change them; instead I learned to embrace their ideology. 

3. Everything Happens at the House

I was the most involved in my sorority when I lived-in. It was just easy. A sisterhood or meeting was just a flight of stairs away. It’s a lot harder to find time to be at the house when you live a few blocks away and have to worry about cleaning, laundry and, oh yeah, trying to find a job after graduation. 

4. Live-in Positions

I was given the chance to be an executive board member my sophomore year and this was only possible because I lived in. The responsibility and maturity I gained from my position made me appreciate my sorority even more than I already did and helped me to understand what we stand for as a chapter. (It’s also impressive to talk about how you helped effectively run a group of more than 100 women. Trust me, we can be a little crazy.) 

5. The Chef

I’ve learned just how much I miss this one the hard way, i.e. I have discovered that I cannot cook to save my life. Not to mention how much time I waste trying to cook something that won’t even taste good enough to eat. 

6. An Unexpected Family

Living-in gives you the chance to interact and get to know your sisters in a way you would have never thought possible. There isn’t much privacy when you live with 50-plus girls and you see sisters go through both trials and triumphs. I have the utmost respect for the sisters I lived with after I have watched them grow into amazing and accomplished women during our college years.   

So if you ever question if living in is right for you, I promise it is. You learn more than you could have ever imagined about yourself, your friends and your sorority. I can’t think of anything better.