Sorority Recruitment is just around the corner and all the girls hoping to find their home this week are wringing their hands in anticipation. Something they might not realize, though, is that all the sisters waiting to meet them on the other side are just as nervous.
This one is for the girls who already know where their home is. For the girls who proudly wear their letters and are preparing to find the newest ladies to carry on the values and traditions of our beloved sisterhoods. The next week will be a whirlwind of conversations, smiles, and hugs. At the end of the day, we will be exhausted. Our feet will hurt, our cheeks will be sore. There will be awkward moments that we will carry with us for the rest of our years here. We will look back at these moments and kick ourselves for stumbling over words, laughing too much, maybe even running out of things to say altogether. In the end, though, all the ones who are meant to be with us will run our direction. On Sunday we will catch them and celebrate the fact that our family just got a little bigger. For a moment, those small anxieties won’t matter. The stress of all the practices, the rushed homework, the lack of sleep, the emotional choices—they will be worth it in the end.
A week from today we won’t be worried about whether we know all the words to our songs and chants. We will be in a frenzy to get to know our new sisters. We will be excitedly posting on their Facebook profiles. We will be sharing not only our letters, but our stories, our friends, our home.
This week, when we are stressing about which PNMs will walk into our Preference Parties and whether they will choose us, just remember that everything will fall into place. When we are feeling devastated because our rush crushes ran a different way, be happy that they found their home. Recruitment is a time where every woman, whether they are affiliated or hoping to soon be affiliated, is under pressure. Instead of making this week a time of rivalry and tension, let’s take a moment to embrace the fact that once, we all went through this process. At one point we were all nervous that nobody would like us, or that we would have trouble letting our true colors shine through in a half hour long party. No matter what letters we wear, we all shared that experience.
This week, why don’t we take a minute to think about why we are all really here? Let’s stop for a moment to embrace the fact that we represent sisterhoods overflowing with beautiful, individual women. Rather than feeling competitive towards each other, we should join to show that it’s not the organization, but being a Greek woman that is the real reward.
Panhellenic ladies, this week, we should stay positive through the stress. Keep your eye on the prize, and put your best self forward. Get excited for the sisters that are about to jump into our arms. In the words of Queen B, remember you are "flawless".
