In high school, I would have never believed someone if they told me I was going to go Greek in college. No way…not me. I never saw myself as a “sorority girl” and didn’t care to be one. I believed the lies, “They don’t really like each other. All they do is party and no one will take you seriously.” However, I have never been the type to go along with what people say unless I agree with it from personal experience. This is one of the reasons I decided to go Greek.

Like thousands of other girls and guys all over the country in the fall semester I went through recruitment or as some call it, rush. I truly believe everyone has a different experience through this process, but in the end we all have one thing in common -- we found a home.

To me, being Greek isn’t just wearing letters that represent a sorority or fraternity. It isn’t going to parties or getting drunk. It isn’t paying for friends. It isn’t wearing T-shirts from events and mixers all the time, although I do love all the T-shirts. Lastly, it isn’t throwing weird hand signs everywhere possible.

Being Greek means, as cliché as it sounds, being a part of something bigger than myself. We spend thousands or more hours collectively raising money for our sorority and fraternity’s philanthropy. We dedicate our time, time we could be sleeping, watching TV, going out with friends, etc., to preparing and hosting philanthropy events. It’s a lot of work each chapter puts into the event, but it’s a great feeling when it’s all over and we get to see how much money we raised. We, being Greek, get to help make a difference in the lives of so many people through this that not everyone gets the chance to. My chapter hosts a color run called Color Me Chi O every fall to raise money for Make-A-Wish and it’s one of my favorite parts of being Greek!

I love being Greek because of the connection I have to other women in the same sorority as me. All over the country, even world, I have sisters in Chi Omega. This means I am connected to women I don’t even know because they have experienced the same initiation I have, they are obsessed with owls like I am and they value many of the same things I do because we are Chi Omegas.

This also means I am connected to women I do know and that is the most special part of being Greek and being a Chi Omega to me. My aunt, a girl I played volleyball in high school with, the mother of a little girl I coach, one of my college professors and a woman I coached cheerleading with are all Chi Omegas. These women were just family, friends and people I knew and until I became a part of something they are also a part of and now I share a special bond and connection with them.

I believe any Greek has those same type of connections and would agree it is very special to be able to share something that means so much to us with another person.

Another reason I love being Greek is because I automatically have a connection to someone else just by being Greek. We may not be in the same sorority or they could be in a fraternity, but we are tied together by being Greek. We all have our own unique and individual initiations, rituals, values, philanthropies, letters, songs, etc., but we understand and experience a life not everyone chooses to be a part of.

Because I am Greek I know I will always have a home, family and friends no matter where I go or how old I get. Being Greek isn’t just for college…it’s for a lifetime! If you are going into college and are contemplating going Greek, then I encourage you to at least give it a try. If you decide it is your kind of thing, then you definitely won’t regret it!