Bid day. There isn’t just one word that can accurately describe bid day. As a freshman who went through primary recruitment, I was still very unsure I even wanted to go Greek on bid day. With that being said, opening my bid wasn’t very reassuring; I still was very skeptical of Greek life. Did I want to be in a sorority? Is it for me? Is this the house I actually wanted? Will this be the best thing for me?
Well, opening that bid meant I had said yes to all of those questions throughout the entire recruitment process thus far. I opened my bid and saw which sisterhood I got the opportunity to be a part of. Getting that bid meant there was a house that wanted me, a sisterhood that I would fit into, and a group of girls that wanted to call me their sister.
I decided to accept my bid and at least give Greek life a chance. As I ran down the steps, I saw this girl who I talked to during recruitment- she was the one holding the sign with my name. Little did she know, she was the reason I chose to accept my bid.
As I sat in that room, contemplating whether or not Greek life was for me, if this house was for me, or if this sisterhood was for me, I found myself thinking back to my conversation with her. We only talked for a short amount of time and we didn’t even talk about anything of importance, but that conversation stuck with me. I remembered how much I liked talking to her, and I felt we had a connection. Because of her, I signed the paper to accept my bid and ran down those steps to my new sisters.
She doesn’t know this, (maybe she’ll read this and find out) but seeing her and hugging her sent a huge wave of relief over me; it almost brought me to tears. All of the emotions that ran through me, subsided when I saw her. I felt a little less anxious about Greek life, and a little more excited to experience the sisterhood knowing that I had a familiar face to help me through the changes to come.
Once everyone accepted their bids, we ran home. A new place to call home, with new sisters I never knew I would consider family. If you asked me on bid day if I wanted to be in a sorority, the answer would have been “I don’t know”. If you asked me today if I am happy with my decision to accept my bid, the answer would be “I’m not sure if I could survive college without my sisters”.
For the lucky ones who get to be a part of something bigger - a sisterhood- cherish it. Being a panhellenic woman is a privilege.
