No matter the letters, we're still Greek together.
On the first day of formal recruitment, you and your friends dream about strutting around campus in beautiful stitched letters, and as you each run home on bid day, some of you run to different places. Out of the five girls that I would consider my best friends in the world, three are in different organizations. We live for Instagram captions and Pinterest crafts that emphasize that even though we aren't sisters, we're still besties for the resties.
While, yes, it is great to have friends in other orgs for a variety of reasons, there's still some downfalls. Whether you became friends with these people on move in day or months after you were initiated, the letters on your chest will make you different from each other. No matter what, these girls are still your best friends, and that's all that really matters.
1. You become friends with so many different people...
Honestly, the amount of Instagram-likes I've received since joining a sorority has skyrocketed. My roommate is in Alpha Omicron Pi, so all her sisters like my pics (thanks homies) and my best friend is in Theta Phi Alpha, so her sisters are also pretty loyal likers. It's also pretty cool when you sit down with your friend and six of her sisters in the dining hall and they're all super friendly and welcoming. If you're like me, meeting new people is the best and it's really beneficial to know people in different sororities.
...But sometimes you don't know who on Earth your friend is talking about.
"Yeah, so I can't believe what ____ did last night, are we really surprised though?" Yeah, I'm surprised because I didn't know this girl existed until you mentioned her fur seconds ago. I also sometimes feel this pang of jealousy and this little voice in my head goes, "Why is my best friend hanging out with people that aren't me?" It gets hard to keep up with stories when she's talking about someone you don't know. And if she's talking smack, you're even more stuck cause you can't exactly agree that she's such a slut, if for all you know, she's a local nun.
2. You learn so much about different chapters on campus...
Every sorority is just so different, and having friends in other sororities made that even more clear to me. From the little stuff, like how different sororities have different names for everything, like how my traditionals are someone else's chapter letters or house letters. You also learn how different essential roles, like risk management and attendance, are run. It can even inspire you to make changes within your own chapter or to recommend ideas to a sister holding a position.
...But also have to keep so many secrets.
While you totally want to tell your best friend what happened at ritual, you can't because, well, it's ritual. There's a lot of stuff that is supposed to stay within your chapter, and it sucks when you start telling a story and you have to stop yourself so you don't risk getting sent to standards. While you want to tell your best friend the hot gossip about the sister who got sent to standards or how beautiful your ritual is, that information is confidential and should be kept lock and key.
3. Spending time with them is the best when you've been busy with sorority things...
You also don't run out of things to talk about because you don't go to the same mixers, do the same community service events, or have the same family line. Also, as much as you love your chapter, sometimes you just need a break where you're not only focused on your organization and can hang out with other people. Also, seeing my friends at events for some reason is just so much better than meeting up because you just feel so cool walking away from your sisters to go say hi. It's like, oh yeah, I know her, you don't have to tell me I'm cool because I know I am.
...But you also never see them because of said sorority things.
Unfortunately, sometimes the only time you can see them are those brief two-minute conversations. Being in a sorority is actually pretty time-consuming, so i have gone weeks without legitimately hanging out with my friends. It can make a girl pretty needy as time progresses and you still have not seen your partner in crime.
All in all, the letters on your chest don't define who you are or aren't friends with. However, it does make you appreciate your friends in other chapters even more because you're not with them all the time. The point is, Greek unity is the best and no matter how many sisters you may have, these girls will still always be there no matter what.
