Hop into a time that you remember so vividly, one that maybe changed you for the better. This is my story about how I became a sorority girl and some of the things that I have learned.

Step 1: Joining

Joining a sorority has been one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Sounds cheesy, yes, I know, but let me explain why.

It started when I was in high school, dreaming of those letters that would stay in my life forever, creating the friendships that would last a lifetime, and memories that would stay in the house for an infinite amount of time. Who wouldn’t want to do that?

Me, at first. I didn’t feel like I needed it.

Me, because I wanted to get a handle on school, the balance of a whole new college life, and to see what I could be involved in before joining Greek life.

So, I did. I did exactly that.

And it was so fun. I made friends, did well in my classes, got closer with my family, and had a blast going to fun events. I had the flexibility of being on my own schedule or being held to mandatory meetings.

Though I loved it, this lifestyle wasn’t enough for me. I wasn’t growing as a person. I wasn’t enriching my life with new people and new perspectives; the things I wanted to be incorporated into my college experience.

So, one day, I make the move of reaching out to my friend in a house and I ask her what the informal process is, and she explains it. Later that week, I get an email telling me dates and times that events will be happening at the house. Great, sounds good, except for the fact that I have things going on almost every night that those things are happening. So, of course, I panic a little, send a quick response back and set up a coffee date.

The day comes, I wake up that morning feeling unmotivated, and unmoved to do anything that day. 2:00 rolls around, and I am ready to text the girl and say “hey, I’m sick, maybe let’s try another time” but no. I force myself to go, to learn about this new experience. And so, I do, and I absolutely fall in complete love with what the sorority life could be.

I already have the images dancing in my head of us sorority squatting together and taking pictures in the front lawn, and maybe even in the fall, we can take some cute leaf pictures with our hands high up in the air. The next thing I know, I am going to a house tour that night, nervous but excited.

So, I figured I would call my mom, tell her what I have been up to lately, and as I am walking to the house, I explain to her that I’m going on a house tour and seeing if I like it. She tells me to basically go home because I should wait until formal recruitment, just to chill for a little bit longer.

But nah, do I do that? Heck no. I go right along to the house, have the best time of my life and I feel like I have found my new home. My home where I feel so comfortable and I have already found my lifelong friends.

I get a text from a random number later that night, “Hi it’s Allie! Do you have time for a quick phone call?” YOU BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR I HAVE TIME. I HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD. So I call back, I get a bid, and it’s the start of something so special, I wouldn’t take a day back if I could.

So that’s how it all began. That’s how my journey in Greek life started.

But here are some common misconceptions; let me take you through a day of my life, living in the sorority house.

Step 2: Living the daily life

Friday: Expectation

9:00 – wake up nicely to the sound of waves hitting the beach, I scroll through my Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat feeds, then get out of my bed topped with down pillows and head downstairs. Put my Lulus on, time to go to the gym! A good cardio workout and I feel so refreshed. I then wash my face with my favorite cleanser, do a face mask, and take a warm, long shower.

11:30 - I walk downstairs in my hunter rain boots, skinny jeans, sweater, and scarf ready for lunch. My books are perfectly packed away, and I casually say hi to my sisters, eat lunch, (vegan, of course!) and not spill one drop on my white sweater or have any of my liquid lipstick come off. I feel refreshed and I start my day. I fill up my Hydroflask and head to class.

12:00 - I grab coffee from the bookie, and leisurely walk to class with 10 of my best friends.

1:15 – Class is over! Done for the day! Time to come home, go to downtown, take some cute pictures that I’ll be posting on Instagram later, go shopping, and then come home and do my nails with my sisters.

5:30 – Time for dinner with my best friends! I start getting ready, snag my best fall purse, and head out to the town again.

8:00 – Time to get ready for going out! It’s about to be one heck of a night! There are four big parties going on, all of which are supposed to be so much fun. A little more liquid eyeliner, false eyelashes, and booties, and I am ready to go!

1:00 – the night ends, I am home safe after a fun-filled night, and I go to bed.

Friday: Reality

7:30- my silent, vibrating alarm starts going off, I snooze it until 8:15, when I am forced to get out of my bunk bed, even though I feel like a burrito with all the blankets around me. A thought goes through my head, ‘do I really need to go to this class? Yeah. I do.

8:20 – Brush my teeth, barely comb through my hair, throw on my best pair of sweatpants and a top, slap on some foundation and mascara, and I am ready to go. I hurry downstairs and pour myself a bowl of cocoa puffs, finish half of it, and run out the door to make it to my class starting at 9:10.

11:30 – Lunch. The best time of day, I have just enough time to get some food, then get full enough I am ready for a short nap.

1:10 – I run to class because I am running late because I snoozed my alarm one too many times again. Class. I start to doze off during a lecture, then head to my last class of the day.

3:30 – Home for the day. I finally have the time to take a long nap and cram in my homework that is due at midnight.

5:00 – What sounds good for dinner? Ramen of course! Maybe add some egg in there if I am feeling like it, but that is sure to hold me over until I come home later that night!

8:00 – getting ready in my room with some of my best pals, ready for a fun night, still cramming in that little bit of homework that needs to be turned in before I go out.

1:00 – I get home, I take off my makeup, then I talk to some of my best friends in my room debriefing what happened before we walk upstairs for bed.

Step 3: Learning

That’s what it’s really like. Yes. Living in a sorority is one of the best things I have ever done. It's everything I've ever wanted to be a part of. But it doesn’t need to be about going out to fancy food on a Friday, and spending hours getting ready and having a perfect routine. Great, if you do have the perfect routine and do those things, but I am a college student just trying through the day, so excited to make new friends and make new memories with my sisters at the house.

I joined because I wanted to be enriched with new cultures, new experiences, and new friends, all that would last a lifetime. I wanted to better myself and put others in front of me, I wanted to develop my leadership skills, and I wanted to serve others in a way I hadn’t before.

This is why I joined my sorority.

It was not because of the parties that I might take part of. I joined because I am now involved in an incredible greek community that supports one another, that helps each other, and provides so many new eye-opening opportunities to me, I would not have known about if I was not in my sorority.

That’s my story. What will yours be?