When I first came to college, the thought of joining a sorority was the last thing on my mind. I thought it was stupid. I thought being in a sorority was just like what I saw in the movies and that all sorority girls were a bunch of vapid conformists that couldn’t possibly have any real friends since they obviously paid for them. However, after seeing some of the girls around campus, my opinion slowly began to change. A few weeks into the school year talks of recruitment were swirling all over campus. Girls began planning for it weeks in advance, and I couldn’t help but be intrigued. In the last minute, I decided to sign up for recruitment and I can now say that it was one of the best decisions of my life.
The first day of recruitment came and I met up with some of the girls in my dorm. As we made our way towards the first event I remember feeling extremely unprepared especially when I saw them all dressed up while I was in jeans and a tank top. I also was caught off guard when one of the girls announced to me that she had been waiting for this moment ever since she was seven years old. At this point I was terrified. “What the hell have a gotten myself into?” I thought as a made my way into a sea of girls, all of whom seemed a little more sure of themselves than I was.
Before I knew it I was thrown into the mix of things and since I had absolutely no idea what recruitment entailed I was taken off guard. One by one I met with different girls from every sorority on campus and was forced to talk with them as if we had been friends for years. I quickly noticed that each sorority had a different vibe, but the one constant was that every girl seemed so happy to be there. A part of me was in shock by how peppy they all seemed, but another part of me kind of loved it. I was infatuated with the idea of having a group of girls who were so happy to be a part of something and, though I didn’t fully understand it, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it.
I now had to narrow it down to the one I wished to be a part of. While I talked to other girls about which ones they wanted, I began feeling sorry for anyone who was basing their decision off of rank, because quite frankly rank is a bunch of crap. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this experience it’s that every sorority is different and great in their own ways, and for that reason one simply can’t rank. Having said that, I knew that my sorority was right for me when I felt at home when I was with them. Though I simply can’t explain why I felt this way there as opposed to at the other sororitites, I just did.
The final day came where bids were given out, and I was handed my envelope that enclosed my fate. I opened it up and was overcome with joy when I saw that I was accepted into the one I had been hoping for. I was then put in a group with all the new members. You could tell we were all nervous, but the one thing I noticed immediately was how well our very random group of girls vibed together. In just a few short minutes of getting to know each other there was an overwhelming sense of familiarity because of how we all clicked.
After we all accepted our bids, we made our way to the house. I remember looking around and seeing one girl who looked like a Barbie doll and another girl covered in tattoos and piercings and thinking, “how is this going to work?” but somehow it just did. At this point all of my preconceived dispositions were shattered. I could no longer compare these girls to what I saw in the movies, let alone refer to any of them as vapid conformists. These girls -- not just in my sorority, but in each and every one -- are genuinely good people and are the kind of people you need to surround yourself with in order to not only survive but thrive during your college years.
Being in college is a scary thing. It’s a weird time in your life when you’re in transition from being a kid to an adult. It is here where you are being prepared for the real world and where you’re expected to figure it all out. This is a lot to handle, and having a group of girls like the ones I have now is such a blessing. I am forever grateful for going Greek and for all the amazing people it has brought into my life.
