"Greek life is for people who don't take college seriously."

"Everyone in Greek life is stuck-up and pretentious."

"All they do is party."

I've heard it all. Greek life has a really big stigma surrounding it, and it's something I encounter every day. The friends I made before I joined a sorority don't quite understand what it is I am a part of, and why it makes me so proud and happy. Most of what I hear about after I tell someone I am in a sorority consists of how good the parties are, what our house looks like or how many times a week we go out.

But that is the least of what a sorority means to me.

In August, when that email rolled around for everyone who was interested to register with the Office of Greek Life, I thought my mom was crazy for making me sign up. I wasn't interested; sorority life was not for me — I was not a sorority girl.

What I soon realized is that being a sorority girl does not mean anything negative if you don't want it to be. Honestly, it wasn't until I committed to my sorority that I realized that I would really like this. Rush was definitely not a plus, but the minute I met the girls I would be spending time with for the rest of my college years, I knew I had made the right decision.

If not for a sorority, I probably would have no friends. Yes. For me originally, my only motive for joining Greek life was to make some friends and not be lonely all the time. While it did do that, it did so much more for me.

If not for a sorority, I would not be in any of the clubs I am in now, including writing for Odyssey. Finding girls that had the same passions as me, as well as different ones, and learning about all the organizations they were a part of was honestly the reason why I am now a part of four clubs on campus.

If not for a sorority, I would have transferred already. The first month of college was so rough for me, and it wasn't until I found a group that was so inclusive and genuinely wanted me to be a part of their group that I felt like Ann Arbor was a place I could call home.

Call Greek Life all the names you'd like, but don't knock it 'till you try it. Greek Life is not only about having a good time and partying; for me, it was what made my freshman year what it is now, and I wouldn't change it for the world.