As the school year inches closer with everyday, so do the days of recruitment for many colleges and universities. Whether you're a person who is committed to the thought, "Greek life is definitely for me," or someone who's still deciding if it's worth their time, I need you to do one thing: erase every stigma about each (and every) sorority or fraternity from your mind.

I need you to go in with a clean mind (notice I didn't say "want you to," but rather "I need you to"). Why? Because this is going to be essential to your happiness.

Erase the rumors you've heard, most aren't true. Don't go into recruitment thinking you and your best friends will all find the same home, you probably won't (but maybe you will). Know what's important to you, and don't let others try to change that, because this is what will separate the houses from your home. Whatever happens during recruitment is for the happiness of you.

Going through recruitment is a very personal matter. Honestly, if I were to give advice to anyone I would say the most important thing for you not to do during recruitment is to talk to your best friends during the week. I realize that is nearly impossible, so I'm not going to say it's essential, but it can make the process easier.

Think about this: it is a known fact that our friends have enormous influencing power. If you hear your friends talking highly about one house, but not so kindly about one you liked, how do your perceptions change in that moment?

If you're like most people, you feel that sudden sense of regret.

"Did I pick the right house?"

"I don't want to be separated from my friends. We are supposed to be sisters/brothers! We've talked about it forever."

I mean, yes, maybe you and your friends are supposed to be in the same house. You obviously have the same taste in some things, so it makes sense there's a chance to end up in the same house.

There's also the chance that you won't. Learn to be okay with that. It does NOT mean you can't be best friends. You've been best friends for how long? Would you really believe that after recruitment you would stop being friends just like that? If a friendship is that important to you, I guarantee selecting different houses to be apart of won’t matter for a second.

Furthermore, Greek life is only a part of you. It does not define you. So what if you don’t make it into a “top tier” house? Why does that matter? Why do you care? (Really question yourself on those questions).

Listen, the Greek system works for a reason. It works for the happiness of you. Trust in the system. When houses ask you back for another day, it means they saw something in you. They don’t want you back “just because.” They want you back because they know you can bring something to the house. You may not see it, but they do.

You may have several moments wondering why you’re back at a particular house because you felt like you didn’t click. I know I felt it and I constantly wondered why. But a house I questioned “why” in became my home.

For anyone who I actually talked to during recruitment, you know how hard of a time it was. I was constantly either on the phone with my parents for moral support or talking with my roommate who was also going through the process.

By the time Bid Day came around, I still wasn’t sure I was happy. But I stuck through it. I stuck through it because everything happens for a reason. I eventually found my reason on Big/Little Reveal Day where I got four of the best people to call my family. Obviously I found plenty other reasons, but this was the week it actually set in that I was where I was supposed to be. I can’t imagine ever being somewhere else now. No, it’s not the place I first saw myself, but it’s the place I am meant to be.

I won’t preach to the choir because I know many men and women that luck out and find their home immediately, and on the opposite side of the spectrum, many others have an even harder time. Everyone has his or her own experience. Do not try to make yours like the person sitting next to you. That’s just asking for your happiness to be ruined. Be open. Go with the flow. Accept the situation. Trust the system.