College: the best four (or maybe five or six) years of our lives. What would it be like if you hadn't gone Greek? Would you have the same friends? Would you have had the same opportunities? Chances are, without your organization, your life would be incredibly different. Many seniors, myself included, have gotten caught up in the "senior-itis" mindset from time to time- ready to be done with college and Greek life and feeling thoroughly over the unfortunate politics that are generally associated with it. In the grand scheme of things, it's easy to take for granted the opportunities that we were afforded over the past four years, after we received our bid card and committed ourselves morally, financially, and mentally to something much bigger than ourselves.
Nearing the end of our college careers, it's easy to fall into the mindset that you're ready to be done- the younger members are on a completely different maturity level than you are, your wallet is likely empty from semesters of hefty dues, and if you are threatened with a fine or chapter council, for not showing up to something one more time, you're going to explode.
All in all, we have just a few weeks left before we say goodbye to our undergraduate days, and our time as an active brother or sister will be done before we know it. Before you act like you can't wait until you are no longer a part of your organization- think back, and remember who you were when you first entered recruitment. Did you have as many friends? Were you able to balance your social life and academics as well as you do now? How involved were you on campus? Chances are, the answers to these questions, are all a lot different than how you are today. Whether you're willing to admit it or not, your organization has opened doors for you that would have been much more difficult to open on your own. While plenty of non-Greek students get involved on campus and leave their mark, it's hard to deny that the networking opportunities that your organization provided you with, didn't make the process a bit easier.
With all of this in mind, carry your values and letters with you when you go. (No, I don't mean wear your plethora of Comfort Colors shirts in the real world.) Your time as an active member may be limited to a few short years, but the impact you make with your organization doesn't have to suffer. Make a donation to your organization's philanthropy, or their chapter scholarship program (once you're done paying off your student loans), serve as a mentor for the members that you're leaving behind, apply for a leadership consultant position through your headquarters, or more importantly, live your ritual, and integrate the core values that your organization is founded upon, into your everyday life. At the end of the day, don't be that graduate who comes around 24/7 and can't give their chapter any breathing room - but don't be that graduate who disappears and loses contact with everyone. Find a happy medium, stay in touch with those who made your college experience matter, and carry your triumphs, your lessons learned, and your values with you, on to the next chapter of your life.
