I've always been mystified by the world of Greek life, specifically social Greek life. They always display their letters proudly on their chests, go to formals where they can dress up like it's Prom 2.0, and create relationships that last a lifetime. Something in me always wanted to see what it was like to rush.

So when my friend mentioned that her sorority was offering informal bids, my interest piqued.

My friend Julia* is a sophomore and a member of the newest pledge class for her sorority, Alpha Delta*. Since AD didn't meet their quota for the semester, the heads of recruitment offered bids to anyone even remotely interested in joining.

Julia mentioned to me and Cassie* (another friend of mine) that AD was offering snap bids and that we should talk with the girls if we were curious. I'm a 'try everything once'-type of gal so I said why not and told Julia to give my phone number to the head of informal recruitment.

A day later, a text popped up from a girl named Hannah* saying she was the head of recruitment for AD and she was excited to meet me. We made a date to chat at the AD house later in the week and that was that.

As the day of the meeting approached, I became nervous. I hadn't seriously thought about the level of commitment that would go into the sorority, should I choose to join. I felt like even if I was interested in joining, I wouldn't fit the 'type' of person they look for. I told my sister about the informal bid and obviously Julia and Cassie, but not anyone else. I don't know why, but I just kept it to myself.

Finally, the day came. I walked down the row of Greek houses until I reached the AD house, knocked on the door, and waited. A sister came to greet me and invited me inside. She led me into the living room where I sat on the couch with another sister and we chit-chatted for about an hour. All we did was talk. No chanting, no hectic running around, just a chat over coffee. Hannah entered the conversation about halfway through and when I got up to leave, I guess I made a good enough impression that she offered me a bid to the house.

The only catch: I had to tell her by the next day if I accepted or rejected the bid.

When I left, I was mulling over the decision, seriously considering joining the house. I knew if I found out that I didn't have the time, I could quit with another experience under my belt. The girls were super nice and friendly and seemed to like me. I was so close to accepting the bid...until Hannah emailed me the sheet laying out the semesterly dues.

I never quite realized how much being a sister could cost until that moment. My parents told me that if I joined, I would foot the entirety of the bill. My career as a potential sorority girl ended at that moment. I texted Hannah the next day, thanked her for talking with me, and respectfully declined the bid.

To anyone who's on the fence about rushing, do it, but know you don't have to do anything you don't want to do.

You are in charge of your own college experience and you shouldn't feel pressured to rush.

Enter into things because you know you'll love it or because you're curious about it. Know if you don't like what you're doing, you can always drop it and find something else. While some girls are cut out for sororities, I'm not and that's totally okay. I'm thankful I tried it anyway.

*-Names were changed for the sake of anonymity.