First of all, you made it. Congrats on surviving one of the craziest weeks of your life. The buildup to recruitment week has lasted for months, maybe even years, and it’s now behind you. I realize rush could have ended in one of many different ways. Maybe you feel like you’re finally home and couldn’t be happier with the results. Maybe you love the sorority you pledged, but you just don’t feel like you belong yet. Maybe you find yourself in a house you never thought you’d be in. Or maybe you don’t find yourself in a house at all.
However you’re feeling right about now, know that the results of rush in no way define you. You are so much more than a sorority member. You are an individual with talents and character that set you apart from anyone else. There is a person, a mind, and a heart inside that sorority t-shirt you wear. Somehow, the letters that we identify ourselves with have come to carry a reputation, and often a sense of pride. But do not let the stereotype of sororities affect the way you carry yourself. Whoever said you are the sum of your letters was wrong. You are worth more than any letter or any label people place on you.
Maybe right now you even feel like you need to prove yourself within your sorority--like you need to make your name known and quickly find a place where you’re comfortable. You might feel forced to share in the excitement toward something you honestly don’t enjoy quite yet. It’s okay if this new environment doesn’t feel like home yet.
Even if you were overjoyed to get a bid, chances are, you don’t know too many people yet. And that’s normal. You’re not supposed to feel at home and totally comfortable when you just left behind your real family to suddenly call several hundred strangers your sisters. So as you go about getting to know these girls, know that they’re in the same boat as you, and seek not to build a name for yourself, but to be a friend.
As you start to settle in, it can get easy to take the position you’re in for granted and simply enjoy being a “sorority girl.” When that happens, remember why you decided to do this in the first place. Whatever your motives for rushing were, they probably had something to do with wanting friends. Well, here you are now, smack dab in the middle of a sea of girls who are becoming your best friends. You will share unforgettable moments and some of the biggest days of your life with these girls. So when you’re tempted to idolize the name your sorority gives you, remember that even if that name was taken away, these girls would be reason enough to stay.
My last word of advice is to experience people and activities outside of your sorority as well. Invest deeply in the girls who are becoming your sisters, but be aware that your sorority is a tiny sample of the people who are worth getting to know at your school. Some of my best friends are in other houses, or no house at all, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I honestly don’t even think about sororities when I’m with them, because they are the ones I have chosen without the help of any crazy process to be my sisters.
Know that I’m celebrating with you in this new stage of life! Joining a sorority is an incredible experience, and it provides amazing opportunities, but it is not the epitome of your existence. Laugh until you cry, make memories you’ll never forget, and love these girls like crazy. But remember how short-lived the joy of a letter is. Life is so much more, and you are so much more.
