Arriving at college as a freshman I had absolutely no desire to "Go Greek". I knew little about the community other than the fact that a majority of my school's population was part of it, but I didn't care to learn more. I didn't adore the idea of paying money to spend time with a bunch of catty girls like a lot of my classmates did. It all seemed completely foreign and pointless, and I completely viewed those in the community as cliques with no true intention of finding meaningful friendships.
Now, this isn't to say that I hated anyone because they were part of the Greek community, but I was also not very close with any of them, either. That, I think, was another big reason I didn't go through the recruitment process. I didn't want to be excluded, or be that girl who didn't fit in anywhere. I was shy and awkward and hated social interactions - such as the ones involved in recruitment. Nothing about it beckoned me.
I watched as my roommate endured the heart wrenching process of choosing her "forever home" as it was often called, and at first I was thankful. "I'm so glad I didn't put myself through that," I thought, "just to end up paying a fortune for anxiety riddled events and false friendships."
But then, I realized something. After she was picked up by a sorority, I felt a little left behind. Of course, she did not, and still does not, treat me any differently after picking up a sorority, but in my own mind I felt as though I had made the wrong choice. I should have gone through the whole process, just to see. Where would I have ended up?
As an avid Harry Potter fan, I always enjoyed figuring out which house I would be placed in, and this almost felt the same way. Which group of girls could I have found friendship in? The question swam around in my brain for about a month before I began declaring that I would go through formal recruitment the next year.
But here's the thing: as a sophomore, I saw all of this once before. I saw the way girls got let down and thought they were put in the wrong place but ended up loving it. I've seen the tears, the true friendships. I had even been to parties and witnessed sorority sisters who were no different than me, contrary to my own belief. I had seen drama and behind the scenes nonsense I was sure would change my mind, but it never did. Why? Because the positives seemed far too good to pass up.
Unlike last year, I was a little more out of my shell as a sophomore. I was still shy and wary of picking up a sorority, yet I didn't change my mind nevertheless. Throughout the year leading up to my pick up week, I learned a lot about sisters in all of our sororities. Each one is full of wonderful women, and much to my surprise there were so many friendships within these, what I used to refer to as, 'cliques'.
I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all, but I certainly knew more of what to expect with recruitment than I would have as a freshman. Part of me worried that I wouldn't be picked up because I was a sophomore, that I was less desirable, and so I shouldn't get my hopes up. When I ended up going through the process with several women in my class, I felt so much less alone.
The truth is, sometimes it takes that extra year to fully grasp what Greek life is and what it means to ourselves personally. Sometimes freshman year is just too chaotic and stressful even on its own to think about going Greek. It is completely okay to wait a year, or even two, to join a sorority. Several of my sisters did the exact same thing, and I would say that we all feel as though we made the right choice. Although I was afraid of being looked down upon for being a sophomore, I did it anyway.
Joining a sorority has brought me out of my shell even more than I thought it would, and helped me to meet so many wonderful people already, even after just a month. It doesn't matter how late you decide to join, you will still be welcomed by the sisters you were meant to spend whatever time you have left with.
And even though I cringed at the words "forever home" before, I'm so happy that I've found mine now.
