Dear Beautiful Butterflies,
It's okay to be freaking out right now, trust me. If there was a picture of a perfect woman for a sorority, then I am pictured in the thesaurus under opposites. In high school, I was a pretty average person. I did things that I was not always proud of, realized people are not always the nicest, and did everything but find myself.
So fast forwarding to the fall of my freshman year of college, I just wanted to find and meet some nice people. Luckily, I was put onto a floor in my dorm that was full of lovely ladies. I became close with my floor to the point that by the end of the year I wanted to stay more than I wanted summer. I loved my floor, and will continue to be close to them, but something was missing. I wanted to be a part of something greater and have things to do at night other than binge-watching Netflix.
So when rush came around, I decided to put on my heels and look nice for a few days. Not going to lie: going in and out of every house was exhausting. “Where are you from?” “Oh Wisconsin! You must really like cheese?” which I do, but that is beside the point. “Why did you decide to rush?” These questions were repetitive and made me lose my voice, but they also helped me find my place. If you are even remotely considering rushing, then just go for it. “But Kyrie, what if they don’t like me?” One house will like you. Some girls are going to look at you and say, “She is the one for us.” When people say, “It is just a popularity contest,” they are blatantly wrong. Every girl is going to be put into very different houses for different reasons. Some girls are going to be blonde, skinny, and tall. I will not lie to you. They are flat out gorgeous. But so are you! You are your own person and there is a house that wants you to be that. I have never regretted rushing. My sorority house is a place where I can be myself, wear sweatpants, and binge-watch Netflix. The best part is, no one cares!
I will be the first to tell you that there are women in your sorority you are not going to get along with, and there are women that will become your bridesmaids, but all those women were chosen based on the same qualities. If you rush and decide, “Hey, this isn’t for me,” that is totally fine. At least you are putting yourself out there and meeting new people. I have met my best friends and people that I honestly could not live without. I had the lovely honor of having a problem with my stomach last winter and being admitted to the hospital for three nights. Being out of state, it was insanely nerve-racking not to have my parents there, but I had my entire second family. My big slept in that hospital with me all three nights, and my sorority was there for me every step of the way.
These are sorority women, and these are the people I got the privilege of meeting through rush. All I am asking is that you give it a try. Just sign up, and see where it goes. I hope you find the right house for you, and will be able to say, “This is my family, and this is why I rushed.”
Sincerely,
Kyrie A. Merline
