68 girls.

Yes, you read that right: 68 girls from all different walks of life living under the same roof. To most (and to freshman year me), this sounds fun yet extremely scary.

Girls can be mean, girls can be messy, and girls can be emotional, and whoever thought it would be a great idea to put 68 of them in one house was absolutely crazy.

However, they also knew how great of an experience it would be.

I'm a sophomore at the University of Georgia, and I decided to live in my sorority house this year. If you had asked me if I thought I got along with my entire pledge class, I'd probably have said, "Yeah, for the most part." I'd like to think that during freshman year, we all got along pretty well and enjoyed each other's company. However, I had this mindset that we were all very, very different. I would have never called it a "bad" type of different. I thought I knew everyone pretty well, and I figured living in the sorority house would be really fun. But I didn't know how our "differences" would affect our living situation.

Once we moved in, something crazy started to happen: I didn't only hang out with my friends. The more and more time I spent living in the house, the more I have gotten to know the girls in my pledge class that, quite frankly, I thought were "SO" much different than me.

Living in the house has taught me that I'm not cooler than any of the girls in my pledge class; actually, they're all way cooler than I'll ever be. The ones who intimidated me are actually the most down to earth, hilarious girls I've ever met. The ones who seemed shy are actually more bubbly and energetic than I am at times. They're all fun, crazy, loud, and exciting, but they're also humble, kind, selfless, and sincere. They love me well and love each other well, and I don't think I would've ever been able to witness this if I hadn't lived in the house. The girls I rarely hung out with last year are the first ones I find myself wanting to study, eat, or watch the Debate with. We go to class together, we go "clown hunting" together, we complain about boys together, and we get to simply do life together. And if I hadn't chosen to live with these 68 girls, I would've been missing out on this incredible experience I'm having.

Yes, we're all still girls. We're all emotional, dramatic, loud, and crazy. We do sometimes fight, we aren't all "best friends," and we aren't all going to be bridesmaids in each other's weddings. However, we get to live with each other. Despite the outward "differences" that are easy to spot, I'm learning more and more each day that these girls are just as normal, weird, and obnoxious as I am.

So, to the girls who live in the sorority house with me: thank you. Thank you for listening to me complain about boys, going to get Racetrac slushies with me, and filling me in on all of your latest drama. Thanks for staying up late and "studying" with me and for letting me borrow your clothes all the time. Living with y'all has been quite the adventure, and I'm so glad that the year isn't over yet.

And, to the girls who are debating living in the sorority house: do it. You won't regret it, I can promise you that. These are the girls who will kill the cockroach in your bathroom for you, let you Venmo them back when you forget your wallet and sing post-break up songs with you at the top of your lungs. They are so much more like you than you could ever imagine, but if you don't give it a shot, you're going to miss out on figuring that out. Trust me, it's so, so worth it.