Growing up in the town or in the same county as your university has it's pros and cons. Once I officially hit high school, college became a point of interest. Being a typical girl, sorority life was a thought that was unavoidable. Living 10 minutes from the university that I would soon be attending meant that I had a look into the Greek system at an early age. I had friends, friend's older sisters, girls from high school, or just girls from around the county who had joined sororities. Of course, I am blessed to have been able to know so many Greek women before beginning my college chapter, but it truly effects your recruitment experience.
Drop the stereotypes at the door.
Ever since you started looking into Greek life at the university right down the road, it's guaranteed that you probably had the sororities ranked or labeled. You knew which one was the super popular one or which one had the coolest girls. You had one labeled as the party girls and one labeled as the "all blond" sorority. You had heard stories about all of them (not knowing what was true or not). You knew the popularity rank of the sororities from best to worst (or so you thought). Of course your best friend from high school is going to tell you that her sorority is the best sorority, so why wouldn't you believe her?
Living less than 10 miles from campus meant that I thought I knew every label of every sorority. I knew which ones liked to go out, which ones were big on their religion, which ones were the true definition of a Southern sorority, and which ones were the popular girls in high school. Funny thing is that there are those girls in every single sorority, and I could not have been more wrong when giving a title to each organization.
Get to know the sorority you know least about.
Maybe your older friends were sisters of ____ sorority, so that's the one you know most about. You probably know their hand sign and their sorority colors. You probably know the most girls in that sorority and since it's 2015, you probably follow half of them on Instagram or Twitter. Fun fact, though—your college has more than those one or two sororities. Get to know some girls or some things about the sorority that you know the least about! I lived 10 miles away from campus and still knew barely anything about the sororities I knew no one in. Every chapter on campus has amazing things to offer, so take the time to learn about them. Who knows—that could be where you belong.
Maybe your best friend's sorority isn't your sorority.
Your best friend in this entire world could be in ____ sorority and that doesn't mean that's where you truly belong. That doesn't mean she isn't your friend or you have to stop being friends with her, it just means that finding the sorority that you belong in is different for every girl. Her connection to her chapter could be different from how you feel when you go into recruitment and meet that group of girls. I have best friends in every sorority on campus and being in a different chapter from them has not changed our friendship the slightest bit. Of course, going into recruitment I thought that the sorority they liked or the sorority they were already in is where I would instantly belong, but things don't always work out as you think. I can promise you that it all works out for the better.
You don't choose your sorority because of how many girls you know.
If I had chose the sorority I wanted because of which one I knew the most girls in, I would not be where I am today. To be honest, I knew two girls already in the sorority when I went through recruitment. Two. It's not about who you know—it's about who makes you feel like you've known them a lifetime. What group of girls do you feel comfortable with? What group of girls do you see as life-long friends? Honestly, though, coming into a sorority where no one knew me was the most comforting thing. They say that when you come to college you can truly start over and be who you want to be, but how can you do that if a group already knows everything about you? Of course it's great to have people you know, but a fresh start was a breath of fresh air.
I'm in no way saying these things are rules to live by in recruitment, but if you are going to a college that's close to your own town, I suggest these tips. Overall, remember that college is a huge new chapter of your life, and sorority life is an amazing way to make all four years great. Go into recruitment open-minded and you will end up in the sorority where you truly belong!
