There comes a time in every sorority girl's life when she must leave the nest (a.k.a. the chapter house) and prove she can live on her own. Or maybe she never lived in the house and she is just leaving her dorm. One thing's for sure: Living on your own is a completely new experience.
Freedom.
PRO: No longer would I have to stash my weekend party supplies in the trunk of my car or sneak off to the parking lot to "car bar" before going out. No longer would I have to answer millions of questions and tolerate nosey stares if I invite a boy over. No longer would I be forced to watch "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" or "Say Yes to the Dress." FREEDOM!
CON: I'm reminded of a quote I heard as a young girl — "With great power comes great responsibility." I think that's from Spiderman. I'm not sure. Moving on. There is a downside to not having any house rules, and they make themselves apparent pretty quickly upon moving out. You are now completely responsible for cleaning your own bathroom, and dinner isn't going to cook itself. We're going to have to learn these housekeeping skills eventually, so better late than never.
Privacy.
PRO: Sharing one room with three or four girls gets old pretty fast. If you're a person who craves privacy, be aware that you're probably not going to get it in the sorority house. Having your own room, bathroom, and alone time when you live out is a desperately needed breath of fresh air.
CON: I'm not going to lie, I miss not having privacy sometimes. Living out can get lonely, and you begin to drift apart from all the girls that you were once very close to. I'll never forget being able to yell down the hall to borrow combat boots, and having at least ten girls pop out like whack-a-mole to help me out. You don't get that luxury as a live-out.
Parties.
PRO: You can have as many parties as you want (as long as your roommates are down)! You can even give your house a funny nickname that will undoubtedly become known all throughout Greek Row. If you want to throw your little or big a birthday party, you don't have to beg anyone to let you use their house, because yours is now readily available.
CON: Of course, with every positive must come a negative. You can have as many parties as you want. Guess who has to clean up in the morning? Your house will undoubtedly become known across Greek Row. True, but now drunk people will definitely stumble into your house looking for a party or a place to crash. You can throw your big or little a birthday run. Yes, but now everyone else will be begging you to host one for their friends too.
Living out is awesome. Just don't forget to enjoy the little things of living in your chapter house while you still can.
