As a sophomore student living in a freshman dorm (sad, I know), I get to hear all the interesting conversations that between the new Loyola students. Trust me, when I say interesting conversations I mean I hear some really off-the-wall things in those elevators. That's not my point. The main thing I hear freshman girls discussing regularly is that they don't see a point in joining a sorority because our school is "too small of a school" and it's "not real Greek life." That may be the furthest thing from true.
For many small private schools, the recruitment process is way different than that of a big state school like Mizzou or the University of Illinois. That is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I really think it's a blessing. We may do deferred recruitment that isn't 10 days long, but trust me, accepting a bid on a snowy January Sunday after three exhausting days is just as exciting as on a hot August afternoon after a full week. Our recruitment may be short and sweet, but that doesn't mean that we don't have what is important in sorority life.
I'll admit it, at first I was hesitant to join the Greek community at a small school because what's a sorority without the big fancy house, right? Wrong. I know we don't have the big fancy houses or the homecoming parades or even the parties on every night of the week, but joining a Greek organization is so much more than that. It is so cliche to say that joining a sorority is the best thing that I have done, but if we are being honest here, it is.
You don't join a sorority for the houses or the parties or anything of that nature. And if that is why you're looking to join, it may be something to rethink. You join for the sisterhood. You join for the life-long friendships you take away from these amazing organizations. I can say that even though the atmosphere of our Greek system is unique and different, it is just as genuine. I know the name of each of my sisters, which is something that not a lot of chapters containing 300+ girls can say. I see a smiling face around campus every day wearing the same letters as me, and I'm not afraid to say hello. I know that if I am ever in need or am having a hard time, there is always someone I can call -- despite them being my best friend or not. And even more cliche, but also true, is when I think about my wedding, I picture my sisters by my side as my bridesmaids.
So we may not have the fancy things that bigger schools have when you join their chapter, but we have what is most important: a genuine and unbreakable sisterhood, life-long friendships and amazing values. I will forever be thankful for my sorority for those reasons. We may not have 24 chapters that you can choose from, and our experience may be a tad different than that of our friends at big schools, but I wouldn't trade the relationships I've made from being a part of this "small" organization for anything in the world. A sorority at a small school is still a sorority, I promise you that.
