I love my sisters. I love my sisters so much that I am thrilled that in two weeks I get to sit in a room with them for 6-12 hours a day, four days in a row. I can't wait to make small talk with hundreds of girls for seven hours a day and I can't wait to stand on my feet for an entire weekend. I can't wait to make up all of the school work I'm going to have to put off. I'm practically bubbling with excitement to live on grapes and pretzels and frolic under the florescent lights of a white-walled classroom.

Chances are you may have detected the sarcasm in my tone. You would not be wrong in assuming that some (but not all!) of those things are not filling me with waves of excitement and glee. However, this does not mean that I dread recruitment either, and here is why: recruitment can be fun. I swear. I've now gone through this process on the side of a potential new member and on the side of a sister and through it all, I am still alive and ready to do it again.

First, I would like to remind you that this process leads to a fantastic outcome. You get to join a sorority. My friends at home who are not affiliated can laugh at me all they want when I say this, but joining a sorority has been one of the best decisions I've made in my college career. Though the recruitment process does involve a lot of standing and talking about majors and minors and pets and hometowns, it works, and it is completely worth it. So whether you are a girl going through the process or you are a sister, remember that recruitment is a choice, and by going through you have made the right one.

Second, talking to people is not that bad. If you are in a sorority, or you are hoping to be in one, chances are you are a fairly social person. Don't get me wrong, I'm the first person to admit that I need more alone time than the average human. I'm an only child so when I'm alone I'm in my element. However I do love to talk, and listening isn't too bad I guess. In all seriousness, the girls you will meet this weekend, whether you ever talk to some of them again or not, are usually fairly interesting. We're lucky to go to such a great school where nearly everyone has something to say about what they're truly interested in. You don't have to fall in love with every person you meet, and you definitely won't, but have faith that there is always something to say and something to learn from every girl. Plus, if you get lost in a conversation, those endless minutes will tick by nice and fast!

Thirdly (this applies mostly to sisters) you get to hang out with your friends! We've been gone for what's felt like an eternity so we all miss each other, admit it. Let me tell you, after this weekend of intense bonding, you will no longer miss your sorority. Actually though, we do all get a bit stir-crazy being cooped up for so long, and that's when things get interesting! Who else would you rather be stuck with anyway?

Lastly, here's a tip for you: ask weird questions. I'm not telling you to mess with people, that's never cool, but you can have a little fun. You will get to know each other much more if you ask creative questions than if you stick to the bare bones. For example, if a girl tells you she is an Optics major, why not ask her where on her body she would like to be able to shoot lasers from rather than why she chose her major? Someone says they're an English major? Perfect! Which writer from the twentieth century would she want to make crepes with? What's her favorite kind of pen? Now you know this person so much more. Fantastic.

All joking aside, recruitment is important. To the girls doing this for the first time: remember that the sisters on the other side of the door are probably just as nervous, if not more nervous, to meet you as you are to meet us. At the end of this weekend, each chapter is going to grow in a way that we can't yet foresee and that's what I'm actually excited for. So put on a smile, grab some chap stick and emergency grapes, and get on with it. Happy recruiting!