Recruitment is upon us and girls everywhere are running into the arms of their new sisters. Thousands of excited girls go through days of recruitment, days of dressing up and talking to random strangers, and days of waiting and anticipation in the hopes of finding their home away from home.

I will always remember going through recruitment. I remember sitting across from girls and being overwhelmed by nerves. I wondered if I was saying the right things or if my outfit was right. After each night, I sat in bed thinking about what was to come. I thought about what I wanted my four years of college to look like and where I wanted to spend my time. I knew I wanted to spend it with girls that would be by my side through college as well as many years after that. I wanted to spend my time growing and maturing into a woman capable of achieving my dreams no matter how crazy they may seem. I remember sitting in my bed not being able to sleep before bid day. I was too excited to get my bid and see where my home was. I cried when I got my bid. I cried knowing that I was about to embark on something that would change my life forever. I cried because my life had forever been changed.

I know you are nervous of what a sorority will bring. You are nervous about the opportunities, the time commitment, and if you will fit in. You are nervous about everything about a sorority because you know nothing. Over the next four years you will grow and mature more than you ever thought possible. You will learn more than just facts in a book. You will learn about women who came before you and established the bond of sisterhood through Greek letters. Your letters don't just bring you together with random people. They bring you together with the people that will be by your side on the good days and the bad. The people who will be by your side during college and when you are starting the rest of your lives. Your letters will mean a lot more than a philanthropy and getting cute t-shirts but you won't realize it until much later in college.

You won't realize how much your letters mean until you are crying because you were laughing so hard with your sisters late one night when you were supposed to be studying. You will realize it when something happens and your sisters are the ones that are there to pick you up off the floor. It won't be until you go home over the summer and miss your sisters more than you thought you would. Through all the drama and craziness that a sorority brings, it will not compare to the joy your sorority brings you.

To the girl who found her home, welcome to the best four years of your life. Welcome to meeting the girls who will be by your side on your wedding day and when you are old and wrinkly. Welcome to countless memories that will forever be some of your favorite. Welcome to your home.