Young girls across the country throw themselves into the Greek world as bright eyed Freshman with high hopes and expectations for what their future in a sorority will hold. We grow up with the idea that one day we will join a chapter of amazing women who will all be our best friends and more importantly our sisters. I'm here to shed light on what to expect when joining a sorority.

First off, sorority recruitment is a complex system of numbers and formulas that I don't think anyone actually understands. No one has a "perfect" recruitment and everyone feels unsure at some point in the process. The best advice I can give is to stick it out. The week of recruitment will be exhausting and emotional as hell. There will be multiple times throughout the process that you question the entire thing. It's important to remember that these feelings are normal and that you need to take it day by day. Go into each round with a positive attitude and give each chapter you go to a chance. Majority of women end up in a place that they truly can call home even if it took a while to get there.

Once you've finished the week of recruitment you get dumped straight into bid day. This day is hyped up to be the best day of your life and it might feel like you're the only person not screaming to the heavens about your new chapter. Truth be told, this day is overwhelming. If you feel awkward or unsure, trust me, you are NOT the only one! You have just been thrown into a group of women who may all be complete strangers. The hype of this day can be invigorating for some but for others it's straight up madness. Even if it looks like your whole pledge class is already best friends, guess what? They're not. Some people are just better at faking it until they make it. This day is hard and draining after a long ass week. But after it's all over you can go home, process your emotions, take a nap and remember to push through.

I wish I could tell you that after bid day the red sea parts and everything is rainbows and butterflies, unfortunately I'd be lying. Finding your place in your chapter takes time. If there is anything I've learned about sororities from my time in one it's that virtually everything about them takes time. The initial months in your new chapter can be some of the toughest. You might look around and feel like everyone has their friends and their groups and that you have been completely left in the dust. I understand the feeling and it feels like things simply can't get better from here. Coming from someone who struggled for a whole year I can tell you, you are not alone. The day is going to come where suddenly everything clicks.

For me, living in the sorority house changed everything. Up until this point I was terrified about living with my pledge class and I was preparing myself for disappointment. The opening weeks I spent living in the house is when it finally clicked. I met girls I hadn't talked too at all my Freshman year and even girls I thought had already made their forever friends. My eyes had been opened up to a whole other side of my chapter that I didn't even know existed. The friends I met living in my chapter house have changed my college experience for the better and have taught me what being apart of a sorority is all about.

When this shift happens, you settle into your chapter and finally feel like you have a home away from home. This feeling is only one of the many benefits joining a chapter can bring. Having a community, a resource, and a safe space while navigating college never hurts. This doesn't mean you will magically become best friends with everyone in your chapter, it doesn't even mean you will like everyone in your chapter, but what's most important is, that's okay. In the end you will have made lifelong friends and share a connection with a group of women that nobody else can fully understand. Ultimately, all the tears, the laughs, the struggles, the eye rolls and the raw emotions will all be worth it when you have finally found your place and your home away from home.