So. Rush. Every school does it differently, but no matter who you are or where you're from, it's exhausting.
If you're not familiar, the terms "rush" and "recruitment" refer to the process that college girls go through to figure out what sorority they will join.
It's days and days of trying to look like the best version of yourself and talking until you lose your voice.
It's late nights, early mornings, and sometimes missed assignments. Maybe tears were involved, either from lack of sleep or pure frustration. Sometimes you thought you had a really good conversation with a sister, but you didn't get invited back.
I know the process was exhausting, but no matter the outcome, it will all be so worth it.
Bid day is nerve-wracking, exciting and surreal all in one. It's the day you will meet your new friends and family, even if you don't feel that way at first.
You'll be hugged by strangers. You'll take lots of awkward pictures. And my favorite, you'll be surrounded by chants that sound downright terrifying.
I promise it was not a waste of time. One day, you'll laugh with your big and her friends, as they recall the day they couldn't wait to meet you and hug you, even if you didn't know them yet. One day, you and your best friends will come across a picture you don't quite remember taking, but there you'll all be, side by side. One day you'll be the one singing and chanting, ready to do the recruiting.
I'm always amazed at how life brings people together. Even if recruitment doesn't go as you hoped, or bid day doesn't feel as welcoming as you imagine, one day you will look back on the experience as a whole and be grateful.
To this day, I am still friends with some of the girls I met through recruitment, even if we did not end up in the same sorority. If you think about it, no matter how your experience turned out, you did an incredible thing by putting yourself out there. Really, all you were doing that whole time was networking, which is truly a valuable skill in today's world. So, whether you stuck with recruitment, or decided halfway through that it wasn't your thing, you gave it a try and that's what matters. At this time in your life, this process was something that you wanted to try. Now, there is no room for regrets.
