Greek life in my family was always as people would call it a 'tradition'. My grandmother, aunts, uncles, sister, cousins and mother were all in a sorority and it was never a requirement to be in the family but it was always said that it improved their overall college experiences. So to me it only seemed that it would improve my experience and it was true. The two weekends that sorority rush were held were whirlwinds of exhaustion, anxiety, excitement, fear and uncertainness all at once. But that is a completely different article.
During rush I met girls that I was in groups with that to this day I still see around campus and say 'hi' to each other. That is just proof that you make friends no matter what point during the process. I was beyond excited to be meeting girls from around the country all going through the same thing. So in the beginning it was all about making friends and being able to make it through to the infamous 'Bid Day' we had all been dreaming of. A couple weeks in, I had never felt more at home than with 100+ other girls, eating cheesy bread, watching movies together and learning my way around campus and the sorority house. But it slowly turned out to be much more than just meeting friends expanding my social life.
Suddenly, I was learning more about the cause that my sorority was involved in and I was spending more time with people I didn't usually spend time with. And that's what it is, I think a lot of people mistake sorority and fraternity life for being a way to social climb, pay for our friends, or live that typical "college experience", when it's a community to do so much more than just socialize and study together. I felt like I was doing something for a good cause and the cause my sorority works to help directly affected me and people I knew, so being able to be part of that and what could help them work towards a goal was something that really touched me and made me realize that I joined a sorority for more than just the social aspects. Not to mention the actual friends that I made during all this time.
Over the past two years of being in my sorority I can truly say that I have made life-long friends and I'm not just saying that. I'm not the type of girl that would say "OMG she's my sister, I love her" when I barely know them, but I do have friends that I have made and would do anything for because I know they would stand by me no matter what. And I think those are the friendships that you hear about-- the life-changing ones.
So sorority life may not be for everyone, I understand. But in short don't ever undermine what kind of community it is because it does so much more than just bringing young adults together. Greek life works to change the future, help young adults become better leaders, and communicate to perform better teamwork.
