College provides you with amazing opportunities to meet all kinds of different people from all over the globe. Purdue's BGR program allowed me to make friends the first week I was on campus. I am happy to say that I'm still friends with most of the people I met in my group. As our first year came to an end some of my friends had joined sororities and others had expressed their desire to rush the next fall. Besides all the important things college has taught me, it's also taught me what it's like to be the friend who isn't in a house.

From not being in a house, but having multiple friends in houses, I've learned that the stereotypes you see of sorority girls in movies and TV is highly inaccurate. I came to college with this perception in my head, but I quickly found out how wrong I was. Girls in houses are often not ditzy and slutty. In fact, they are usually smart girls in a wide range of majors. Many of my friends, and girls I've met through them, have huge hearts. Some of them are some of the nicest people I've met during my time in college. While I can't speak for everyone in a house, I can say with confidence that most girls don't rush because they want to party every night and date 'frat stars'. Everyone has their own reasons for rushing; maybe they wanted to get involved on campus or maybe they just thought it looked fun. Whatever their reason I can say with even more confidence that one's letters do not define their character.

So what is it like being a girl with friends in houses without a house of my own? It's nothing weird and unusual thats for sure. My friends are all intelligent people who can have conversations about the important things happening in the world. Every now and then we talk about their duties in their houses, or their formal dates and that's fine. They are not these untouchable, perfect people the same way that I am far from perfect. They didn't buy their friends and they don't think the Greek system entitles them to act like they are better than other people.

Being a girl who isn't in a house and having friends who are in houses isn't anything to gawk at. They treat me the same. Sure Sunday night dinners can either be super early or super lonely due to them having chapter but that's about it. I support their philanthropy events and they help me with math homework. I help them decide on how to do their hair for formals and they help me picking out which lipstick to order. Having friends in sororities without being in one yourself is the same as when you were in high school and had friends on the girls basketball team even though you were a cheerleader. The sorority life wasn't for me, but it was for them. Regardless of the letters they wear across their chests, they are still amazing people. And as for being the houseless girl in a friend group composed of girls in houses, it's nothing special. Friendship isn't about being the same person, it's about accepting your friends for who they are and them doing the same for you.