You’ve probably scrolled through the abundance of sorority photos my sisters and I post on social media. You’ve probably ran into us walking around campus in matching shirts with our letters on them. And you’ve probably all wondered why we were dressed up on a Sunday evening. It’s easy to tell that my sisters and I are all quite involved in our sorority, but you can’t always see how much it means to us.

I never thought I would join a Greek organization. Frankly, it never even crossed my mind in high school. Then I found myself bored in a dorm room my freshman year of college, and I realized that I better join a club or something. I looked at the little postcard advertising recruitment that was shoved under my door on the first day of school. After much internal debate, I went to go meet the girls that I soon would consider sisters.

Not to be even cheesier than I already have been, but going to recruitment was the best decision I have made in my college career. It has done more things for me than I ever thought possible. I have grown so much in the last two and a half years, and a lot of that growth is due to my chapter.

Here are a few of the reasons why my sorority means so much to me:

1. I have met my best friends through my sorority.

I live with one of my sisters that I met on that first week of recruitment, and I don’t know what I would do without her (even when we argue like real sisters). I believe I’ve made a few life long friendships with these girls, and I’m grateful for that. If you insist that I’m paying for my friends, they’re worth every penny. There’s people in my life who aren’t even in my chapter, but I would have never met them if it wasn’t for Greek life.

2. Being around other confident women tends to make you into a more confident woman.

I used to think being around a bunch of powerful people would intimidate me, but really it has done just the opposite. I have met many role models that have taught me a lot about life and college.

3. Being in a sorority is preparing me for the real world.

Yes, sometimes we have some crazy rules that you have to follow. But they’re actually not that crazy. No, we can’t wear spaghetti straps or flip flops to meeting, but you also probably can’t wear those things when you have a real person job! See how that works? We also have to pay our dues every month, which is preparing us for paying bills in real life. It’s definitely taught me what budgeting your money really means.

4. It has built a community for me.

Many people join a sorority for the networking opportunities. I know of girls who got their first job because of the connections they made through greek life. It has also given me a community within a community at my college. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t run in to several sisters while walking around campus; their friendly faces make my days that must happier. It’s also fun when you walk into class on the first day of school and see a sister or two that you can sit by.

5. It keeps me busy.

Even though classes can take up a lot of my time, I don’t know what I would do with my free time if it wasn’t for my organization. I usually look forward to my sorority commitments every week because it gives me a break from the everyday grind. I get to do fun things with people I love, what is better than that? It also gives me great opportunities to volunteer and make a difference. Philanthropy is a life changing element of what we do. I also love taking on leadership positions now so that I can continue to give back to the chapter.

6. My sisters hold me to a higher standard.

Whenever I make a decision, I think about how it will reflect back on myself and all of the women in my organization. Yes, I still mess up sometimes like everyone else, but my sisters keep me accountable for my actions. I have become much more responsible throughout my college years. We also have incredible values that we try to uphold every day, such as truth and loyalty. Finally, one of the best things I have experienced is being able to grow in my faith with my sisters by my side.

I could go on and on about everything Greek life has done for me, but this gives everyone a little taste of how I feel. It saddens me that a girl can get a bad reputation just because she tells someone that she’s in a sorority when that exact affiliation has changed my life for the better.