It's that time of the year, ladies-registration is now open for formal recruitment in the fall at Michigan State. I know what you're thinking...just another sappy tale of a girl rushing a sorority. But hear me out.
Going Greek was something I had never expected in my life. I went to an all girls school for high school, and I was ready to get out of that dominant female environment. I didn't think my interests reflected upon Greek life (don't hate me, but I was a pretentious asshole my freshman year) and I thought that I was above frat stars and Lilly Pulitzer.
I didn't rush my freshman year because my friends weren't interested and I simply didn't think I had the time. But in the end, I realized that I had been missing out on something. Even though things were borderline perfect in my life, there was a tiny piece of my heart that I just couldn't fill.
Over the summer, I had just started dating someone. When we began our relationship, my mom had convinced me to register for fall recruitment. I told him, and he responded with skepticism. He didn't want a girlfriend involved in Greek life, and he persuaded me that between working, my friends, school, and spending time with him, I wouldn't have time to be in a sorority. I almost believed him, and I was fully prepared to drop out of recruitment before the first day.
(So my first piece of advice, ladies: never let a boy convince you against rushing).
The school year crept up on me, and I moved back to East Lansing. And as things tend to do in the Fall (as freshmen will realize when they return for their sophomore year), memories and people from the year before, that you never expected to see again, come back into your life. Things change, relationships change, and as much as you want to deny it, you aren't the same person. I realized all those things when I came back.
My relationship with my boyfriend and a few friends ended, and I was devastated. I didn't find enjoyment in the things that I used to in the semester before, and my friends, even though I lived with them, were all on different paths. That's when I decided to take initiative and put myself out there. I started writing for The Black Sheep and working. Even though I was busy, I still didn't feel...complete. So when I got the email reminder about recruitment, I decided to jump in. Let me tell you, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. It was a little intimidating, but I could tell from the first day that I had made the right choice, and that Greek life really was for me.
So fast forward seven months later. I'm on executive board. I've made so many new friends, and I'll be living in 258 Michigan next year. Despite a few bumps in the road, I have become a better woman and a happier person. I found a house that accepts me, even when I'm being a total weirdo. They laugh with me when I prance around the formal room to "Honey I'm Good", and they never blink twice when I quote Tina Belcher. I have become famous for mean mugging in every picture possible, even if I didn't intend to.
They offered to drive me to urgent care when I caught the plague from my formal date, and even though they know a scumbag when they see one, my sisters always support me in whoever I'm interested in. When a frat star hurt me, they declared war on them as well. We're all different in so many ways, but our sisterhood has made us the best of friends. I can't imagine being the person I was before I joined Gamma Phi, and I don't quite know what I'm going to do when I graduate. But they are the girls in my life.
Going Greek isn't for everyone, but for someone like me, it makes all the difference. When you find people who just get you, you've found your home. My advice is to go in with an open mind, and put all of those prejudices behind you. Let yourself fall in love with a house that you never thought you'd like. Look at the friendships, the love between sisters. Being in a sorority is more than fraternity men and parties. It's all about the people who accept you for who you are, and at the end of the day, keep you sane. When you walk into a house and say "yeah, I'd sit here in my pajamas and rant about my day to these girls", that's home.
So, to incoming freshmen and anyone else thinking of rushing: please do it. You never know, you might find someone just as obsessed with cheese as you are, or girls who understand Bob's Burgers references (or tolerate them, at the very least). I hope you find your home, just as I found mine.
To register for fall recruitment, go to https://msu.mycampusdirector.com/register/.
