Before I came to college, I knew absolutely nothing about Greek life. If I saw a series of Greek letters, I couldn't have told you if they represented a sorority, a fraternity, or a mathematical equation. I didn't know the difference.
Heck, I didn't really know anything about Greek life until recruitment came around. Since my school does delayed recruitment, that was January of my freshman year. However, if you had asked me during my first semester, I would have said that I was well versed in Greek life. I would have said that I knew all about the sororities at my school. I knew which were bad, which were good, and which I wanted. I was basing this "knowledge" partially on the few older sisters who I knew in each sorority, but mostly on reputation.
A sorority is not just a club and a sorority is not just a group of friends. A sorority is a support system, a sisterhood, and a home. I was basing my future home on other people's opinions, other people who, as fellow freshmen, knew no more about each sorority than I did. Yet, I thought that I had it all figured out.
During the process of recruitment, something stood out to me from the very first day: I didn't have a bad time during a single round. Sure, there were some groups of people who I saw myself being a part of more than others. Yet, I genuinely enjoyed every single conversation that I had during recruitment. Everyone warned me to go into recruitment with an open mind, but, quite honestly, I didn't. I went in knowing my exact ranking of each sorority. I went in knowing who I would cut and on which day, or so I thought. My recruitment process went nothing like I planned. As someone who really likes to plan, that totally threw me off at the time, but I couldn't be more grateful for it now. I was forced to change my perspective.
The main thing that I learned during recruitment was that there is no such thing as a top-tier sorority. There just isn't. What is true is that each sorority attracts a different type of person. However, unless there is a right or wrong type of person to be, there really cannot be such a thing as a top or bottom tier sorority.
So, each sorority attracts a specific type of person. So, different sororities have different personalities. In the end, a sorority is a home. It's where you spend not only your four years of college but the rest of your life.
Choose wisely. Don't choose based on what your friends want, what your parents are pushing, or what you've heard through the grapevine. Decide for yourself because every sorority has its pros and cons. What your friend hates about a sorority might be what you love about it.
Every sorority is certainly different, but every sorority is a sisterhood. Instead of saying that one is better than another, we should recognize and respect our uniqueness. We should always lift each other up, not put each other down.
