Rush Week was very vivid, as well as interesting experience for me. My first year of college I attended the University of Tennessee, a university that is highly affiliated with a “Greek” social life.
By vivid and interesting experience, I mean I vividly remember changing my interests to appeal to a mass group of women I had not ever met before in my life. The process was uncomfortable, yet I did find myself connecting with some of the women that were “recruiting” me. All in all, I did end up joining one of the 16 sororities at the university and I unmistakably made some amazing friendships from the experience. However, about five months into being a member of the sorority, its attributes just became unappealing to me. The cost was a lot on top of an out of state tuition and the time commitments were hard to balance as freshman in college. I ended up dropping out of the sorority before my first year was over. Maybe I just never understood that “sisterly bond” that some say sororities bring girls in college. Or maybe it was that fact that once I was in the sorority I was being characterized by which social group I had joined.
Nonetheless, I am here to tell you that being in a fraternity or sorority will never define your college career. Our generations today seem to lean towards the idea that being affiliated in “Greek Life” is some sort of priority. There is so much to get involved with in college don’t limit yourself. If “Greek Life” is not something you feel uncomfortable with, don’t feel obligated. There are many social groups to join in college so do what benefits you and not someone else. In college it is so easy to make friendships without Greek lettering behind your status. And while some may think being a brother or sister is an easy rod to a career after graduation that is most of the time not the case. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great experiences you can gain from “Going Greek”. Some of my closest friends that are still are members of the sorority I originally joined. Just because I am not supporting the Greek letters I once wore, I still am so glad I got to experience what I did those first five or six months of college. Do not rush into anything that you are skeptical about. The most important thing is to BE YOURSELF and do the activities that make you happy.
