February rolls around, the semester is still new and fresh, yet you’re still acclimating. You’ve found yourself quite comfortable yet still a little rough and adjusting. Amidst all the stresses of the spring semester, women all around campus are inundated with the two most stressful yet rewarding words -- formal recruitment.
So what exactly is recruitment? Although I have yet to be on the sorority side of recruitment, I have been on the awkward freshman potential new member end just shy of a year ago. The chants, the claps and the themes were so overwhelming, yet so fulfilling. The simplest way to describe it is a time where interested girls seek other interested girls, from all angles. As sisters, we congregate to seek who would best fit in the large yet common-hearted family we have established on campus. Sororities are meant to last over time, and recruitment allows our generations as chapters to live on.
So why should you sign up for formal recruitment? No matter if you're a freshman or senior, formal recruitment isn’t just a bunch of cookie-cutter women seeking to purchase some acquaintances. It’s a time to learn about the passions that some enormous campus organizations are founded upon. You learn the foundational principles that are daily values amongst every sister you will meet. It is a time to network and meet other young women around you, whom you may become incredibly close with. You may find a home away from home, and an entirely new kind of family.
I’ll never forget my recruitment. My friends and I came out together, yet we chose different organizations. It goes to show that you will find where you belong. My friends and I are always together, despite our different paths. It’s proof that you will mesh where you belong, and shouldn’t worry about losing friends. Recruitment also introduced me to a whole new set of women as well. I have met people from each organization, and we remain friends despite our different letters. The sense of unity is fairly strong. Lastly, the best part is, if it’s not for you, you don’t have to fulfill the process! Although my biased self deems joining a sorority totally worth it, those who disagree shall not go unnoticed. No one is holding an imaginary gun saying, “Go Greek or die.” Chances are, if it’s not for you, you will give off that impression and do not have to join anything you don’t want to join.
Some of my closest friends are not Greek, and, well, I live with them still. What every interested individual needs to understand is whether you want to join Greek Life or not, do not close the door on signing up for formal recruitment. I have made some of my best friends, who I am fortunate enough to call sisters, all because of one decision freshman year.
If you have the opportunity, do yourself the favor and keep an open mind and sign up for formal recruitment. No matter your decision on following or not, you will not regret your decision. I can wholeheartedly say that the girls I have had the pleasure of knowing through going Greek are girls I know will always be there. Do yourself the favor, and don't close the door on an awesome opportunity.
