When I tell Greeks from other universities that my sorority’s most recent pledge class contained 121 girls I’m normally met with a shocked “WHAT?!” Occasionally, I even get a sympathetic hand on my shoulder matched with an “Oh wow… I’m sorry.” I almost spit out my coffee the first time that happened. I had just told her I gained over a hundred new sisters, what about that calls for an apology?

The truth is, I’ve never thought about my chapter negatively because of its size. Having three hundred and something girls behind me has always been a blessing.

With so many lovely ladies, the conversation is never dull. There are sisters from every part of America, as well as around the world. From Alaska to Norway, we have it all. We not only have different accents, we have completely different life experiences. I’ve loved learning about the wide variety of recipes, religions, traditions, sayings, and quirks that my sisters bring to our sorority. I can take a trip around the globe simply by sitting at a lunch table.  

Even our personalities are vastly different. Just the other day, my co-worker asked why I had Greek letters next to some of my phone contacts’ names. I told her that it was my sorority and she looked at me in utter disbelief. 

“I never pegged you as one of those girls,” she responded. That’s the thing- with over three hundred sisters, none of us are the same. Those girls don’t actually exist, because you cannot accurately bunch all of our personalities together. We have tomboys, hipsters, girly-girls, southern belles, religion-centered ladies, philanthropists, computer nerds… I mean honestly, the list could go on forever.

Sometimes, just our size alone is a benefit. With so many intelligent girls in a wide variety of majors, everyone is able to find career and educational advice within our sorority. When I decided I no longer wished to be an education major and began looking into public relations, my first step was to ask my sisters for help. Within a few minutes of posting to our Facebook group, I had over ten messages in my inbox from older girls offering tips and information about this possible major change. Honestly, their advice was way better than anything I could have found on the Internet or from an advisor. Because of our size, we have an overwhelming amount of support from both active sisters and alumnae. Seriously, though. You should see our LinkedIn group.

While our differences keep things fun and interesting, it is our similarities that make us so close. Though we are over three hundred strong, we each have traits that undeniably belong to our chapter. There is something about each of us that connects us as a whole, allows us to understand each other, and makes us all incredibly compatible friends. 

We are not united because of our looks or because we are from certain hometowns. We are united because there is a specific kind of burning inside all my sisters- something strong, goofy, smart, and beautiful. It is a special kind of love unique to us and that is what makes our sorority, which seems way too big, something that feels very small.