Joining Greek Life was never something I thought I would see myself doing. My plan was to go to a school close to home, commute my first year, then transfer to something bigger and better. That was until I decided to go through sorority recruitment. I wanted to be involved on campus and I wanted to make some friends, so i figured why not try the whole sorority thing. I never would have imagined how life changing this experience could be. Joining Greek Life was truly one of the best experiences I have ever made. Here are 7 things I have learned this past year after joining my sorority:

1. The people you call your family aren’t always related to you.

Joining Greek Life means finding your sisters. No one understands the concept of a “family line”, until you have one. Your big sister is your mentor through chapter, and sometimes just college in general. You have littles, twins, grand bigs, great grand bigs, aunts, etc. All of these people there to help you, all the time.

2. Your sisters become your support system.

Being at college means not having your family so close anymore. You can find that family within Greek Life. You find people that are constantly supporting you and encouraging you to better yourself. Your sisters are there whenever you need someone to be. They will become your biggest fans when you need that motivation to do something you’ve always wanted.

3. College can truly feel like home.

College isn’t home. You don’t know anyone, you don’t have your parents or your siblings, or the house you grew up in. You are alone on this big campus. But your sisters make it your home. You have those friends again, the ones you can hang out with whenever you’re bored. You get that sense of security and knowing you have a place, even if it is somewhere you’d never thought it would be.

4. Getting involved on campus made me love my school.

I was never really interested in the college that I was going to. I was going because it was what my parents wanted me to do. It was a nice campus and everyone seemed nice, but it just wasn’t what I wanted. After getting involved around campus, I was shown a part of my school that I never realized was exactly what I needed. I fell in love with the school I was going to, finally and I knew it was exactly where I belonged.

5. It’s good to be pushed outside of your comfort zone.

I’ve never been one to do things that made me uncomfortable. I was always told that you can’t grow as a person until you’ve pushed those limits. I was afraid of what could happen, but what happened was the best thing for me. I learned a lot more about myself than I ever could have in high school. I have learned who am I ad how much I can really do, once I got out of that bubble.

6. You are never alone in anything you do.

No matter what you’re doing, you will not be alone. Your sisters are there for anything that you need. Someone to do homework with, go get coffee, go on late night Taco Bell runs, or you just need someone to talk about life with. They will be there whenever, for whatever you need.

7. Being a leader isn’t as scary as it sounds.

I have always been involved in organizations, but I have never considered myself a leader. My sorority has given me so many chances to enhance my leadership skills. I have now been to multiple leadership conferences. I am on our executive board. I have helped with freshman orientation. I have grown so much through these experiences, they have truly shaped the person I am and who I am becoming.

My sorority and all of my sisters have changed my life in ways I never could have imagined.This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. My advice for anyone that is thinking about possibly going through recruitment: just try it, it could be life changing.