College is insanely overwhelming when you first get there.

On top of convocations and orientations, there's trying to find out how to get around, what classes you’re taking, and what activities you want to get involved in. After I got the basics down, I decided to head to the involvement fair to look for some activities or organizations I could participate in. There were hundreds of tables set up, and I literally had no clue where to even begin. My roommate and I had walked around for a few minutes when I noticed that she had picked up a sorority recruitment booklet off of a table.

Here's what happened.

I knew she was planning to rush, however, I had never even considered it.

When I thought of sorority girls I thought of the basic stereotypes: skinny, blonde, rich, annoying, party girls that paid an obscene amount of money just to have friends. I never saw myself as one of those people, on any level whatsoever. But my friends thought otherwise. All summer, my hometown friends and I had talked about college and how they thought that, no matter how much I denied it, I would end up a sorority girl.

They talked about me rushing as if it was inevitable because I was just that “basic.”

I don’t know if it was the stigma surrounding sorority girls that made me reject the idea of rushing at first or the constant comments from my friends about the likelihood of becoming a sorority girl, but I knew at least one thing to be true: I was not going to be one of them. Or...so I thought.

As time went on, I started to realize that literally every girl I knew was rushing. My roommate, the girls I had met in my classes, and even the girl I brushed my teeth next to in the bathroom were all rushing. I started to rethink it, being the follower that I tended to think I was then. So, I made a spontaneous decision an hour before the registration deadline and signed up for formal rush.

Let me tell you, it was the best spontaneous decision I’ve ever made.

The saying “when you know, you know” sums up exactly how I felt the moment I stepped into the common room and heard my future pledge mom give a presentation about the sorority. So, to keep it brief, I got a bid, accepted it and never looked back. All of my misconceptions about sororities changed in the blink of an eye. These girls were intelligent, beautiful, caring, welcoming, passionate about the things that they loved, and all around amazing people.

I couldn’t believe that I had seen them in such a bad light.

Through my sorority, I have found not only some of my best friends but also some of the most genuine kind of friends there are. No matter what I’m doing, where I’m going on campus, or how much time I have, I always have someone to say hi to, study with, cry to, or hang out with. It has been the best gift college has given me thus far.

Joining a sorority has also opened so many more doors for me than I could’ve ever imagined.I receive emails upon emails every day about community service opportunities, volunteer opportunities, leadership opportunities, and so much more. Not only do I have an insane amount of connections, but I also get the chance to do a lot of work for our philanthropy, and that is the most rewarding feeling; giving back to a cause that matters to me personally.

The lesson I learned is definitely not to knock something before you try it, understand it or at least explore it a little bit more.

If I would’ve stuck to my misconceptions and stereotypes, I would not have some of my best friends, future roommates, and possibly even bridesmaids (okay, that’s very “srat” of me but it’s true!). If you’re debating rushing, do it. It will give you so much more than whatever you might think right now, and it will be the best decision you make in college. It was mine.