In the years leading up to college, I saw many of the girls in the grades ahead of me joining sororities during their first semester of college. While I heard many great things about this social scene, I also knew about the negative stigma surrounding it.

As someone who never had a solid group of girlfriends in high school, I wasn't sure that rushing was something that I would be interested in or enjoy, but now that I gave it a try, I couldn't be happier that I did.

No one in my family was involved in Greek life and my parents were not very fond of the thought of thousands of dollars going toward something that they didn't fully understand. I decided that I'd at least give it a try, and knew that I could always opt out if I felt that it wasn't for me.

Throughout my rush week experience, I talked to lots of girls about their "sisterhoods" and all of the amazing things and people that their sorority had brought into their lives. I didn't fully buy this whole "sisterhood" thing and didn't really understand what it meant, but I ended up getting very invested in the rushing process and was ecstatic when I opened my bid card and ran to what was supposedly my newfound home.

Now that I have been in my sorority for almost a full academic year, I could not be more thankful for all of the incredible friendships that my chapter has brought into my life.

I started out college as someone who never really had more than a few close friends, and a few months later found myself signing a lease to live in a house with more than 30 other women that I get the privilege of calling my sisters and friends. I would have never even imagined doing this a year ago, as someone who seriously values my space and alone time, so it is a testament to how much I didn't know about myself after all.

Throughout my experiences far, I have felt very supported, included, and welcomed in my sorority and Greek life as a whole. Even if you don't think you fit the mold or are skeptical about rushing, I encourage you to at least give it a chance, because it is a great way to get involved, and you just may end up surprising yourself and liking it a lot more than you initially expected.