Sorority: A group of girls who pay to have friends. (via UrbanDictionary)
When joining a sorority, girls have a certain idea of how life will be upon getting a bid—Vineyard Vines stickers on every technological device, sorority tees that are one of a kind and the best parties. Thanks to the stereotype, this is what mostly everyone thinks.
But maybe once they get past the idea that while we like coffee from Starbucks and love to craft, they can actually ask us what it means to be a part of a sorority.
It is a home base, a safe haven, a home away from home. You gain more than 100 girls who will be there for you when a tough situation invades your life. You have hundreds of opportunities to meet some of the best people to ever be placed in your life. You literally gain a family of different types of girls who will help you grow as a human being.
Sure, there may be fights and you may not be everyone's best friend, but joining a sorority gives you lessons on how to be the best version of yourself. You learn compassion when listening to one of your sisters rant about the a-hole who broke her heart. You learn time management when trying to juggle school with the extracurriculars and duties to the sorority. Courtesy comes into play when you aren't really seeing eye-to-eye with another sister, but have to be a good girl to keep the peace.
You also always have someone who will grab a quick lunch with you or someone to have fun with on a Friday night or stay in with to watch hours of Friends on Netflix.
In my first year alone, I have learned so much from my sisters. I know that I have a support system when college gets too stressful. I know that there are people who will pick me up from my dorm to go for a walk to clear my mind. I have people to help me edit my papers and to stay up late in the lib with me to cram for an exam. But most importantly, I have over 100 women who will be my sisters forever and experience this crazy roller coaster of life with me. (Bridesmaids, hello!)
To those who have a negative outlook on the sorority life, you don't have to like it. But just know, not all of us are like Elle Woods (Pre-Harvard) in Delta Nu. We may like Lilly Pulitzer and fraternities, but we also have a heart.
I'm damn happy to be a sorority girl.
