Here in Muncie, Indiana, the greek life recruitment season is ending for Ball State students. As I am now a Senior I began to think about what greek life has meant to me and how it all began and I would like to talk particularly to those people who are disgusted with greek life.
I came to Ball State from a small town in southern Indiana. I came with very few people from my school, none of which I was really that close with. The only person I really knew was my roommate that I met on orientation day.
Needless to say I was scared. Ball State was different from the close-niche community that I had spent my entire childhood growing up in. It was a whole new experience.
I can see where some people can't handle it, but I took it as a challenge. I asked myself, "How do I mold my college experience into exactly what I want it to be?"
This is the part where I tell you to go out and join greek life, right? Well, not exactly.
My first year of school, I had no desire to be in a fraternity. From as far as I could see all it was was a bunch of douchebags causing problems and drinking. I spent my freshmen year developing friends with guys just like me. They weren't out recruiting me. They weren't trying to change me. We were just enjoying the simplicity of college life.
Then towards the end of my spring semester I received a bid from Phi Delta Theta, a fraternity on Ball State's Campus. I wasn't really sure how I felt. I liked the guys, but I didn't know if I wanted to be labeled as another one of those "frat guys." I waited the summer until I officially accepting. I officially began the process to become a member of a fraternity my sophomore year.
Since then the only regret that I have had has been waiting to join my sophomore year. Everything that I had heard about fraternities and the preconceived idea that I had was totally incorrect. My GPA went up. I began to get involved with the school and the Muncie community much more. I gained friends that will undoubtedly be at my wedding and any other life events.
I am forever thankful that I took that leap of faith that joined greek life. Looking back to where I was freshman year, I can honestly say Phi Delta Theta has truly transformed me into the greatest version of myself.
I'm not trying to sell greek life to you. Rather, think about all the times that you hated something that you didn't really understand. Having an open mind and being able to experience something before dismissing it is very important. That goes way beyond greek life.
As I sat in my dorm room my freshman year thinking about what I could do to mold my college experience into exactly what I want, I would have never imagined that it would turn out like this. I could not ask for anything better.
