To the girl who will never understand the true meaning of sisterhood,

You are so misunderstood and so mistaken.

The picture you paint of sorority life is rife with stereotypes, generalizations and scathing denunciations of all of the women who have found a “home away from home” within their sororities on campus. While I respect your opinion, I and many college-aged girls have had experiences vastly different from your perception of Greek life.

I’m not saying that the tan, blonde, seemingly perfect girls don’t exist. Because they do. Are a lot of them in sororities?

Sure, they are.

But comparing yourself to them will always make you feel like shit. It doesn’t matter whether they wear deltas, sigmas, pis or kappas on their quarter-zip sweatshirts. But there are a lot of other types of girls in sororities, too. Regardless of race, sexuality, intelligence, beauty or interests, Greek life is a safe space for everyone.

I joined Alpha Omicron Pi at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities during the first week of my freshman year. At the end of my junior year this past May, I decided to drop because of my busy schedule and financial capabilities.

But, I wouldn’t trade time spent with my AOII girls for anything. They accepted and loved me for the nerdy, ambitious girl that I am.

The one who looks like she’s going to the gym at every point in the day.

The one who spends every Friday night holed up in the study reading her “Genetics”textbook.

The one who had never had a boyfriend or even a date to Prom.

The one who was incredibly insecure.

The friends and connections I made in AOII allowed me to grow into a confident, sassy, proud and fun-loving version of myself. My sorority did not force or influence me to conform to some mold. Instead, we were united by our diversity — an appreciation for one another’s passions.

We challenged each other to make our own molds and to become the best versions of ourselves.

The women of AOII at times brought me to tears — of joy, of laughter, of sadness and of gratitude. They provided the support I needed to seek treatment for my eating disorder, they comforted me when I had boy problems or mountains of homework, they celebrated my successes and supported my decisions.

To the girl who will never understand what it is to be in a sorority, I’m sorry. Because going Greek is so much better than you think. It’s not about the Instagram likes or the frat parties. It’s about building a community of strong, empowered women (and men). From the girl who met the love of her life at a frat party and whose Snapchat stories are lame as f***, I promise you that being in a sorority is not always glamorous. It’s raw, it’s beautiful and it’s anything but superficial.

To the girl who didn’t rush this year, there’s always next fall.