You know that moment when your professor announces that they’re going to number people off for groups? You’re frantically looking around the room, and you find all the people you really would prefer not to be paired up with. You then realize you only have one friend in the class, and the probability of you two ending up in the same group is slim to none.
Well, being in a sorority is kind of like that, except you look up and realize you don’t care what your number is, because you get along with everyone so well.
Joining a sorority was always something I had planned to do, but it it still ended up being nothing like the stories my mother would tell me about her experience. She told me about the houses that partied all the time, the houses where you couldn’t come down the stairs without makeup on, and overall, the houses that screamed TSM.
I went in with these stereotypes and, by preference day, found my decision insanely hard. I wasn’t sure how it all worked, but I knew that when it comes to recruitment, you don’t really see the true heart of the house. I made the decision to go with the house that I thought I’d fit in with and honestly made me cry the most on preference day.
The next day, I visited the house and realized these girls weren’t Lilly Pulitzer, they didn’t wear their pearls all the time, and they were far from identical to each other.
After a few months, you start to figure out how everyone works. The thing I discovered is everyone has battles. The most bubbly and happy of women seem to have had the most heartbreak. Whether it’s broken homes, broken hearts, or broken lives, these women were not just what they looked like on the outside. Being in a chapter has help me understand people so much more deeply than I ever had in the past. It made me sympathize and realize that no one understands your struggles like you do. I know that what some women have gone through will never be something I could relate to, but I could be there for them when they needed it and give advice or just listen.
Throughout this past year, I've questioned my choice a lot, honestly. There were times I wanted to pull all my hair out, times where I cried, and times where I was certain I didn't belong in a sorority.
Being in a sorority isn’t about Greek Unity, it isn’t about being pretty, being nice, being mean, being smart, or being a TSM star. It is 100 percent about finding out who you are and what you can do for this world. It is about being the friend who puts in the extra effort, even when it isn’t reciprocated. It is about learning how to deal with drama in the most neutral and respectful way you can. It is about doing things you don’t want to and taking orders. Overall, it is about finding the girls you will always think about when you’re sad or lonely, the girls you will love, no matter where you go or how out of touch you grow.
I think so much of society likes to focus on either the good or the bad of the Greek Community. When it comes down to it, it is something you will never understand unless you decide to take steps towards joining. I have met women I would have never talked to in my life and made some of the greatest friendships I’ve ever had. Regardless of the negative light cast on Greeks, we are all a family, and you can’t find that support from any other kind of organization.
Be Greek.
