Anyone who says that they weren't thoroughly intimidated by the senior pledge class as a new member, is lying. Sure, they could be the nicest girls in the world, but put a badge on them that says “senior", and it's done. Look up intimidating in the dictionary, and you'll find the face of a sorority senior right next to it.
After a few weeks of pledging, drunk bathroom bonding, and complaining about chapter, the seniors stop looking like just the older girls. Voila, they're your friends. All is well. Except the problem with becoming close to anyone in a pledge class above you, is that they graduate before you -- and it's heartbreaking! You learn to love these people, and POOF. In a swirl of caps, and gowns, and sashes, they move on to bigger and better things.
The seniors leave behind much more than pictures on a composite. They leave behind a legacy of memories. They're role models for us as college women, and as women in the real world. Although I've never sat down with a senior and asked her to “teach me something", there are plenty of things over the last two years that I've learned from my upperclassmen sisters.
1. You can have more than one family.
Big, gbig, ggbig: the family line goes on for generations. Your momma will always be your momma, but having an extra set of sisters to cry on, and vent to, doesn't hurt. When the matriarch of your sorority family graduates, it might feel like you're losing a best friend. But don't worry, she's not going anywhere.
2. Sometimes things don't always go as planned.
Maybe it's an extra semester at school. Maybe it's not receiving a job offer right out of college. Whatever it is, you will be okay. I've listened to, i.e. eavesdropped on, one or two conversations in my day, and I can't help but admire how positive seniors can be when the “master plan", isn't panning out like it should.
3. You're never to good to be friends with someone.
There's no denying that a food-chain mentality exists in sororities. New members do their time, pay their dues, and respect the hierarchy. But just because you've been around the block a few times, doesn't mean that you can't be friends with a freshman girl who doesn't know what “composite" means.
4. If you want to be a role model, don't just demand respect, give respect.
That hierarchy I just mentioned? You can forget it. In five years, no one will remember you as a senior who had the right to be rude and demand respect. They'll just remember you as stuck-up, disrespectful, and entitled. If you want people to respect you, especially girls you've pledged to keep as your sisters, you should respect everyone, no matter your age.
5. Work hard, play hard.
If you want to have fun now and later, you better bust your butt. Obviously there's a time to get the crazy college phase out of your system, but if you want to be really happy after college, work just as hard.
6. Friends fight and it's okay.
Getting into a fight with your best friend sucks. But that doesn't mean that the world is ending. There is a way to deal with drama without ruining friendships that have taken years to build. Talking it out, preferably over wine and pizza, is always a must.
7. Boyfriends will come and go. It's not the end of the world.
There are bigger fish to fry besides boys. Sorority women are strong, and independent, and they don't need a man. Well, sometimes they need men. But we need them on our own terms.
Thank you, seniors, for showing us what it means to be a smart and hardworking. For proving that you can be fun and friendly, but also be tough and fair. For setting a good example from the time we pledged, and for setting the standard for which all future seniors should strive. Thank you for being our sisters and friends, and thank you in advance for staying in our lives, long after college ends.
