To the new girls joining a sorority this semester,

I'll start with congratulations on getting and accepting a bid! Finding your home within the Greek community is such a great experience. You now have letters to stand by and hold dear. You also now have an entire history of girls within your sorority to look up to and rely on throughout life. Today I want to offer some advice about how to get the most out of your education process with your class because before you know it, it'll be over and you'll be thrown into all the craziness that happens on the other end.

Get to know each other

That may seem kind of obvious but I don't mean just learn each other's names and favorite colors. The girls who claim this class with you are going to be so important throughout your process and time as an active sister. They're going to be the ones who take a million pictures with you and share in your experience as you get initiated. Make dates with each other and learn something special. My class was full of crazy cat ladies in training and lovers of those crazy pictures you see best friends take. We cried together, we laughed together and we covered my entire kitchen in pasta-related things for an awesome dinner. When I get stressed, before going to anyone else in the group, I reach out to my class. They're always going to share something special with you and you should appreciate every bit of that.

Love one another

Even though you may be focused on all the hype of being in a sorority, you have to remember you're all also still in college and living life. Things are going to happen that are going to affect people. You have to stick by one another, even when it gets hard. If you know one of your pledge sisters is struggling, reach out to her. Find out her favorite chocolate and send it to her. Hug her a little extra when you see her at the next meeting. Talk things out with her. I can almost guarantee she'll appreciate it more than words can describe. You're a sisterhood now and sisters take care of each other. Never forget that.

Appreciate your new member educator

Pledge mom, SDC, new member educator, whatever title she may hold, the sister who is teaching you all about the sorority is someone you should love and appreciate. My class was the final class of our SDC and we wanted to make her last semester the best. Even when we made her upset right before initiation, we still bought her balloons and a keychain and told her how much we loved her. I promise whoever that sister is for you, she's beyond excited to share in this journey with you and you should be just as happy. She's your guide to the group and will always have your back. When you're struggling with your process, reach out to her. She's there to help and wants to see you succeed. Just remember how much you mean to her and make sure she knows how much you love her too.

Don't be afraid to get to know the older sisters

I know it can seem scary to approach the girls who have been there a while. They already have a place in the sorority and you're just now trying to see how it works. What you don't realize, though, is they want to know you. They talk to each other about all the things your class is going to do for the group. One of them is going to be your big and many of them will be in your family line. Though you're young in the sisterhood, you're still a part of it and each sister wants to see what you do. Get to know them in any way you can so you can discover what a beautiful relationship sisterhood can be. Sit with them in the dining hall, talk to them before meetings, meet up for coffee sometimes, whatever works for you to learn about the sisters who have already been through this.

Last (but definitely not least), ENJOY YOURSELF

You know YOLO, right? Well, you also only get initiated once. You'll only get to be on the unknowing side of things once. You only get to be a new member once. After initiation, sure, there are plenty of things to look forward to but there's also a lot of not fun things you have to go through and deal with. This process is something awesome that is only going to be as good as you make. Learn all you can but also have fun. Getting a big and getting initiated is such an exciting process and if you worry too much about the details while forgetting to enjoy it, you're going to miss out on something spectacular.

I know this time is crazy for you. Adjusting to being in a sorority is a big step and trying to process everything can be difficult. But I promise, as a sister who just went through it, you won't regret this. You're going to have so much to talk about and share with others that you won't even know what to do with yourself. Take each step with pride and know that by the end of your process, you'll have such a connection with your sisterhood that you'll wonder where they've been your whole life.