I recently made the decision to go through formal sorority recruitment at my school. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like it or not and heard repetitively that it was cutthroat and very selective. Part of me almost decided to drop and not even participate because I was so scared of what everyone would think if I didn't get into one. But I decided to continue and before I knew it the first day of the week arrived.

After only visiting a few of the 15 houses, I quickly realized how connected and loved everyone was within the community. Hundreds of women make up the Panhellenic association and all of them support each other no matter what house they're in. This was one of my many revelations that week, and as the days went on, I not only felt accepted but listened to, valued and loved. It amazed me how girls who I'd never met before were so excited about my accomplishments and supportive of my hard times.

I went into it almost expecting for the stereotypes to be true- that they were all pretty girls who just liked to party. This stereotype is what movies and books lead us to think, but I'm here to set the record straight. The stereotypes couldn't be more wrong. Going into the week I'll admit that I did believe the stereotypes to a certain extent- I thought that being in a sorority was only about the status and getting into parties. As the days went on, I learned that the girls were not only in it to find their best friends, but also to volunteer and raise money for their houses' philanthropies.

The biggest lesson I took away from the week was to never judge a book (or sorority) by its cover. Many of us have heard this saying throughout our lives, but by letting go of the stereotypes I was made to believe about sorority life, it opened up many doors for me and truly led me to meet some of the most amazing women I've ever met in my life. I won't tell you that I think everyone should go through this process because I'll be honest with you- it's so physically and mentally draining that at the end of the day I could hardly even hear myself think. There were times I thought that it wasn't for me but as the week went on and bid day approached, I realized what a good experience it had been to meet so many strong and empowered women. T

his week made me feel more empowered than I have in my entire life, thanks to the girls that make up the Greek life community. I'm proud to not only be a member of my dream house but to also be a part of the greek life community that makes up the fabulous women I was able to talk to all week and now I can confidently say that I've found my home away from home.