Throughout life you hear about how “college will be the best four years of your life” and you learn to just take their word for it. But when you finally reach the point in time where college is literally your life, you start to wonder what exactly makes the four years of emptying your bank account so memorable.

During the first semester, I was pretty content with where I was at. I had found my church, my group of friends, maybe even some of my best friends. I finished with a high GPA and felt overall satisfied with how I had finished out my semester of college. Now that it’s the second semester I have really begun to question the reasons behind what makes “college the best four years of your life.”

I came back to campus a week early to go through recruitment week to join a sorority. I was hoarse from talking about 9 hours a day to girls non-stop. People were literally a foot away from each other’s faces, screaming at each other while having the same conversation every time. What’s your major?Where are you from?What do you want to do with your major?How has your week been?What all did you do in high school? Granted, as the week progressed, the conversations got deeper and you began to truly connect with people. For one week, it felt like a month long experience; starting with a 6AM shower, actually wearing makeup, and not wearing a sports bra every. single. day. It was a constant conscious effort of putting your best foot forward to possibly be a part of a group on campus.

Although recruitment week felt like the longest week of my life, it was completely WORTH IT. I felt as if I finally found my home on campus. Maybe like most girls, I was torn between what sorority I wanted to join. But there were two key moments that helped me decide where I needed to be.

First, on Philanthropy Day (a day in which each sorority shows a 5-10 minute video focusing on what their individual philanthropy is and how they serve that philanthropy), every room was unique and inspiring. However, when I was in Chi Omega’s room and in their video the song “Multiplied” by NEEDTOBREATHE played, something clicked that this is where I needed to be. The lyrics “God of mercy, sweet love of mine, I have surrendered to your design” hit me and made me focus on the fact that all I needed was to surrender this decision to the Lord and trust the fact that he would take care of me. The second time I knew, was when I was having a conversation with a current sorority member and she asked me “what are you looking for in a sorority?” I answered, “All my life I have heard college would be the best four years of my life. I never understood why that was, I just kinda rolled with it. But throughout this week, I have realized that choosing to rush will play a big part in making these four years the best four of my life.” At that moment, I knew that I was looking for a place where I would be surrounded by girls that I wanted to be like, that would stretch me in my relationship with Christ like it had never been stretched before, a place where I felt so comfortable that it was as if I had always belonged there, and a place where I knew I was loved and could love on those around me. I ended up choosing to go ChiO. HOOT! And there isn’t a doubt in my mind that this is where I need to be.

So going back to the question “what makes college the best four years of your life.” It’s finding the people who not only have the same morals and standards as you, but make you question why you believe in the things you believe, thus leading you to truly make your faith your own. It’s finding the people who aren’t afraid to address the elephant in the room, but handle it like mature adults. It’s finding the people that make you wonder how you ever went X amount of years without knowing them. It’s finding people who support you, keep you in line, encourage you, and love you unconditionally regardless of your flaws.

It all may sound corny, but think about it. Even when we grow up to one day be married and have a family, we will need people to do that with. God didn’t create us to go through life alone. There are so many reasons they say college is the best four years of your life. But the common thread that all of the stories have is that college is where you find people to call home.