There are a lot of things that have happened during my first year of college. For one, I joined a sorority, something that really has changed my life. It started during that one day when I was sitting in a room with hundreds of girls I had never seen before, and I opened an envelope with the name of the sorority I'd be a part of my next four years of college. And there are a couple things I got along the way.

1. My letters.

I'll never not have a t-shirt with my sorority plastered over it. So yeah, I have a lot of t-shirts that I wear my letters on, but I'm wearing them even when I'm not wearing those shirts. One of the first lessons I learned is that I'm always wearing my letters, and through that you're no longer just representing yourself, but representing the women and the tradition.

2. My best friends.

Man, you really think the friends you have in high school will be your friends for the rest of your life, and while that remains true for some people, for the most part you drift away from people and lose connections. But there's nothing wrong with that. It's not that you got in a big fight or a huge falling out, you just drift away because you now have different lives. And after that eye opening process, you meet these girls, your pledge class, and start thinking to yourself, 'Wow, where have you been all my life?' You now have friendships that you know will last a lifetime.

3. The image.

Yes, oh my god. The sorority girl image is totally what it's made out to be. Not really, NOT COMPLETELY. I hate to say it, but sometimes I could fit the stereotype (letters, Starbucks, and sorority pinned backpack in hand). However, if anything, I've represented myself as a better person than I ever have before. I don't know how it's done, but maybe it comes from the things we see. There are some things college freshmen see that are unfortunately grimy, and finally that question your parents have been trying to get you to think every time you're with your friends, “What would my parents think if that was me?" Congratulations, Mom and Dad, it worked and I'm officially thinking about you every time I get the chance to do something that might have given you the slightest amount of disapproval.

I think I've heard all of my sisters at some point or another say, “I never thought I would be in a sorority." And that's because no sorority girl is ever a real sorority girl. If sorority girls were exactly like the stereotype, then the world would crumble to its demise due to girls being too basic. I've met some of my best friends, I've encountered countless opportunities, and I've learned a lot about myself. So yeah, my sorority gave me a bunch of letters, friends, and an image. So what?