The other day, I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw an Odyssey article pop up in my news feed titled Why I Didn’t Rush. So I decided to give it a read because 1) I enjoy hearing about other peoples’ opinions, and 2) I had a couple of extra minutes to spare. What I ended up reading, however, was disappointing.

Was I insulted? No. Disappointed that someone would think to use stereotypes as support for their article? Absolutely. Putting an entire group of people into a certain mold does not make for a strong argument, no matter the group or situation. And, as a woman, how are so comfortable with easily tearing down entire groups of women?

So, since you seem to enjoy making lists, I figured the best way to get my points across was to list them out for you, as well as for others who may not be that great at getting the point.

1) I knew I could be who I wanted to be.

You mention that you “don’t own a pair of wedges” and “don’t own a white lace dress.” Neither do I. I buy my jeans at Old Navy and am psyched when I buy a pair of shoes on sale. We’re not asking you to be someone you’re not -- we never asked you to be. You also mention how you aren’t “rail skinny” and “don’t spend time going to Zumba classes.” Well, I absolutely despise going to the gym and don’t feel bad about eating a half a jar of Nutella in one sitting. Stop being ignorant.

2) I knew I would have an incredible support system.

I knew from the very beginning I had my family to rely on, but when I came to college, I was able to find an entire group of people who I could turn to when my parents weren’t around. If I was having a good day, I could find someone to talk to and tell them about my day. If I had a horrible day, I could do the same exact thing. We help each other out and then some, and they tell me exactly what I need to hear, not always necessarily what I want to hear. Sorry that you feel otherwise.

3) The "monayyyyyy"… does not define your status.

You seem to think that the money is a huge factor in our organization. Yes, college is expensive. We understand that. That’s why we don’t ask members to dump out their wallets or cut off a limb to pay their monthly dues. The bond within a sorority is worth more than any price tag, and we help each other out as much as we can.

4) They encourage me to work harder.

In my sorority, we are encouraged to join extracurriculars outside of the sorority and maintain above a 2.75 GPA, but a lot of our members maintain a GPA way above that. Women in our sorority keep scholarships, have jobs, are in the top of their class and are leaders within some of our college’s most prestigious organizations. We take a lot of pride in that, as we should.

5) Being in a sorority has helped me learn more about myself.

You mention that college is “a clean slate.” You’re absolutely right, it is. You come to campus and not a single person knows who you are. It’s amazing. But, it can also be a lot. Going through sorority recruitment can help serve as a guide (I emphasize the word ‘guide’ because we are not telling you what you need to be or how you should act). After recruitment, finding your new home away from home is emotional and inspiring. Ever since I joined, I have been able to learn more about who I am as a person. I have discovered that I am a leader, can care about others more than I care about myself, and that you can truly be passionate about an incredible philanthropy.

6) The social gatherings give you more opportunities to learn more about your sorority and your sisters.

Yes, we have mixers and formals, but we also have movie nights and other fun bonding activities. It’s during these activities where we are really able to get to know each other better and even learn more about the sorority that we are lucky enough to be a part of. And no, they aren’t required. If you need to study for a massive exam or spend time working on your GPA, no one is going to ridicule you.

7) The process of rushing… is worth it.

I won’t lie to you—formal recruitment is no cakewalk. It’s exhausting, emotionally draining, and at times, maybe a little discouraging. But all of it is more than worth it when you get to run into your new sisters’ arms on bid day. Nothing compares to that feeling. Yeah, it sucks that we don’t get to know each and every single girl going through recruitment, but that’s just the way it works. Don’t think that we don’t give each and every single girl a fair chance, though -- we treat every woman going through recruitment with nothing but kindness and respect. We treat everyone how we would like to be treated, and we welcome everyone with open arms.

8) The stigma is bulls**t.

You and I both know that the stigma is just that…a stigma. A stigma isn’t the truth. Your argument is flawed; “If I got into LLL as a freshman and stayed in it through my senior year, and then applied for a job or an internship... and I told them I was a part of this sorority, they automatically have an idea of what kind of person they think I am, don't they? Whether they do or don't, the LLL girl they knew in college who slept around becomes part of my identity.” No, it doesn’t, unless that person is as incompetent as you. It's easy to see why you're part of the problem.

9) The time commitment is 100 percent manageable.

We aren’t asking you to drop everything for all of the events and meetings we have, but if you join a sorority, we encourage you to uphold some basic obligations. Like I mentioned throughout this article -- we aren’t asking you to change who you are. But in order for a sorority -- a sisterhood -- to be as strong as it is, we are going to encourage you to be the best possible version of yourself. We won’t ask you to decide between an Honors program or a sorority because we know you shouldn’t have to. We have women who balance both and so much more. If you want to focus more time on studying, good for you -- but doing and fully participating in both is not impossible.

10) You'll have the time of your life.

I didn’t join a sorority because I needed to… I joined because I wanted to. And I’m so glad I did. My life has changed for the better, and I can’t imagine not having a bond quite like the one I have within my sisterhood. I’ve laughed, cried, and have overall had some of the best experiences I’ve had in college just by being a part of my sorority.

So, I’m sorry that you feel as if you weren’t the sorority type. I used to feel the same way, but I’m glad I gave it a shot because I certainly don’t know where I would be now. And you’re right -- part of the beauty of being an adult is being able to make your own decisions. I encourage everyone who decides to read this article all the way through to do just that. What would I never encourage? Your negative, judgmental attitude that puts down others. I hope you are more than that, I truly do.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I better zoom off to my Zumba class before it’s too late.