Why Joining a Sorority Was My Best Decision in College
My sorority allowed me to see past people’s exterior and therefore helped me make some of the strongest connections of my life.
As a high school senior preparing to enter my first semester at Rutgers University in New Jersey, I was dead set against ever joining a sorority and being a part of what seemed to me like just a “girly cult.”
Years of what I had seen on the internet combined with the stereotypes surrounding greek life had all surmounted into the conviction that all of this was not for me.
I was convinced that the scary chants sung by fake girls with fake tans were not for a pre-dental, first generation American like myself. Becoming part of sorority was off limits and nothing anyone could say would change that.
At least that’s what I thought.
After being a freshman at Rutgers University for at least two months I had seen a few advertisements for “Meet the Sisters” events hosted by almost all of the nine sororities Rutgers has on campus. With formal recruitment starting in the spring, these informal fall events were just ways that girls interested in greek life could learn more about a sorority by talking to one or more sisters for about an hour.
Although I saw advertisements for these events all over Facebook and Instagram I never actually considered going until my roommate (a destined sorority girl from the start) said she really wanted to go and it would be a crime if I made her go alone.
After much begging and pleading I grudgingly agreed to attend just one event only because I felt bad making her go by herself. As the time of the event approached and I started to walk up the flight of stairs that led into the house, a million nervous thoughts clouded my my head.
“What if this is going to be awkward?”
“What if the girl I’m paired up with is mean?”
“What if we have nothing in common?”
“What am I going to talk about for an entire hour?” were just some of the questions that made my heart race.
However, even though the sister I ended up talking to had a completely different major, background, and hobby than I did, she was one of the sweetest people I had ever met and we had no trouble making conversation for that entire hour.
Just one hour with one girl (who is now one of my close friends and sister) changed my entire perception of greek life and made me want to go through formal recruitment that following spring. After finishing the three-week “rush process”, I was lucky enough to receive a bid from the same sorority whose “Meet the Sisters” event I attended in the fall and I was now considered one of their fifty new members.
Here are some of things I learned throughout my six week new member process:
1. Everything Has a Purpose
Although these weren’t the easiest six weeks of my life, there was definitely no hazing, bullying, or disrespect that I had seen in many movies and TV shows. In fact, the negative stereotypes that surround greek life like binge drinking, excessive partying, or performing uncomfortable tasks were strongly forbidden and not tolerated by any capacity within my sorority.
Of course the process was time consuming with lots of mandatory events, meetings, and tasks but every thing I did and every event I went to served a purpose.
Whether it was attending professional development night where I was able to receive feedback on my resume, finding out that seven Jewish women founded the sorority when no other organization would let them join, or selling hot chocolate outside of the student center to raise money for our philanthropy I learned so much about myself, my sisters, and my chapter in just those six weeks.
2. You Will Build the Strongest Connections
While it is impossible to become best friends with every single one of the 150 girls in the sorority, as someone who is more of an introvert and has a hard time instantly making friends, the events that allowed us to open up and get real with each other were the ones that let me see past the facade that every sorority girl is either privileged, stupid, or fake.
Learning about the way a sister coped with the death of a family member, was able to get through a serious brain injury, or how a chronic illness affects them on a daily basis, my sorority allowed me to see past people’s exterior and therefore helped me make some of the strongest connections of my life.
3. They Provide You With New Skills and Opportunities
Sororities are by no means for everyone, but whether you, your daughter, your niece, or any college aged girl that you know actually ends up joining a sorority at their school, I recommend everyone at least looks into it.
Just going through formal recruitment teaches you how to network and talk to people who you might not have any similarities with. Such a skill can have benefits that will reach far beyond just college.
Many sorority alumnae like to hire both past and current sisters which can be incredibly useful in receiving a prestigious job or internship (this is what got my skeptical parents on board) and can help further your career goals.
Although being hesitant about joining a sorority is normal, don’t let their appearance or your own prior conceptions intimidate or scare you.
I never thought a sorority could bring so much personal, academic, or social growth but I stepped out of my comfort zone and I’m so happy with the results. Always trust your heart and your mind so if at any point you feel greek life truly isn’t for you that’s always okay.
A sorority will give you what you put into it so maybe, just maybe, it’s worth a shot.