Why I decided to go Greek (the second time around)

Sometimes we might not be ready the first time

As as a freshman, I had no idea what to expect from recruitment. I barely knew what Greek life even was, certainly couldn’t name more than two sororities and to be honest, I was really only going through recruitment because all of my friends were. The only impression I had of sororities was from movies like The House Bunny — not exactly an accurate picture of what it really means to go Greek.

Even so, I found myself filling out the registration application and heading back to campus a week early for recruitment.

And I ended up dropping out before the week was over.

I realized quickly I wasn’t prepared that first time around. But I’ve also since realized it’s okay to not be completely prepared. No one was. Freshman year is an adjustment and sometimes it’s difficult to balance everything without adding a sorority to the mix. As a sophomore, I have learned how to better balance all of my commitments. I’m prepared now, in the sense that I’m ready to go in with an open mind and realize that things will work out the way they’re supposed to.

This is why I’m trying again.

Sisterhood

As cliche as it sounds, Cornell is a big place and it’s easy to feel lost at times. Especially coming from a big family, I found myself missing home and all of its comforts quite often. Seeing all of my friends that joined Greek life always surrounded by their sisters and being a part of a big family is something that I want from my college experience. It’s always nice to have a home away from home.

A Support Network

College is hard. Life in general is hard. It’s always nice to have a shoulder (or dozen) to cry on. One of the best parts of going Greek is finding a group of people we can always count on to be there for us no matter what.

Plus, there are bound to be girls in our same major who can help with a problem set we’ve been struggling with for four hours, or edit a paper we wrote. Greek life is also a great way to find out about different career paths and internship opportunities.

Diversity

As a sophomore, many of my closest friends were people in the same major as me, as well as girls exactly like me in personality, interests and background. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, but joining Greek life allows us to branch out and also become good friends with girls who have grown up on the other side of the world, or have very different aspirations and interests. While it’s nice to find your long lost twin in college, it’s also great to connect with people who have had completely different experiences.

 

So if you find you’re not ready to go Greek as a freshman, it’s okay. An additional year of college can change a person a lot, and you may find that you’re much more mature and have a better idea of what you want from Greek life and from your college experience in general.

No matter what, let’s go in with an open mind and try to ignore any stereotypes we’ve heard or what our friends in houses have told us. Let’s find the best fit for us.

 

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