1. Betches. Love. Food.
Recruitment videos are a funny topic to talk about. Yes, I am guilty of being in my own chapters', and that doesn't mean I don't love every second of it and every other chapters'. Ladies, we are killing it, but can I just say that we actually eat food and show up to the chapter house in pajamas and #nomakeup?! It is true. And surprisingly, we dress down more than we dress up. WE LOVE FOOD. A lot. So enjoy the videos for your own personal viewing pleasure while stuffing your face with popcorn, chocolates and fine wine; I am right there with you.
2. People Skillz, Yo
Work week 101: How to Talk to a Brick Wall and Keep a Conversation Going. You will learn how to be not only a speaker, but a leader, and you will be able to share the success of your chapter for the rest of your life. How about the student body president of the entire university being your sister? Or my favorite, my big, being an engineer for Boeing and casually designing airplanes. HELLO NETWORKING! Your people skills will exponentially increase; love (opportunities) is an open door!
3. You don’t have to be everybody’s best friend – but I still found mine.
When you combine a group of women together and try to run an organization, you'll see the best and worst sides of everybody. And that's okay! Nobody said you had to be friends with everybody; I am most definitely not. But that doesn't mean you won't find your best friends. K-dawg, this is your shout-out bae. The whole "you'll find your bridesmaids" thing has never been more true for me, and I can't wait to ask them to be mine. XOXO
4. Everyone thinks about dropping at some point.
Dropping aka quitting. It isn't always going to be glitter and sparkles, and I think that this statement holds true to everything. I know that probably almost every single woman in my chapter has thought about dropping at one point – and that's completely okay. It's a normal reaction to a huge portion of your life. Ever heard of cold feet? It happens towards everything. It's the women who support you and love you unconditionally that make you want to stay. And that leads to my next point:
5. Women drop every year – it sucks but it happens.
Sorority life isn't for everyone. It's a fact that has always been true, regardless of how much my chapter hates it. Being in a sorority is definitely life-changing, and at times overwhelming, but dropping your chapter isn't the end of the world. Women choose to drop for different reasons (financial, personal, etc.), and the women who do drop aren't any less of a human being for making the best decision for themselves. We don't shun you, and we absolutely still want you to sit with us.
6. Nobody will ever love you more at your worst state than your sisters.
This is my sob story, but when my grandfather had a stroke, I was devastated. I showed up to my chapter house and cried. I cried and I cried. And guess who was there when I was miles away from home and by myself? My sisters. They didn't judge me, they didn't even ask what was wrong; they knew what I needed and they were there for me. To this day, some of the women who were there don't even know why I cried that night, but they don't care. They knew a sister needed true and everlasting love and support, and they came through.
7. We don’t compete with other sororities – we support them!
The biggest misconception about Greek life is that we compete and hate all other chapters. SO NOT TRUE! I can tell you that some of my best memories have been from supporting other chapters, whether that be at philanthropy events or working side by side with them at volunteer events or events like Greek Week and Homecoming. We are each others biggest supporters, and without each other, our individual success wouldn't be possible!
8. Recruitment is intimidating, scary and overwhelming, but trust the system.
I remember being devastated when I didn't get asked back to one of my top houses. I also remember preference night at my current house, and how that moment was so solidifying that I needed to be a part of my chapter. If I could ever give advice to a woman going through recruitment, it would be to be your absolute whole self, and trust the system. Your house will find you!
9. If you truly “pay for your friends,” I haven’t paid nearly enough!
This is probably my least-favorite quote in the world. I am such an outgoing woman, majoring in a male dominated field, yet I have never had a hard time making friends. Be nice, compliment someone, hold the door open, boom! You got a new friend. Maybe it isn't always that easy, but if I honestly paid for my friends, I am not paying NEARLY ENOUGH money for the women who have held me at my worst and celebrated me at my best. Please don't ever tell another sorority woman that she pays for her friends. We donate our money to our philanthropies (as in we DONATE MONEY to national charities and organizations to better others), and we help so many more important things including things like things like scholarships and supporting other chapters' philanthropy events. Greeks are constantly trying to better our community; take time to see what your local chapters are doing to give back! It might surprise you.
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