Finally made it to week three Pioneers! As you may have heard (quite literally due to the singing and clapping) last weekend was sorority recruitment, which means hundreds of girls have just gone through a roller coaster of confusing and conflicting feelings recently. Maybe you didn’t have a good time and removed yourself from the process, or you ran home to a hundred of smiling sisters on Monday night; either way the days following recruitment can be a tough time mentally and emotionally for a variety of reasons. The first thing you need to remember before jumping to conclusions is that whether you joined your dream house or your last choice, nothing is going to ruin your college experience except you. Sure, it may enhance your experience in some way if you truly find your home and become super invested and involved in a chapter but in the long run the only thing standing in your way of making college everything you hoped for is you and your attitude. Even if you joined your dream chapter that does not guarantee a magical college experience nor does it mean you will be happy in that chapter.
Second, that chapter that you did not get an invitation of membership from does not hate you, and honestly are not nearly as perfect and magical as they appeared during recruitment weekend. Being a part of any organization is hard and it’s not always rainbows and sunshine, sometimes there is drama, sometimes there are really real raw moments of sisterhood and heartache and everything in between. Half of the battle of joining any chapter or group of people is the effort you have to put into it in order to make those connections and memories.
If things did not happen then way you wanted them to it is completely okay to feel angry, confused, and upset, but also keep in mind that there are hundreds of ways to be involved on campus and in the community outside of sorority life. Another thing is that if you did accept a bid from a house but are feeling lost or unsure about staying, the best way to alleviate that conflict is to reach out to someone in leadership or older within the chapter and ask questions or talk things through with her. Chances are she felt the same way at some point and has advice because she genuinely cares about your happiness and feelings.
Do not be afraid to vent or talk things out with someone you trust. Pros and cons lists personally help me to remind myself of what is really important in life and what I should be focusing on. Hopefully you will be able to move past those mixed emotions and can focus on making the most of your fall quarter!