Arriving at McGill, a lot can seem daunting. The big city, the size of the student body and the heaps of schoolwork may seem like a lot to navigate at first. Meeting new people is a great way to gain insight into the best ways to get what you want out of your years at McGill.
However, after the initial group of friends you’re bound to make during frosh, you might be wondering “where do I even start to meet new people?”
After all, it’s pretty hard to make real connections in a huge lecture room. For me, the answer was joining one of McGill’s sororities.
Although Greek life is much less known here than it is in the United States, I found that membership still offered a whole range of awesome benefits. Most importantly, joining a sorority gave me the opportunity to meet a whole group of girls that I may not have otherwise had the chance to meet. Opportunities to meet people outside of your program or your school year don’t always present themselves, but going Greek gives you the chance to bond with girls from every program (and even discover courses you didn’t know existed).
This whole new group of friends can offer you fantastic advice on which classes to take, which to avoid, and what study techniques are the best for making it out of your very first midterm alive. I’ve seen my grades climb since joining as a result of mandatory study hours where sisters are available to help with any homework questions I may have. In such a large network of girls, there will always be someone who has either taken your classes, or who has knowledge in the area. In an environment where good scholarship is important, I am seeing my motivation to excel in school shoot even higher than it already was.
These girls become a rock solid support system for whatever you’re going through. They can always provide the advice you need, because chances are at least one of them has been through something similar. The older sisters become your mentors, who you can go to for anything.
One of my favorite parts was being assigned a big sister. Each new member gets matched with an older sister who will then become their mentor and usually one of their closest friends. In cases like mine, your ‘big’ starts to really feel like family, and you have a hard time believing that you haven’t known her your whole life. You can tell her anything, and she will always do whatever it takes to solve your problems. She can help you navigate all aspects of your first year at university from finding a classroom to dealing with homesickness.
Since joining a sorority at McGill, I have found that there will always be someone to study with or just to hang out with, and that I don’t feel overloaded, but there is always something to do. Becoming a part of a sorority can open your world to people and possibilities that you may never have come across otherwise. Getting involved in Greek life is undeniably one of the best decisions I have made since coming to McGill.
Interested in getting involved? Check out McGill’s sororities online.
Images obtained from:
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