Coming into my freshman year at UC Berkeley, saying I was nervous would be the understatement of the century. I’d never envisioned myself moving from SoCal to NorCal, and at that, attending as prestigious of a school as UC Berkeley. I had the typical fears, such as worrying about finding my crowd and adjusting to the new environment. Both my parents attended university in California, but they definitely had different social experiences.
My dad was a typical “frat guy,” who had a little too much fun in college. My mom, on the other hand, had just moved to America from South Korea a couple years before enrolling in university. She tended to stick with her older sister and her close friends from church in college. I felt really conflicted coming into college because I held the false belief that what I decided to do with my social life in the first month of college would determine my next four years. After heavily debating with myself and a pros and cons list, I decided not to participate in Primary Fall Recruitment.
To be completely honest, after making that decision, I never really thought about sororities or Greek life for the majority of my first semester. I was able to get a lot closer to the people on my floor, classes, and beyond. It was really special to be able to foster and maintain these organic friendships, but I still felt myself wanting to be part of a smaller community. This desire followed me into my second semester, so I decided to go through COB (Continuous Open Bidding) for sororities. I went into the whole process with little to no knowledge of what to expect, but I ended up really loving one house, Sigma Kappa. Spoiler alert, I ended up joining!
I remember walking into the house and simply feeling like the members genuinely cared about what I was talking about and why I was there. However, even after joining, I was still really nervous about what was to come, especially after how movies and shows tend to portray sororities. I remember wondering if the crazy ritual ceremonies I’d see in movies would become something I’d have to participate in.
In all seriousness, although some of the rituals may seem silly, I have come to enjoy them. Joining a sorority, and now, living in the house, has provided me with the opportunity to meet so many intelligent, motivated, and strong girls who inspire me every day. Being able to be a part of such a tight-knit group that genuinely cares and loves each other has made my college experience exponentially better. I really feel like I’ve found a bunch of sisters that I can go to for advice, laughs, or even a cry. Beyond the girls in my sorority, I’ve also been able to get more involved within my community here at UC Berkeley through philanthropy events and volunteer work. I feel so incredibly lucky to not only have found a home in Berkeley, but also a bunch of friends who share that home and make it indescribably special.