As a sophomore at Bucknell, I am given the option to go through recruitment for Greek life on campus. From an outsider’s perspective, it seems like Greek life can be a large part of the college experience. It can be appealing to meet new people and have a set group of “sisters.” Personally, I knew that Greek life wasn’t necessary for me to be able to enjoy college. However, a part of me worried that I would graduate from Bucknell and end up regretting not joining a sorority.
Something that was important to me when I committed to Bucknell was my academics. I’m not saying that students cannot participate in Greek life while maintaining a great GPA, but each student is different. I am the only one who knows how I function academically and socially. Therefore, I knew that there was a high probability that I would be distracted or put more attention on my sorority than my academics.
At times, it felt like there was a lot of pressure to go through the recruitment process. Reagan, a senior Chemical Engineering and Music double major, talks about how difficult her experience not rushing was. She explained that all of her first year hallmates got accepted into the same sorority and she “felt very isolated during the beginning of the fall semester.” Hearing this story, I saw how my reasoning and decision not to join Greek life is totally valid and relatable.
I have talked about what recruitment is like for my friends who are going through the process. It’s a bit awkward talking about Greek life when you are not a part of it because I sometimes feel like I’m the only female on campus that isn’t eager to join a sorority. However, through talking to some sophomores who aren’t going through recruitment, I found that I am not alone. Brigid, a sophomore Biology major, offers her encouraging words by saying, “You can still be friends with people who are in sororities, and there are plenty of other girls on campus who aren’t rushing and don’t want to be involved in Greek life that you will come across.” Bucknell does a great job at making sure students can get involved in many unique ways. Although it is very probable that you will meet someone who is a member of Greek life, you will also meet someone who isn’t. If I had to give someone who isn’t a part of Greek life some words of encouragement, I would say to focus on yourself and what you want to get out of your four years. If you want to join a sorority, that’s okay. If you don’t want to join a sorority, that’s okay, too. Stay true to who you are and know that just because you don’t want to join one organization doesn’t mean there aren’t other organizations on campus for you to be a part of.