“Greek life isn’t for me, it seems so superficial,” “I don’t understand why people join Greek organizations – it’s really just paying to make friends.”
Does this sound like you? That was me six months ago.
As an international student from Sweden, everything I knew about Greek life before starting college in the U.S. I had learned from watching movies like “American Pie” (I know, insert SOS emoji here). That being said, Greek life to me was superficial, silly and only for people who wanted to party their way through college.
Therefore as a freshman, I felt no desire to go through rush, be judged on my appearance, and participate in hi-bye conversations with upperclassmen I didn’t know. I could in no way understand the excitement the girls on my floor expressed for “shopping for outfits for rush” and discussing different sororities.
I went through the next year and a half of college in a similar fashion. I drove home (to Wellington, FL, where my family now lives) most weekends, and wasn’t too concerned that I was completely missing out on having “the college experience.” In my mind, I had gone to college to get a degree, and that was what I was doing. What I didn’t realize at the time is that college is about more than just the academics – it’s also about growing as a person, as cliché as that may be. That’s why, when Chi Omega reached out to me about their informal recruitment event last fall, I decided to keep an open mind and attend.
I walked into the suite with zero expectations. I walked out again about an hour later, and felt quite confused. All the girls I had talked to seemed genuine, bubbly and truly excited about their sisterhood –far from my stereotype of sorority girls. It was hard to let go of my prejudices against Greek life, but after some contemplation, I decided to join. If I didn’t like it, I could just drop.
I didn’t drop (duh, because here I am writing this article), and I can honestly say that joining Chi Omega was one of the best decisions I made during my time in college. Not because I met new people (I did), or because I am more involved on campus (I am), but because in Chi Omega, I find myself surrounded by women who are genuine, strong and compassionate. Women who, probably unknowingly, challenge me to be the best person I can be.
With all of this being said, you may wonder if there are still aspects of sorority life I have reservations about? The answer is yes – see below.
…Just kidding (but in all honesty, why is this a thing?)! There are certainly still aspects of Greek life I am less fond of, but I have come to realize that most of the time, your involvement in anything is what you make of it. Seeing how much I have grown as a person over the past six months, I can with confidence say that, as a whole, getting involved in Greek life has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. I would recommend to anyone to at least give a shot.