Typical me. I was supposed to be there at 2:30. But of course, it’s 2:45 and I’m sprinting to the Union the second Sunday of freshman year, late as usual, wearing a dirty shirt and no deodorant. I have no idea what I’m in for. But there I go, diving head first into the unknown world of sororities.
If you had asked me the first day of freshman year at Michigan State, a little over a year ago, if I was going to join a sorority I would have instantly, with out hesitation, said no. The thought just never crossed my mind. I had seen House Bunny, Sydney White and Greek and thought being in a sorority sounded like fun but never thought I would “fit in.”
Ha, boy was I wrong. I’m currently sitting at the library as I write this, just a typical Tuesday night. The part I never would have anticipated is who I’m sitting at the library with, three people I didn’t know a year ago and now I know them through my sorority.
The biggest hurdle to me was to decide whether or not to actually go through recruitment in the fall of 2010. I came late to the very first day and missed seeing one house because I was so hesitant. The weird part was that from the moment I saw Alpha Phi, I compared every single other house to them. I instantly felt some strange, indescribable connection to this sea of flowy hair and flats. As the week of recruitment continued, I smiled politely, nodded my head in agreement, and made polite conversation to pass the time at other houses until I went back to Alpha Phi. Now a little disclaimer, none of my family is Greek. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing going through recruitment, I just followed my gut. And my gut led me to the brick, green shuttered house at 616 M.A.C Street.
I’m not naive, I’ve seen stories about sororities on the news and I’ve heard the stereotypes and I listen to my mom sternly warn me about hazing. However, I made the conscious decision to sincerely give going Greek a try—and that’s what I did. Of course any freshman is nervous about the rumors, everything from excessive drinking, to being promiscuous, to hazing. But, if you can trust me after 398 words of knowing me, I promise you I was not forced to do anything against my will or felt pressured to do any type of activity. And I’ll be even more honest; I wanted to drop out of Alpha Phi for a period of time (if you can’t already tell, I’m not exactly the poster child for the average sorority girl). Me wanting to drop had nothing to do with the house or the girls in it, and everything to do with me and my own insecurities. I felt disconnected and homesick and everything a normal freshman should feel their first time away from home. Want to know what it was that pulled me out from the black hole I was sinking into? Alpha Phi. It took almost an entire semester but the girls who noticed something was wrong weren’t the girls I’d known for six years, they were the girls I’d know for six months. Yeah, maybe I was thrown into a group of girls by complete chance. But I’ve found that’s the beauty of rushing a sorority—you end up in the house you’re in for a reason. For some reason, that I’ll probably never be able to pin point, I was brought together in a pledge class of 30 girls, and found girls that I will forever be friends with.
Of course I still have my three best friends from high school whom I love and still hang out with; I try to play the balancing act as best as I can. I haven’t changed as a person since joining Alpha Phi, and my other friends can attest to that. Sure, maybe I’m a lot busier since joining but that was my goal. I was always so involved in high school: class president, sports, clubs, and meetings up the wazoo. But that’s me, Busy Bee Megan always running from this to that in 0.5 seconds.
Alpha Phi has opened me up to a plethora of opportunities that I never in a million years would have had the chance to do. It’s given me incredible networking, improved my leadership, and helped me evolve from a shy teenager into an assertive young adult. It has brought out the qualities in me that I always knew I had, but never knew how to utilize. Last spring I was accepted to attend the Emerging Leaders Institute through Alpha Phi for the summer of 2011 at Butler University in Indiana. I spent five days with 50 girls from 50 different Alpha Phi chapters across America and Canada. I immersed myself in how to better myself as a leader, developed the meaning of my personal values, and reminded myself of why I’m actually in Alpha Phi. It’s an experience not everyone in my chapter will experience but it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Being in a sorority is more than booze, bucks, and boys like the movies lead you to believe. It sincerely is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I carry my letters with pride because I am proud to not only be an Alpha Phi, but I’m proud to be Greek. I don’t consider myself better than anyone because of a choice I decided to make. Just like I chose to rush, you might be on the opposite side of the spectrum having chosen not to. Regardless of the path you’ve chosen, my experience has been nothing but rewarding. I have found genuine friendships, invaluable life lessons, and so many doors of opportunities opened all from sprinting to the Union in a dirty shirt and no deodorant.