I am currently a junior at Purdue, and I can honestly say that I don’t have a clue what I would do if I hadn’t joined a sorority. To give you some background, I am from New Jersey and going from there to Indiana with none of my high school friends and no local family was a huge adjustment. I am a beach girl who likes to do city outings, none of which Indiana really provides. Honestly, I was so in shock after my first week in the Midwest, I almost didn’t end up staying.
I wasn’t sold overall on the sorority idea. Being an only child and hearing I would have to live in a house with a hundred girls sounded awful, but my freshman year roommate convinced me to at least sign up before we got to school. So, I signed up in July and went to an informal meeting in August and started to warm up to the idea. The whole rushing part sounded awful, but I figured two LONG weekends would be worth it for the rest of my life.
After the two extremely tiring weekends of recruitment were over, it was bid day! I was so excited. After opening my envelope and running up the hill, I got to meet all my sisters and celebrate the beginning of the rest of my life.
Being in a sorority has been so much more than I ever could have imagined. I made friends. The best friends. Friends that I can truly count on for anything. They are my rocks and my go-to’s. Bonus, I get to live with them and see them every single day. I also found academic support. For me school is hard, and I must work a lot harder than the people around me to do just as well. My sorority provided me with constant academic support over the last three years, from tutors to study hours and a library and desk room in the house, my grades have only improved.
I am also learning lifelong skills to help me get a job and succeed in the workplace. Being a Vice President has taught me responsibility like none other. Around me is an alumni network that stretches from coast to coast in every field you could think of. I can reach out to them at any time for job, class, or life help. The alumni could not be a better support network of women supporting women.
Our philanthropy supporting St. Jude has truly opened my eyes. I love knowing that every big campus event we host, athletic game we put on, and letter I send is going to make a difference in a child’s life. From going to nationals and meeting sorority women like me from all over the nation, to meeting St. Jude patients, I have become the best version of myself.
I have found a family and somewhere that I feel like I belong. Being in a sorority was so much more than the classic movie plot line. It has changed my life for the better and if I could go back I would do it all over again. It has given me tools to succeed for the rest of my life. I am so thankful I joined my sorority, and therefore it was the best decision of my college career.
- Hocus Pocus
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I think it would be an injustice to the entire holiday of Halloween if I didn’t put Hocus Pocus as my first movie. This is arguably the most notorious Halloween film of them all. The Sanderson sisters can not be messed with. I love this movie because it truly is a classic. If you turn on any television during October, chances are this movie will be playing. It has a perfect blend of comedy and suspense that solidifies its place as one of the most watched Halloween movies ever. I always have Hocus Pocus on my list of movies to watch every year when Halloween rolls around.
- Halloween
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Halloween is one of those movies that is genuinely scary, which is perfect to get you in the mood for the holiday. It has everything you want in a scary movie: gore, a creepy murderer, and a killer theme song. In this movie, Michael Myers is back to torment his hometown after escaping the sanitarium he has been held in for the last 15 years for brutally killing his sister when he was just a young boy. Michael Myers is one of those characters that is virtually known by all simply because this movie is one of those cult-classic horror films. To this day, I still get creeped out by the music that plays right before he pops up on the screen. It is terrifying and fills you with immense suspense. If you haven’t seen Halloween, now is the time to watch it! Just make sure it is the original film!
- Halloweentown
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Halloweentown is my absolute favorite Disney Channel Original Movie, so I knew I had to include it in this list! It is just one of those movies that take you back to your childhood. I grew up watching this every Halloween, and I still do. It is an absolute classic! In this movie, you watch Marnie and her siblings save the day in a town that celebrates Halloween every day. They go on a grand adventure to save the town from a surprise evil villain that is threatening to ruin everything. Also, as a bonus, Marnie comes from a family of witches.