As a second semester Junior who went through sorority recruitment as a Freshman, deciding to leave my sorority was a big decision. While the true friendships I made along the way remained the same without the title, dropping empowered me in so many unexpected ways. Upon entering Rollins, I was lost. Being so accustomed to being on sports teams my whole life, I was unsure of where my place on the campus would be when I left sports behind in college.
Within my first semester of joining a sorority, I went through many life changes including breaking up with my boyfriend of two years, and being diagnosed with a life-altering chronic illness. Due to this difficult time, I was very thankful to be in a sorority where I felt like I would have the support of all my sisters. However, things in my sorority did not play out as I had imagined.
I had never really imagined myself in a sorority in the first place, and though I do not at all regret joining, I only joined because my parents recommended Greek life from their experiences at SEC schools. I gave it a try anyway, and my feelings toward my sorority fluctuated constantly during my time in Fraternity and Sorority Life. In the beginning of my first semester, I was hopelessly overwhelmed. While it was fun to meet a lot of new people, not everyone is outgoing enough to make their best impression in an organization of 70 people. I felt that I was unnoticed for a while before I felt comfortable getting to know others and allowing them to get to know me.
Despite my slow assimilation into sorority life, eventually I had fully integrated and had formed what I had believed to be a strong group of friends. Before I had found a place, I was still skeptical if I was going to stay, but after some time I even felt comfortable taking on a leadership position and a Little. With this new involvement in the sorority, I felt closest to my sisters than ever and was so excited for the future of not only my sorority but of my Fam too, as I would be getting a Grand-Little soon.
As spring semester approached and it was time for our family to grow, my little and I were very excited. My big had already graduated, so having a third member of the family was going to be a big deal. However, when my own Little was no longer able to take a Little and my leadership position was revoked, I had to reevaluate sorority life and its role in my college career. Due to an incident outside of my sorority, members of the executive board had asked me to come in for a meeting to plead my membership. Essentially, I was asked to defend my case about why I should be in the sorority, and honestly, being asked that question made me realized that I shouldn’t be in a sorority at all.
From someone who took so long to come out of her shell freshman year to a rising senior, I felt more empowered than ever before when I declined this meeting. Standing up for myself when asked to go in front of people who were supposed to be my sisters to prove myself worthy to be in an organization that I was paying for is strength. When I talked to my academic advisor about dropping, she looked at me and told me she was proud of me, saying, “Rollins pushes FSL on students and it really isn’t for everyone. Then once you’re in it the pressure to stay is a lot. However, to do what is best for you, and to say goodbye to something that is no longer serving you, is the most mature decision you can make.”
The decision to do what is best for you can sometimes be a difficult one, but since I have been free from all the pressures and rules.