“I would never do a sorority in college,” are the words still echoing in my head from a conversation I had with my friends senior year of high school.
It was true, I was anti-sorority before I came to college. Based solely on the movies I watched and the stories that supposedly happened to the cousin of a sister of a friend, I was so sure I knew enough to make a sound decision about Greek life.
But during my first days of freshman year, some of my initial observations were that a TCNJ bicyclist was going to run me over, the Eickhoff cookies were illegally delicious, and every other person I saw seemed to have Greek letters on his or her shirt.
I didn’t understand why Greek life took over the third floor of the library, I didn’t get the obsession they had with their bigs, and I didn’t get the point of always wearing those letters. Greek life was literally all-Greek to me.
Despite my uncertainty of how a sorority worked, I decided to give Greek life a chance mostly because I felt like I was missing something in college. I wasn’t satisfied with what I was doing and there was a hunger I had for wanting more. In high school I was always involved, whether it be playing for the school soccer team, volunteering in elementary schools, or helping out on class council. Now here I was in college and I felt insignificant.
Because of this, I made the decision to go out for a sorority second semester of freshmen year. I can honestly say going through rounds was unlike anything I’ve ever done before. It involved a round robin where you met every single sorority and talked to a lot of different girls, but in a limited amount of time. I had to go out of my comfort zone and take a chance, but I later realized sometimes you have to do that to reap an even greater benefit.
In February the whole recruitment process for girls going through rounds lasted abut two and a half weeks and the last day was Bid Day. Kappa Delta offered me a bid and I accepted it because despite the unfamiliarity of the rounds situation, meeting Kappa Delta made it feel familiar and made it feel comfortable. And that’s what everyone in college should be able to have – a place, a group, a bunch of friends that makes them feel like they are home.
I am now the girl that always goes to the third floor of the library to meet up with my fellow sisters. I realize it’s because Kappa Delta has given me those people that I can always go to when I’m alone – they are a guaranteed presence in my life when I need them.
Sure, I’ll be the first to admit our laughter can get a little too loud when we’re all crammed at a single library table, but now that I’m on the other side of things, I realize I’d rather be squished between two of my sisters getting no work done than anywhere else.
Not only did I gain friends, but I also gained a big. Before joining a sorority I’ll be honest in that I didn’t really see the point of having one. But in my sorority everyone has a big and for each girl they are that person that helps her, guides her, and ultimately looks out for her. I think they are most important when you are a new member just getting into the sorority because at that point everything is so new; your big is like that older sister that has been through it all before and whose experience you can benefit from.
So my opinion on why you hear countless amounts of girls saying how much they love their big, is that they are grateful for having them at a time where they are transitioning into a new chapter of their college lives.
Now, after being in a sorority and being on the other side of it, I realize the letters are a way to show how proud you are of your organization. And I am proud to wear them because of everything that Kappa Delta is to me. It lifted me from my Fall Semester funk and helped me become the person I wanted to be in college.
Whether I am performing a dance for Greek Week, volunteering my time for one of our philanthropies, the Girl Scouts, or competing in Homecoming field games, I can truly say that my sorority has helped me fill the void I was missing in the beginning of my freshmen year. Not only did Kappa Delta give me something to be a part of but it also rejuvenated me as person and for that I will always be grateful.
Ultimately, Kappa Delta saved me. Kappa Delta saved me from becoming an average collegiate who would get lost in the shuffle. Don’t be average. Find something you are passionate about and that gives meaning to your life. You don’t want to look back on your four years to just be able to say you got through college. No, you want to look back and say that you made the most of this time in your life that you will never be able to get back or re-do.