Joining a sorority is something that I never thought that I would have done in college. It was something that I had thought about before, but I had just assumed that I was not the type of girl to be a part of a sorority. It goes without saying that people in Greek Life tend to be put into a box by their classmates. Even I thought you had to look a certain way, be a certain major, or be a certain type of person to in a sorority.
However, after transferring to UConn after my freshman year, I was looking for ways to get involved on campus and help make the transition to a school more than double the size of my old school a little smoother. One of my closest cousins, who had graduated from UConn the year before, was a part of a sorority at UConn and she had nothing but good things to say about the experience.
Therefore, I decided that I should give it a shot because the worst thing that could have happened was that I didn’t get into a sorority.
For those who are not familiar with the sorority recruitment process, after formal recruitment in the fall, there is an opportunity for the smaller chapters to go through what is called Continuous Open Bidding. During this process, girls who are interested in joining a sorority can reach out to the Director of Continuous Recruitment of the sororities who are accepting new members at the time and set up times to meet with sisters in the sorority. This process is generally a lot less time-consuming than formal recruitment.
Below is the Instagram account where you can find out which sororities are accepting new members for Continuous Open Bidding (just keep an eye on their account for when they post):
Because of the fact that I wasn’t originally sure that I wanted to join a sorority right as I got to UConn, I decided to join through the Continuous Open Bidding Process. I had reached out to a couple of sororities in the middle of the fall semester to see who was still accepting new members.
The one sorority that had stood out to me was Alpha Omicron Pi. I could tell that the sisters in this chapter were genuine and they really wanted to get to know me better. The conversations with the sisters that I met with never felt forced and I could really see myself fitting into this amazing group of girls.
After meeting with a few girls, I was extended a bid from the sorority. Although I could tell that these girls were going to be genuine in their friendships, I wasn’t immediately sure whether or not I would accept. Being in a sorority is a big time and money commitment and I wanted to be sure that this is what I wanted before I accepted the bid.
Since I did Continuous Open Bidding soon after formal recruitment, I had until the spring to accept my bid because I was too far into the semester to join the fall recruitment class. Therefore, I had more time to think about my decision. Everyone that I had talked to about the bid seemed very welcoming and they were open to any questions that I may have had along the way to help make my decision easier. They knew that this was a big decision for me and they met me where I was by giving me plenty of time to think about it.
After talking with friends and family, they also encouraged me to get involved because it could be a great opportunity to get leadership positions later on. I eventually decided that joining this sorority would be a great opportunity for me to get outside of my comfort zone and meet new people along the way. There is so much that I would never have known if I hadn’t put myself out there in the first place and I am grateful that I did.
It is only my second semester in the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority but I have already had amazing opportunities. My sorority fam, especially my big and my two littles, have been some of my closest friends that I have made in the chapter so far. It has been so great getting to know them on a deeper level and doing bonding activities with them throughout the semester. I am forever grateful for all of them.
Additionally, I recently got elected to the executive board for Alpha Omicron Pi. I was elected to be the Director of Administration, which essentially is the secretary. I am forever grateful for this leadership opportunity because not only will I be able to learn more about the behind-the-scenes work within the chapter but I will also be able to learn a lot about myself as well. I will be able to see what I am capable of and the difference that I can make within the chapter as a whole. I believe that this leadership position will enhance my teamwork skills and my ability to public speak as well. Learning to work in a group with other motivated girls in the chapter will help me build skills that I can take with me past my college career. I am looking forward to this position and everything that comes with it.
Being a part of a sorority has been time-consuming. However, working with my sisters to raise money for various different philanthropies, including HuskyThon and the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation, makes everything worth it. Knowing that at the end of the day, there is a good cause that is benefitting from our hard work, means more to me than anything.
Although not everyone may have the same experiences that I had with joining a sorority, I think anyone who is interested in Greek Life should give it a shot because you never know what may happen: you might just end up meeting life-long friends.
For more information about Greek Life at UConn, you can find more information on the Center for Fraternity and Sorority Development Website.