After a strenuous week of recruitment, there is nothing in the world more exhilarating than donning the bid day shirt of your newly found home on campus. The excitement of a whole new community and dozens of new sisters is very easy to get wrapped up in. While it is super awesome to thrust yourself wholly into your new chapter and start to get involved, it’s not as awesome to forget about the friends you had before you were Greek. Here are some tips on staying connected with friends outside of your sorority…
Designate time to spend with them
Sororities, especially during new member periods, require a lot of time commitment. With lots of bonding to do in addition to meetings, socials, and regular homework, it can be very easy to let your non Greek-life friends fall by the wayside. In order to avoid this, set aside a little bit of time each week to just relax and hang out with them. Even just grabbing Late Night with them, or hitting up GoBerry in Amherst Center can go a long way. This gives you time to catch up with your friend and what’s going on in their life as well as giving you the break you need.
Invite them to hang out with you and your sisters
Introduce your non Greek-life friends to your sorority sisters! We all live on the same campus so from the get-go there’s already something everyone has in common to talk about. Mixing groups is something I used to be nervous about, but just remember all your friends love you so why wouldn’t they love each other!? The best feeling is receiving a Snapchat from your best friend outside of your sorority saying she is with your sisters and knowing that you were the bridge creating that friendship.
Overcome FOMO
It seems as if all college students are plagued with FOMO, or the fear of missing out. When you join a sorority, you have to recognize that there are going to to be times when you’re going to miss things your non Greek friends are doing and vice versa. Your friends might be heading out to a party at a sports house, while you’re headed to a sisterhood sleepover. To put it simply, you just have to accept that you can’t be in twelve places at once. Instead of dwelling on the fun times you missed, “like” all the Facebook and Insta pics you can and get all the details of the night you missed during the tell-all sesh the next morning!
Don’t be afraid to talk about sorority stuff
This is a very important tip that comes with some caveats. Your sorority is a huge part of your life, so naturally you’re going to want to talk about it when you’re with your non-Greek friends. Friendship is a two way street, but the excitement of so many sorority events can overpower that if you are not aware of it. As important as it is for them to be able to listen to you and gain a little bit of insight into what your life is like, it is also important for you to listen about their life as well. Your friend is just as excited to give you advice about which fraternity guy you should bring to formal as you are to hear about the cute new boy they sat next to in Chem 102 so don’t shy away from Greek topics just because they may not be involved in it.
Creating a balance can be a challenge at first, but the end result will be completely worth it! Good luck, collegiettes!