I’ve always been a bit of an introvert. When I began my freshman year at Penn, I knew only one other person at the university — my roommate and I were high school classmates. I worried that I wouldn’t make new friends and felt pressured to have as much fun and as many crazy stories as my older sister and cousins had had during their college careers. I didn’t want to miss out on the social richness of campus life.
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So, I considered joining a sorority. If I was struggling to make friends on my own, there was a system equipped with built-in social life and friendships. No, not just friendship. Sisterhood. I determined that if I was still craving that sense of belonging when rush season rolled around, I would give it a shot.
Katie (right) is still friends with her freshman year roommate. She doesn’t regret her decision not to join a sorority.
In the fall, I attended informal, pre-rush open houses at each sorority. Some appealed to me, others didn’t, but overall I liked the feeling that I was taking part in something insular and special, like joining an exclusive and selective club. But it was intimidating as well, trying to be bubbly and chatty when my natural inclination is to listen rather than speak, and watch rather than participate. I walked back to my room in the Quad that night, leafing through the pamphlets and flyers I’d picked up trying to picture myself with each group of girls.
Then, I noticed something that basically made my decision for me: the cost. We’re talking dues that tacked on an extra couple thousand dollars each year, money neither my parents nor I could afford to dish out just for the sake of fitting in. I mulled it over during my winter break, and ultimately knew that I could enrich my social life on my own, without the tedious rush process and necessary sucking up and hefty fees.
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As I enter my final semester as a senior, I can say I’ve never regretted my decision. I’m still living with my freshman year roommate (yes, to wide disbelief, our friendship has survived the trials of cohabitation). And I’ve made some of the best friends in the world at Penn, most of whom I met through awkward icebreakers four years ago at our very first hall meeting. With those people, I got the quintessential Penn experience: stumbling through the streets during NSO, throwing toast at Franklin Field, listening for the Econ Scream, stumbling through the streets at Fling, and throwing condiments on Hey Day.
Don’t get me wrong; Greek life still has its appeal. No sorority sister I know has regretted her membership. For those with the right outgoing personality and financial means, sororities offer an enriching social experience and promise lifelong friendships… but it’s definitely not impossible to make fantastic memories without pledging allegiance to a Greek insignia.