Like many students, I arrived at university determined to re-invent myself from the person I had been in high school. For me, that meant actually doing stuff. I had been utterly uninvolved in high school: not a part of any teams, clubs or organizations. I was the loner kid who sat by herself in the hallway everyday at lunch.
Going into university, I knew that I wanted to make friends and have a community to which I belonged. I wanted to take on leadership roles, and a well-rounded university experience. I first heard about sororities at UBC on a campus tour, and as soon as I got home I checked out the website and the individual chapter sites. It seemed like such an amazing opportunity that would offer me the well-rounded experience I was looking for. So I signed up for recruitment.
The only thing I knew about sororities before this was what I had seen in the movie Sydney White, but the girls I met in Formal Recruitment seemed different. For one thing they weren’t all blonde and white and they seemed more genuine. I remember geeking out with girls from a few different sororities over Harry Potter during our conversations. And, for me, if anything can give me a positive experience, it’s Harry Potter nerdiness.
I was very excited that I got into the sorority that had initially caught my eye, and I really enjoyed meeting all the sisters. Although I dropped the sorority after the first few weeks (an experience I later found out is not uncommon for first year pledges), I re-joined again the next year after a first year experience that felt way too much like high school loneliness for me. Â
The beginning of second year was the right time for me. I slipped in seamlessly with the new pledge class, and several of the girls who had been there before told me how glad they were that I had chosen to come back. I felt that I had finally found a place where I could carve out my own niche and belong. I successfully ran for a position on the Leaders’ Council. I pushed out of my comfort zone to sing and dance onstage to Grease songs in front of hundreds of people for the UBC Greek community’s annual Songfest competition. I threw my awkward and embarrassing memories of high school P.E. class to the wind and played on my sorority’s volleyball team. Being a part of my sorority certainly did not suddenly transform me into a different person, but it did make me significantly happier with my life and myself.  Â
A university woman certainly doesn’t have to go Greek to grow, but in my experience it’s a damn good way of doing it. I have the great privilege of being part of a community of women who transcend vapid stereotypes.  I love being part of a group of inspiring women who all share the same core values and strive to live them everyday.     Â
University is such a key time in life. We have the opportunity to begin to mold ourselves into the adults that we want to be. I encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities wherever you may find them. Most importantly, feel free to re-imagine yourself. And consider going Greek – I’m glad I did.