As soon as I joined a sorority at UF, I knew that I wanted to live in our house.
The girls who lived in-house seemed to be so close; they were constantly doing fun things together, and they had a more intimate bond with the sorority than the other members had. I thought that it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I would remember for the rest of my life, and I couldn’t wait to have it. However, as the year progressed and I learned that I would soon be spending my school year on the top bunk in a room with three girls and one communal bathroom for the 50 of us living there, I took a step back and thought, “What have I gotten myself into?”
While living in my sorority house definitely had its perks and helped me gain some amazing, true friendships that I’m not sure I would have made otherwise, I’m here to tell you that living in your sorority house is not as glamorous as it may appear. Yes, there will be movie nights in the living room. Yes, there will be nights where all your friends get ready to go out together and end up coming back and eating frozen chicken nuggets together. But there will also be the nights you get woken up in the middle of the night by someone screaming or the times you have a mental breakdown because you haven’t had a minute of alone time in three days. Living in-house is a unique experience that I’m glad I got to experience, but there are definitely some things I wish I had known going into it. So, here are some tips for you on how to survive living in your sorority house:
1. Utilize Libraries
One of the hardest parts about living in my sorority house was that I had a very hard time doing homework and studying for exams in the house. I had a desk at my room, but it was small and used for storage, and although there is a study room, it was often loud and I had difficulty focusing there. When living in-house, I found that the best thing I could do for myself if I ever needed to get some serious work done was to go to a library. If you need a really quiet environment, my best suggestions are either fifth floor Marston, fourth floor Library West or the Law Library.
2. Schedule in Your Alone Time
One thing about living in a house with 50 girls is that you will have little to no alone time, especially if you are living in a room with more than one other person. A tip that got me around this was that I learned my roommate’s schedules. This way, you know when to expect a full house in your bedroom or when you will be able to come home to peace and quiet and take a nap or get some reading done.
3. Take Advantage of Bonding Opportunities
While there are the downfalls that come with living in your sorority house, there are a lot of perks too, and I think one of the best ones is that there are so many opportunities to bond with your sisters. Something as simple as sitting on the couch late at night recounting the day’s events with some of my best friends was enough to help me realize that living in house really isn’t so bad. Take advantage of the fact that your room is in the sorority house, and try to attend as many meals and events that you can. It’s these times that will make you feel like living in a tiny cramped space is worth it.
I hope these tips can help you get the most out of living in your sorority house without any additional stress that may come with it. Good luck!