As an international student, my knowledge of sororities was gained exclusively through movies, so you can say joining one was not exactly at the top of my bucket list. However, having a few friends in fraternities and knowing a few of the girls, I decided to go through informal recruitment during my second semester of freshman year.
I met some of the sisters, had lunch with them and received a bid to join the sorority. I was overwhelmed about whether to accept it as I wasn’t sure if I would fit in, but all the excitement of dressing up for formal, big-little, and all these social events convinced me to sign the agreement.
At first, I loved it! I got cute merchandise, attended fun events and got the big I really wanted. However, as time progressed, I realized how much of a time commitment it was. Sometimes my week consisted of meetings everyday and it was tough to manage along with schoolwork and my extracurriculars. I felt like I had very little alone time and it was slowly becoming a burden more than a benefit to me.
It’s no secret that sorority dues are quite expensive. I was willing to pay for the great benefits such as meeting new people, forming connections, and the countless experiences and opportunities. However, I felt like I was not getting my money’s worth. I felt there were more fulfilling things for me to invest my money in that would benefit me more.
Lastly, while some girls find their lifelong friends and instantly bond, this unfortunately wasn’t the case for me. I never felt a close bond with a lot of the girls and only really had two or three people I felt I could talk to without being judged. I’m happy some girls grow and become the best versions of themselves in sororities, but I didn’t feel this way.
After considering all these negative feelings I had, I decided to go through the process of dropping out. It was quite a lengthy process and I had my doubts but overall, I think this decision was what was best for me. I now have so much more time to focus on things that truly matter to me and while it is awkward sometimes running into the girls or removing everything from my Instagram, leaving truly allowed me to recognize my values and I think I am becoming the best version of myself. While I don’t regret this experience, it was meant to be just a chapter of my college experience.