So it’s here, you’ve been given a bid into the house you just know you’re going to be in love with for the rest of your life, you know you’re going to wear the letters on your chest everyday until you die and you know your future maid of honor is, obviously, going to be your big! But before all of that, comes the best time in a sisterhood–the new member period.Â
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1. Go to as many events a possible
Now, we’re fully aware that school should always be first priority and that Greek life shouldn’t be, but the best way to really find a place in your chapter is to go to the events. If you feel like you haven’t found your niche or you don’t have girls that you connect with the only way to improve that is to spend time with them! What better way to spend time with your sisters than at events where your sisters will obviously be? The best way to find a love for your chapter and your sorority is to be as involved as your schedule will allow.
2. Try to hang out with your sisters outside of sorority functions
After stressing the importance of going to sorority-scheduled events, we’re going to stress the importance of hanging out with your sisters outside of them. Let these girls become not only your sorority sisters but also your best friends. If you’re not doing anything on a Thursday night text your brand new sisters to see if anyone wants to go get pizza. Do it. You can thank me later.
3. Get really close with your new member class
Your new member class is there from the very beginning. They will be clueless about Greek life right along with you. They’re there at initiation all hearing the same special rituals for the very first time just like you. These girls can be some of your ride-or-dies all through out college. My advice is talk about your mutual love of Gilmore Girls with the girls sitting next to you in new member education; go to your new member class sleepover. Try to connect with each of these girls. You may not be best friends of all of them but the important thing is to try.Â
4. Throw what you know
You have brand new letters and brand new hand symbols (or sorority gang signs to the rest of the world) be proud and show them off! Don’t be afraid of the cheesy, typical sorority picture of you throwing up your hand sign on that hike you went on last Friday. Get stoked on all that is your sorority. There will be people who don’t get it but you shouldn’t worry. Don’t let the haters hate.Â
5. Be confident
I feel like one of my biggest mistakes, as a new member, was worrying too much about what everyone in my chapter thought of me. There would be days when I would go to an event and everyone already had their own groups and their own friends and I would be scared to dive in because what if they didn’t want me to. All of these beautiful, intelligent and fun girls might not think that way about me and maybe they wouldn’t want to be my friend as badly as I wanted to be theirs. I’m here to say to everyone who has similar concerns that you need to banish those ridiculous thoughts from your head because they are not true. If you make the effort your story will end the way mine did. You will push past your fears and get out there and try to make connections with your sisters and if you are yourself and you remember that you’re great, they will love you. They picked you to be in your chapter, they want you there. Remember that.Â