This post is going to be the first to a series about my sorority experience at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. I wanted to break it up into parts because there are so many different elements I could share. Truth be told I could write a book about my experience with greek/sorority life. Since I have been through all 4 years at this point I think I can speak on this topic very well. I will be adding to this series every Friday, until I don't have anything else write about. (So, if you want to keep up don't forget to subscribe to my email list). If you're a high school senior, someone wanting to go through sorority recruitment or someone that's just curious about my experience this series will be a great resource for you. There are also some tips I included at the end of this if you're struggling to make your decision. So, I want to start with why I decided to go greek. This is a very real post about my thoughts while deciding if I wanted to go through recruitment.
To start I want to say that I did not attend a large state school so I can only speak for what I know going to a college with 3 National Panhellenic Sororities and roughly 9,998 students. The male ratio being about 59% while the female ratio is about 44%. I included all that to say that greek life is not as large at UAH as it is at big state schools, but that doesn't make it any less important. It just changes the process a little.
Deciding to go Greek
Going into my freshman year I was very quiet and shy. Going greek wasn't something that was on my radar because I was already on our college dance team. I didn't really think I would have time for anything else. Truth be told I didn't really think I would fit in with "those girls" (I hate myself for even thinking that now). I definitely was one of those people that thought greek life was just about partying and taking cute pictures. I didn't really have anything to go off of other than movies. Being a first generation college student I didn't have anyone that could share their experiences or knowledge about greek life with me. I knew the transition into college was going to be difficult for me anyway, coming from a pretty small town. During week of welcome (this was a week full of fun things going on around campus to get the freshman comfortable) there was an event called greek block party. Basically all the fraternities and sororities got to mingle with the freshman and vice versa. The event took place on greek row in front of all the houses. All the sororities had a different tent set up to showcase their philanthropy, sisterhood and values. For a freshman this event can be very very intimidating. (especially if you're like me). Surrounded by girls that seem to have it all together. I hadn't really planned on going until one of my friends on the dance team asked me if I planned on going greek and if I wanted to go to the event with her. My thought was, "free food, sure why not". I still had no interest in going greek. After being there for about 30 minutes I was very intrigued. Greek Row was like it's own little community. After a few conversations with the sororities about philanthropy, sisterhood and them getting to know me, I knew that I could really see myself going greek. Being an only child I loved the thought of having sisters. Even though I was getting to the point that I thought I would enjoy it, I still wasn't completely convinced that I would have the time or the money. Throughout the rest of the week I ran into the sororities at tables around campus. They were all very nice and seemed welcoming but there was one in-particular that finally convinced me. Sweet Tea with KD. At this table I finally got to ask the questions I had been too scared to ask before. They made it so easy. After I met the women at that table I could not stop talking about how excited I was to go through recruitment and how nice those ladies were. I remember calling my mom and telling her how excited I was. Although she was still skeptical (understandably), I knew I would fit in somewhere. After lots of late night instagram stalking, lots of research on recruitment and few shopping trips to find the perfect outfits, (I'm pretty sure I ended up wearing stuff I already had, oops) I was ready.
At least I thought I was...
To Be Continued...
Here's some tips if you're having trouble deciding if you want to go greek (this is based on a school that does recruitment after classes have started)
1. Don't let your past or where you came from influence your decision
2. Make yourself go to events/tables that sororities host. Even if you feel awkward, at least you can gage whether you think you could fit in
3. Ask questions at the events/tables you go to (a good way to find out about the time commitment is, ask the girls about their involvement in school and if they have jobs etc.)
4. Remember that if you decide to go through recruitment and don't like it half way through, you can drop the process.
5. Forget the stereotypes, every sorority is different and every school is different
6. Don't put too much pressure on yourself
7. Do not let any type of greek rank website influence your decision to go through recruitment
8. Find out if you need letters of recommendation (we did not) and be thinking about who you can get those from
9. Find out when recruitment is and when you need to submit your application by, that way you don't miss the deadline!
Comments