5 Things I've Learned From Being...In A Sorority
Greek life, a very stereotyped aspect of the collegiate experience. At first, I let a lot of these stereotypes determine my decision. It went through recruitment as a junior and it was the best decision I ever made. I didn’t know then what I know now, and now I look back and realized just how much I learned.
I learned how to talk to people
It’s scary to talk to strangers and going through sorority recruitment means you have to talk to a bunch of people that you don’t know, and hoping that they like you. It’s a stressful experience. On the other side, being in a sorority and trying to recruit new members, you’re talking to a bunch of people that you don’t know and trying to make them like you! It’s stressful on both sides of the experience but you learn how to talk to people as you do it and by the end of the first night, you’re pretty confident in your communication skills.
Even once you’re in a sorority, you’re still learning how to talk to people. Think about it, you’re in a group of about 50-70 girls. Not everyone is going to be able to be communicated to in the same way. I learned how to adjust what I was saying based on who was the person or people hearing it.
I learned not to care about what people think of me
When you go through recruitment, trying to get so many people to like you. It can be easy to lose yourself between that process, and just greek life in general. It’s important to remember who you are outside of that setting. Not everyone is good at keeping their opinions to themselves, it’s important to not become who others think you should be. However, after a semester or two, you learn not to care what people think and just enjoy the experiences and friendships in the process!
I learned not to let the opinions of others squash my creativity
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Everyone is allowed to think whatever they want. I learned through my sorority experience to not let someone’s opinion determine my creativity. I got the chance to be really creative in greek life and if I let everything someone said get to me, I wouldn’t have done some of the awesome things that I got to do. Whether its an event, or a craft, letting the opinions of others just roll off your shoulders is the best way to be successful and creative.
I learned that not all frat guys suck
Most of them do. Not all of them, but most of them. Being in a sorority I learned which guys actually sucked, and which ones where in a sucky phase of their life.
I learned that the truest friends stay with you even after graduation
The number one thing people say about greek life is that you pay for your friends. While you do pay your dues, and joining something requires the payment of dues, the friendships you make can be just as lifelong as the ones that you would make outside of greek life. I made some of my best friends in my sorority and even after graduation, we’re just as close, if not closer, than we were when we lived 10 feet from each other.
