Friday, February 19, 2016

"Let's Go Home!"

Today, I wanted to share a personal experience. This was an impactful moment of my life in which I learned more than I thought I would, and I hope you learn a little something from it too. Six months ago, I never saw myself in this position. I never saw myself going through the process of recruitment for a sorority. Maybe it crossed my mind a few times, but my parents didn't talk about it all that much, so it never seemed to be a priority. Fast forward six months, and I have found myself a home with my sisters, and I couldn't be happier to spend my next four years and the rest of my life with this group of ladies.

Let's start from the beginning. I would like to start by mentioning all of the people and things that influenced me to just give sorority life a try. One of the first people I met on campus, and one of the most inspiring people I have ever met in my life, is in a sorority. That's when I seriously started considering it. If someone like her, who I really looked up to, felt that the sorority life was her life, maybe it could be my life too. Several weeks later, I met several more girls, whom I got very close to, and they shared the same values as I did. I never expected them to be in a sorority, but my assumptions were wrong, and they were always talking about the amazing people they have met and the experiences they have had. My grandma was also an influence, whether she realized it or not. She is part of a sorority of women where she lives. Even though it wasn't a college sorority, it was something she seemed very passionate about, and she is also a woman I look to. There were people and things swaying the other direction, too, and I appreciated that. My parents were not overly thrilled about Greek life. These are two people whose opinions I trust more than anyone else in the world, so it was hard to do something that they weren't completely passionate about. I could understand their concerns, and it really made me consider all of my options.
Though I still trust my parent's opinions 100%, I have come to realize that sometimes you need to make decisions on your own. Even the people who love you and want what's best for you, don't know you completely. I actually liked they didn't push me to do it. I needed a contrast to help make a more educated decision. However, my parents also trusted me to make the right decision. I knew that if I found a place that I felt was a supportive and loving environment in the Greek life and decided to become a part of it, they would support me. If I didn't, they would support me too. I came to find that I really wanted to try out this lifestyle. When will I ever get to live in a house with a huge group of girls and get to know so many people? Everyone is always saying how many lifelong friends they make, so I decided to go for it.  
Rush (recruitment) weekend was over a week ago, and it's hard to believe that it has already been so long. It was a great experience, and I want to share it. The tiresome weekend went something like this. Night one started on Thursday, visiting three sororities and having about fifteen minute conversations with several of the girls. The night went well, but there was one house that stuck out the most to me. I had not anticipated to like the house and the people there so much before Rush weekend, but I did. However, I wanted to keep my options open. The second night consisted of visiting three more houses and doing the same thing. That evening we selected our favorite houses in order, and waited for our bids with anxiety until the next day.
I was a little disappointed to only get two bids back from houses since many people I knew got four (which was the most you could receive). However, one of the houses was the one I had my eye on the first night, so I tried to keep a positive attitude. Saturday afternoon consisted of visiting the two houses, and actually getting to see what they look like, throughout. More conversation took place this day too. I submitted my two bids that evening, in my order of preference and then went back home. The night consisted of me trying to convince myself that I would be okay with receiving a bid from my second favorite house. The one from the first round continued to be my favorite, but I didn't want to be too stuck to it in case I didn't get a bid from it.
Sunday morning came, and my slip of paper told me I got a bid from my favorite house. I took a sigh of relief, but new I still had one more round to go. I went and visited the last time and again had a great experience. The place just felt like somewhere I could live, and every person I had met over the course of four days I could easily become best friends with. That afternoon I placed my bid on that house, and then had to wait several hours, hoping and praying that I wouldn't get a call saying I did not receive a bid from the house and that I didn't need to come to the "Bid Night." No call came, but I was still nervous, walking into the large hall that evening.
Everyone was anxiously sitting and talking in their seats as we waited to receive our bids. I was handed the white envelope and nervously waited for everyone to receive theirs too. I knew the house that I loved was written down on the card in this envelope, but I was still nervous that for some reason something wrong happened, and I got another house. A shout from the podium informed us to open are cards and screams erupted in the hall. I let out the biggest sigh of relief to find in typed letters, the name Delta Gamma. The next twenty minutes consisted of a lot of screaming, crying, and hugging. It was quite a crazy experience. All of us DGs met up together and slipped into a room filled with other members from the chapter, cheering us on and singing along to music playing.
There was more picture taking, laughing, and celebrated before we headed outside. To our surprise, the rest of the chapter was there to greet us, screaming and running towards us as we did the same to them. There were lots of screams and shouts and random hugs with strangers and friends, and honestly one of the greatest times all weekend.
"LET'S GO HOME!" someone shouted and we bolted towards the house, where they welcomed us little anchors home.
In the last week, I have met so many amazing, sweet, crazy, and fantastic women. I know many women didn't get their top house, and I am so thankful that I did. This will be my family, and I'm happy I decided on DG as my home.  
Do Good,
Molly
Cover photo from here.

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