By Nicole Zamlout
Arts & Entertainment Editor
As recruitment continues onward in all its glorious chaos, the question I am told to keep in mind is simply this –– why did I join Greek life in the first place?
The answer seems obvious and is filled with quips that have been said a thousand times –– to make new friends, to become a part of something bigger or to help the community.
But for me, none of these answers ring particularly true.
When I began the journey of recruitment, it was mostly out of my “try everything” mentality. I wanted to experience everything college had to offer me, including seeing what Greek life was like. If I liked a sorority, great –– if not, well then I had the satisfaction of knowing I tried.
Recruitment was tiring and slightly fear-inducing. Some conversations went well, while others did not. Specifically, I saw some people’s eyes glaze over as I went on and on about some topic or another. Not their fault of course, they had been at this all day, but it still took a bit of pep out of my step. I learned the sororities’ names, philanthropies and chants, which was cool, but it was just par for the course. I had no set goal, but I just had to keep swimming.
My recruitment journey took me straight to Tri Sigma in the end. Out of every sorority I had the pleasure of speaking with, that one became my personal favorite. The girls there seemed to share many of my same interests and many of the sisters had similar personalities to my own –– zany, loud, upbeat and hard-working.
Being welcomed into their ranks was amazing and, again, a bit fear-inducing, mostly because I was soon bombarded with a lot of information about the chapter and its practices. Once again, I was swept up by the tide.
Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one. My fellow new sisters were equally as overwhelmed, which gave us the chance to bond and build new friendships.
Those friends would stick with me through chapter meetings, fun events and some rocky moments.
So, when I’m asked what brought me to this point, my answer is not very conventional; however, it’s the truth –– I joined Greek Life because I wanted to try something new. I dipped into the water and let the tide take me where it may. It took me to Tri Sigma, which was an ocean in and of itself. But I found I liked the waters, choppy bits and all.
So, if you need a reason to keep going during recruitment or perhaps are nervous about joining a Greek life organization, I suggest that you jump in and see where the tide takes you.
