Sororities and Greek life have been part of college culture for over 100 years. And with the rising popularity of Bama Rush that has become absolutely viral in the past couple of years due to social media’s curiosity and voyeurism, it feels like it has become something everyone is aware of, especially for the incoming freshman who are considering joining in on the action.
But when I was about to start my freshman year of college, joining Greek life was honestly the farthest thing from my mind. No one in my family had ever been in a sorority, and I didn’t know anything about Greek life besides all of the Bama Rush content I had seen online — but I eventually learned that Greek life at my school was much smaller than Bama, and that the process was much less competitive. Still, I had never really considered rushing as an option for myself, so even when I saw information about my school’s sorority recruitment when I was about to begin my freshman year, I didn’t sign up for it.
However, the second I got to school, I started to second-guess myself. It felt like every single person I met was planning on going through Greek life recruitment — girls and guys alike. I still didn’t know anything about Greek life at my school, but I suddenly felt extreme FOMO (fear of missing out) as it felt like I was the only one out of all my new friends not going through the rush process.
Despite the cutesy name, FOMO is a terrible feeling.
And honestly, that feeling just kept getting stronger as the rest of the year went on. Even though not all of my friends who had rushed at the beginning of the year ended up joining sororities, the majority of them had. Watching them go to the events, date parties, and chapter meetings every week, I felt so left out — and honestly, a bit jealous.
Despite the cutesy name, FOMO is a terrible feeling, especially as a college student trying to find their place in the world, so I wanted to try and eliminate it as much as possible. There is so much else to do in college besides Greek life, so I began to get involved in other activities. I discovered that I love to write, so I joined a couple of student publications. This helped me ease some of the FOMO feelings I was dealing with. I was able to meet new people and go to different social events, some of the most important activities that I associated with Greek life.
I told myself that doing what I wanted to do was way more important than just doing what everyone else is doing (a sentiment I stand by to this day!). But as my freshman year was coming to a close, I was starting to think that I didn’t just feel FOMO because it seemed like everyone was in Greek like; it was because I actually wanted to be in Greek life, too. At the time, I didn’t even know if I’d be allowed to do sorority rush as a sophomore (it always seemed to me like a thing only freshmen did), but when one of my friends asked me to rush with her, I found myself signing up, too.
While I felt like I was missing out, I didn’t actually know what I’d been missing out on.
Heading into rush, I was so nervous. My biggest fear was being the only person who tried to rush in their second year (besides my one friend), and I worried I’d feel like the odd one out. And despite having an entire school year’s worth of FOMO over being part of Greek life, I was still pretty unaware of what the rush process entailed — I guess when it came to rush, while I felt like I was missing out, I didn’t actually know what I’d been missing out on.
Eventually, after a summer full of nerves, rush season had arrived. My fears about rushing as a sophomore began to subside almost instantly when I met two other sophomore PNMs (potential new members) in my rush group. Although we were definitely not in the majority of the freshman-heavy PNM class, I already felt less alone.
As rush continued, I honestly had a pretty good time (which I know is kind of a hot take, considering all the rush horror stories out there on TikTok). Not to say that I didn’t suffer my fair share of disappointments and exhaustion, but by the end of rush, I ended up receiving a bid to my No. 1 choice sorority.
Now, fast forward another year and I’m getting ready for rush again, but this time on the other side, as a recruiter for my sorority. I have found such an incredible group of friends within my chapter — both other women who rushed as second-years, as well as sisters across all the grades. I’m so grateful I have found these people, many of whom I probably would not have met had I not given in to the FOMO of rushing. Being a part of a sorority has added so much meaning to my college experience. It has allowed me to meet some of my closest friends, and has given me a place on my large campus that I know where I am always welcome, and that feels like a home away from home. Having that support and community has been vital to my success while living away from home for the first time.
And now, after this past year, the FOMO is finally gone. But as I reflect on this experience, it has actually made my thoughts on FOMO change a bit. In the past, I have always thought of FOMO as a bad thing, a feeling I should shove away into the back of my mind. But I think now that sometimes, FOMO might just be another way for your gut to tell you to go for that thing you truly want. Sometimes, giving in to your FOMO could actually lead you to exactly where you belong.