If you told me a year ago that I would join a sorority my sophomore year, I wouldn’t have believed you. After all, if you didn’t go through sorority recruitment as a freshman, what was the point?
When I first entered FSU, I was nervous beyond belief. I was scared to be living away from home for the first time and worried I wouldn’t be able to balance my school and work with any other activities. While going through sorority recruitment had crossed my mind, I was unsure about the time commitment and unwilling to be thrown into the process during my very first week of college. I figured if I still wanted to do it in the spring, I would. In the meantime, I pursued other involvements, like joining Her Campus, and tried to get as involved as humanly possible.
Something I learned very quickly about Greek Life is that it varies from school to school. Over my freshman year, a lot of the preconceptions I had about joining a sorority were dismantled. I had never viewed myself as someone who would fit in with that crowd, but I was able to meet a lot of really cool people who helped me realize that maybe I would. Plus, my involvement with Her Campus made me interested in joining another organization that uplifted women.
No one I spoke to said they regretted going through recruitment, so I figured what was the harm? I told myself I’d wait for formal recruitment in the fall, as it would allow me to visit all the chapters and I’d be able to make the most of the process.
When recruitment finally began, to my surprise, a lot of sophomores were participating. I’d say about a third of my recruitment group were sophomores, and there were even juniors. While the number of freshmen certainly dominated the rest, I felt better knowing that there was a pretty high number of sophomores going through the same thing as me.
Even so, I quickly found out that there were a multitude of reasons why some girls didn’t go through recruitment as freshmen. Most people I met either studied abroad or were transfers from Tallahassee State College (TSC). In a way, their reasons for going through recruitment were similar to freshmen, because it was their first time on FSU’s campus. I’d started to feel like my reasons for going through recruitment were inadequate, as I had been on campus for a whole year and hadn’t pursued any opportunities.
Before recruitment began, I had already thought introspectively about what my reasons for going through recruitment were. I knew I was nearly guaranteed to be asked this question at some point. I was correct, of course, and to no surprise, most girls were curious why I rushed now and not a year ago.
I told them the truth, and everyone was super understanding. Some girls I spoke to at chapters had gone through recruitment as sophomores, too, and shared the same desire to get more established on campus before diving into Greek Life. It was very validating to know that I wasn’t alone in my thought process.
In the end, I successfully got a bid from a sorority! While I was fearful I would be one of the only sophomores in my pledge class, I was very wrong, as my pledge class has a pretty good mix of both freshmen and sophomores.
While the recruitment process itself was still a lot, I felt being older helped me greatly. I already knew where all the chapter facilities were located, so I rarely got lost. Since I was no longer my nervous freshman self, I had a different sense of confidence going into recruitment. I felt like I knew more about who I am, so I was able to truly be my authentic self. I think this mindset greatly helped me find my perfect chapter!
If you feel on the fence about going through sorority recruitment, I recommend giving it a shot. They always say to trust the process, and although it’s cliché, it’s so true. No matter what year you are in college, the recruitment process and Panhellenic are so welcoming to everyone. Go for it!
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