Vanderbilt has finally completed Spring Recruitment! Congratulations to everyone who is now a new sorority member. You’ve just joined this huge club that will change your life. You probably have many questions and aren’t sure who to ask. You’ll start to see girls around campus that you’ll recognize as sisters. The conversations on your hall will probably have something to do with sorority information. You have a packed calendar of New Member meetings, traditions to learn, and bonding time in the house coming up. Take a deep breath. It isn’t as overwhelming as it sounds. Learn to soak it in. You’re only a new member once, so enjoy it! Girls are so excited to have you in their new pledge class and they want you to love the sorority as much as they do. Here is some basic information that you should use to make this adjustment period the best yet.
Meet your new sisters.
Yes, it can be intimidating learning 140ish new names. Not to mention trying to find your new clique of friends within the sorority. The first few weeks can be tough trying to find your new dinner buddies or finding sisters to sit with in class. My biggest piece of advice is to hang out at the house as much as possible! You meet a ton of girls if you decide to study at the house or just relax and watch TV. The upperclassmen will be excited to see you there, especially since it’s a relaxed atmosphere. They want to make you feel welcome so don’t be shy. Strike up a conversation with them! Who knows, that random upperclassman you met studying might end up becoming your Big Sister!
Another great way to meet your sisters is to participate in bonding activities! Many sororities have a new member retreat, and that helps you to bond with your pledge class. Don’t forget to go to other things too! If a sister invites you to see the school musical with her, go with her! It’ll give you time to hang out with girls and learn their personalities. I love thinking back on all of the random hangouts I had as a new member. Even if you have a ton of homework or are busy working on a project, try to make time to meet the girls that will impact your college experience the most.
Get involved.
No, you don’t have to run your own club. But you should try to get involved in your sorority. If you’re paying expensive dues, you might as well participate! Getting involved is as easy as hanging out with your sisters or doing homework in the house. I love baking cookies in the house kitchen- also because I don’t have one of my own. If your sorority has a book club, consider joining it! Many houses have small clubs of their own and they would love to welcome new members into them! Don’t be afraid that you don’t know the girls well enough. The whole point of joining a sorority is to meet new people and make great friends. Getting involved will make the transition into sorority life that much easier.
Love it.
Ideally, you should love your new sorority. If you have some doubts or are having a tough time fitting in, let your new member educator or gamma chi know. They want to help you love sorority life as much as they do. If you don’t have any doubts, congrats! The next step to feeling more comfortable with your sorority is to learn about its history. Go online and see what you can learn. Understanding your sorority’s history can help you get even more excited that you are a part of it now! Go buy yourself a t-shirt with your brand new letters and be a proud sister!