Why I joined a sorority despite knowing absolutely NOTHING about sororities

By: Jada Rodgers

Towards the end of the fall semester of my freshman year, I started to hear a lot about sorority life and recruitment. So many of my friends were talking about rush, which sororities they had met with already, and which they hoped to join. Coming from a family where no one participated in Greek Life, I had absolutely no knowledge about the topic. I had heard some stories from my friends who went to bigger universities and had already rushed, but still didn’t really understand the concept. So, obviously I was extremely nervous when I decided to go out on a whim and sign up for recruitment. I had heard so many horror stories online, but I had also heard really good things so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to just sign up anyways.

 I could tell Greek Life was different at Furman as we got closer to recruitment. For example, the Panhellenic Instagram page started posting tips and advice, dress code examples, and fun facts about all of the sororities. I personally really appreciated all of this because as someone who didn’t know anything about the recruitment process, I also didn’t know anything about what to wear, what to say, or even what to expect. And, since I didn’t decide to rush until the last minute, I also didn’t have a chance to go to all of the sorority meet and greets, so I didn’t know anything about what made each sorority unique. But, these posts on social media really helped me prepare myself for what I was about to get into.

Then, as we started the actual recruitment process, I was given two amazing Pi Chis, which are people already involved in Greek Life that are there to guide you through the recruitment process. They were there for me through all of my highs, lows, and to answer all of my questions whenever I was confused. As I started to actually meet the different sororities, I realized just how different Furman was when it came to Greek Life. Every single sorority was so amazing and so unique, but one thing that I heard from every single one was how close they were to the other sororities. Every person I talked to would mention how although they had very close friends in their specific sorority, they also had plenty who were involved in other sororities or not involved in Greek Life at all. This helped ease a lot of my worries because although there were sororities that I had really bonded with, my friends were thinking about pledging into others or not rushing at all. I didn’t want to lose my friendships with any of those people.

 As you can tell from the title, I did end up joining a sorority and to be completely honest it has been one of the best experiences I’ve had here at Furman. I met an amazing group of girls in my pledge class who love and support me all the time, I was brought into my amazing family where I have a wonderful grandbig and big sister to look up to and go to for advice, as well as, a twin sister and a little who are always ready for any fun adventures! I have been able to have a leadership position on our executive council where I’m gaining amazing experiences and skills that I can take with me in the future. I’ve been able to have sisters who will go on midnight drives with me to Waffle House, who will send me encouraging text messages on days when I’m feeling down, and who will literally dance in the rain with me when it is 2am and absolutely freezing outside. But, most of all, I love that this experience hasn’t completely taken over my life. I am still involved in other organizations on campus, I still hang out with friends who are not in my specific sorority or not in Greek Life at all, and I still have time to focus on academics and my individual growth. I still do all of the things that every other student does, now I just also have an awesome sisterhood to support me along the way.

Don’t be afraid to go through recruitment and make sure to keep an open mind throughout the whole process. Whether you know nothing about Greek Life, or the things you’ve heard weren’t positive, or maybe you only know about one sorority because it’s the one your mom joined, just come in with an open mind and everything will work out. Maybe you’ll find the perfect sorority for you and gain an amazing sisterhood, or maybe you’ll decide that this isn’t for you and still have an incredible Furman experience regardless!