In high school, I was an overachieving band geek with awkward clothes and bad hair. The exact opposite of the sorority girl picture painted by Casey Cartwright on ABC Family’s “Greek.” Although my mother lauded Greek life as the highlight of her four years in college, I swore I’d never pledge.
Then, one of my fellow music majors suggested I attend an open house at her sorority. I was highly skeptical. But if another music nerd saw something good in the Greek community, I figured there might be something in it for me, too. I had never considered there might be more to sorority life than pink pom-poms and obnoxious songs about the Greek alphabet — until I met my sisters.
The girls in this sorority were smart, motivated, and intent on making a difference in the world. They were scientists, environmentalists, writers, musician, athletes, and teachers with hearts of gold. More importantly, they knew how to strike a balance between work and play. There were as many study parties at our house as there were actual parties.
The year I spent living in our sorority house was the best of my college career. It was a year full of ups and downs — academic success balanced by a really bad breakup — and my sisters were there for all of it. The time we spent fundraising, volunteering and collaborating on projects accentuated the good and made the bad a little more bearable. Now, nearly three years out of college, I still have an extensive network of sisters to help me make professional connections. And to text about highly emotional events in my life, like the recent “How I Met Your Mother” series finale.
The truth is, college isn’t just about papers and preparing for a career. It’s also about making connections that will last for the rest of your life. That’s the case for exploring Greek life: if you can find an organization that’s a good fit, you might just make some lifelong friends who’ll help you navigate the crazy maze that is college life. A whole house full of close friends and study buddies, plus a bunch of free T-shirts? You can’t beat that.
Written by Nicole Milano. Nicole is a writer and yoga instructor from Rochester, N.Y., as well as a freelance writer for NextStepU. Read more from her at The Everyday Yogi and tweet her @nicolemariemil.
> For more Greek life info, read Good Greek at NextStepU.com.
