Six Things Going Greek Has Taught Me
On Tuesday evening, Alpha Delta Pi was named the JMU sorority of the year! Truly, this is a huge honor and to be a part of this chapter is incredible. Every single time I get together with my sorority, I learn something new about one of the girls in my chapter or I make another memory with them. The more I thought about this incredible award, I kept thinking about how thankful I am to be a member of an organization that holds service, friendship, leadership, and scholarship in such high regards.
I was extremely skeptical to join a sorority when I first came to college. I already had the thought of transferring on my mind, so I didn't know if I wanted to jump right into a group of girls and potentially leave them a year later. On the other hand, I was so out of my comfort zone when I got to JMU and I needed a secure place of people that would always be there. Recruitment was a long week of tough decisions, and after the process was complete, I still wasn't sure being in a sorority was for me. Since receiving my bid, ADPi has continually proved itself to be my home on JMU's campus.
Being a member of a sorority is a growing process and it's a dynamic one too -- it's always changing. There are people coming and going every semester, and new friendships are always forming which keeps everything exciting. Additionally, there are always fun events in the community whether it be a social event or a philanthropic event -- you are always busy and it offers you plenty of opportunity to dip your toe in you campus community.
Never Judge a Book By Its Cover -- The biggest thing being in a sorority has taught me is to never judge a book by its cover. I always knew this, but being in a sorority proved the statement to me. Being in a group of 230+ women means every single person is different. Although I don't know everyone extremely well, I would say I know almost everybody by name and have well-established relationships with over half of the girls. Every single girl I've talked to is extremely different, but all share similar core values of leadership, service, scholarship, and friendship. That being said, every girl comes from a different background, different home lives, and different cultures. It's great to listen to their stories and see different walks of life.
A Good Personality Takes You Far -- From going through the recruitment process to recruiting other girls this past Fall, I have learned that a good personality will take you really far in life. If you can carry a conversation, talk in front of large groups of people, and easily make friends with people, you will make it far in almost everything you do. From interviews, to performing well at jobs, to friendships, and relationships there isn't anything you can't do with a great personality.
Weighing Your Responsibilities -- There are a lot of events on the calendar when you're in a sorority and between school, work, and having a life, there just isn't enough time in the day to get to everything. That being said, you might have to reach a certain number of points so you can stay in your chapter so you have to pick and choose what you can and want to go to. With this, it also teaches you time management and how to be proactive -- two traits that every college student needs.
Take Leadership Opportunities -- I really started to understand how great being in a sorority was when I took on a leadership position. My current position is a semester long position that choreographs for Greek Sing, a fraternity and sorority with fundraiser that is extremely competitive. It's not a huge position, but it's fun and has helped me meet almost every girl in the newest member class. Whether I'm choreographing for Greek Sing or managing the finances or designing the t shirts (which I am not lol), being in a leadership position does many things. First, you meet people and help grow your chapter's legacy and second, you learn responsibility which helps you grow your confidence. If you start taking on leadership positions within your sorority, you can carry that attitude to your job, career, and other organizations in the future.
The Importance of Kindness, Patience, and Supportiveness -- My sorority has become my family on campus and that's what I wanted when I joined the chapter. I wanted to create a strong enough bond with ADPi that I felt comfortable when coming to the house or hanging out with other sisters. Because we became so close, almost as close as family, you see private struggles and hardships that your friends face -- especially your close friends. When you can't get to your mom, you turn to your best friends and in order to help them out, you need kindness, patience, and supportiveness. I've learned how the smallest act of kindness can change someone's day, how patience with a sister goes a long way, and how being supportive gets someone through an extremely tough day. With these three attributes, you will create strong and lasting friendships in your sisterhood.
Drama is Dumb -- I say this not because I've had experience with drama in a sorority, but because of the opposite. When you get a huge group of people together, there's bound to be conflict. After two years in a sorority, there has been absolutely no drama in my greek life. There might have been drama between other closer friend groups in the chapter and if so, I never heard about it. I think this proves a few things. First, the high school drama that I once knew years ago was so stupid and extremely unnecessary. Second, the girls in my chapter are "my people" in the sense that we understand each other, are mature, and value relationships too much to have petty issues destroy them.
