I wanna go back to college. The time when sleepless nights were of my own volition. The time when Papa John’s garlic sauce {which now makes me wanna heave} and Amigo’s were suitable foods to injest at 1 o’ clock in the morning. The time when my liver must have been made of titanium. And when fall in Lincoln was darn near magical.
Okay. If I’m being honest, I don’t really want to go back to college. I loved college but there was a time and a place for it, and in my past is good. But I do truly believe, to this day, that finding your own niche… Whether it be band, your dorm floor, campus involvement or as a student athlete… is vital. There are countless aspects of my college life that I will long hold near and dear. The most of which was my Greek Life experience.
The week ahead is a big one at my alma mater. It is sorority recruitment week. And for the past several years, I had the pleasure of helping out a bit with the festivities. In fact, each year, the week prior to recruitment week, I bemoaned the fact that I’d have to be trekking back and forth to assist with all things pink and white. Because I had work, kids, insert any other excuse I could find here. And yet this year, I’m actually missing it a little. Because each year, I thought I was doing the current members a favor by giving my time… but just like everything else that goes with Greek life, I was the one who benefited most. By giving time to them, I got much more in return.
I would say as I look back on my greek experience… blah blah blah. But I feel really fortunate because the reality is, my greek experience has never ended. Sure, it has a different identity than it once did. I don’t have a football block anymore. Or Monday night meetings. Or have to wear white to any of my life events. But the cliche, it’s not just four years, it’s for life, seems to ring exceptionally true for me. Because what started out with so much focus on the letters, became a way of life for me. It became my extended family.
Though not an easy choice, the story of my Greek life began by me somewhat begrudgingly choosing two letters. And I chose them to share in the bond with my sister and sister-in-law. And thank goodness I did. Because what I didn’t know when I preffed was that my decision was so far beyond the letters. It was an experience that transformed my life. And if there’s anything I can say to a woman going through Formal recruitment this fall, it is this… It’s more than just the letters.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s being a part of traditions that have been in place for over a century. Of being part of something that has a past, present, and future. And leaving your mark on it.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s belonging to a group of women who though not exactly like you, believe in being a part of something that matters. And because of that belief, they become like family.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s football games, Homecoming Lawn displays, Panhellenic meetings, Dance Marathon, parties, and getting to be a part of the entire system.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s late night cram sessions full of laughter and delirium. It’s learning life lessons in those wee small hours that are much more important than what’s in your syllabus. And it’s making friendships that you never would have expected, through those experiences.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s preparation for real life with study assistance, learning to manage personal finances, attending business meetings, and selling your brand.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s having a sisterhood of women who will tell you when you have something stuck in your teeth, a maxipad stuck to your back, or need to put on some deodorant. A group who supports you when you fail a test… Or maybe music theory… And cheers you on when you totally rock the world.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s learning to live with others, in sometimes really tiny spaces, understanding how to share, gaining a better understanding for personal space, and seeing the good in people even when you have different opinions.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s recruitment week, and Monday night meetings, and Froshes, and FACs, and Formal.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s an opportunity to learn how to run an organization, to understand consequences for behavior and actions, and to find opportunities to grow.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s women who start out as pledge sisters and end up being your support system, your memories, and your family away from home.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s feeling like a banner is the most important thing in the world. Feeling completely exhilarated or aggravated by the recruitment process. And feeling like you have a place to completely fall apart, should it ever be necessary.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s finding a smaller community within a large University, making your own path, and making a difference in the ways that matter to you.
Its more than just the letters… It’s living away from home, yet having a place to call home right where you are. And learning to appreciate all the things your mom and dad do for you. And for that, you give them their very own days complete with brunch or Husker football.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s volunteering, and supporting causes you otherwise wouldn’t know anything about. It’s learning to interview and getting jobs. It’s making connections that will prepare you for life outside of the microcosm of college.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s going outside of your comfort zone. It’s dancing your ass off, and singing at the top of your lungs. It’s inside jokes, pranks and the like. It’s more fun than I ever could have imagined.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s screaming cheers at the top of your lungs, passing down songs from generation to generation. It’s learning a creed. And wanting to live out its ideals.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s the women who introduce you to a boy who one day becomes your husband. The boy who loves your sisters as much as you do. And that’s one way you know he’s the right one for you.
It’s more than just the letters… When those same sisters stand up for you at your wedding, visit you the day after you deliver your babies, are there when you miscarry, and become the Godparents to your children.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s the sisters you text after you watch an episode of the Bachelor that went awry, the ones who still let you borrow their clothes… Even though you’re in your 30s… the ones who you travel with and who your husband calls on for a girl’s night when he knows you’ve had a week.
It’s more than just the letters… It’s friendships that run deep. Rooted in history and tradition. And that will last for far more than four years. But for your entire life.
The letters I wear make pink my signature color. Help me see that carnations aren’t just filler flowers. And connect me to thousands of sisters over a decade later. They give me my very own castle. And taught me to practice, day by day, love, honor and truth. But the life lived, the Greek life, is so far beyond the Greek alphabet.
Good luck to all the women going through formal recruitment! Have the time of your life and know that while you will wear your letters with the greatest pride, the experience you are looking for… it’s more than just the letters.
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