Why I Joined A Sorority

I get this question all the time.

"Why would you want to join a sorority?"

"But why would you pay for your friends?"

I guess you don't really understand the motivation until you actually rush, and meet so many strong, independent and motivated women who might someday call you "sister".

Personally, I wanted to be part of something that was bigger than myself. I wanted a group to call my own, in which to share myself and my experiences. I wanted to feel like I belonged on campus. I was so sick of coming to class, walking between buildings, and going home without saying a word to anyone.

Even as I write this, the president of my sorority saw me sitting in the campus coffee shop and came over to chat about the day so far. 

Such a far cry from those lonely days of keeping my head down and making no connections.

It goes so much farther than that, though. 

The women I now call my sisters are some of the most amazing women I've ever met. They're a diverse bunch, and I've gotten to see a few points of view that otherwise I wouldn't have had the chance to experience. 

We support one another, through everything. My big sister was there for me when I needed to vent about the problems I was having leading up to my divorce. Myself and my pledge sisters helped another of our pledge sisters move in her residence hall when her suitemates made life unbearable. The sisters all looked out for me when I was a pledge, never letting me give up or doubt myself.

This semester has been rough. Not only did I leave my husband, I fell hard for someone and got summarily rejected. My best friend in the whole world since high school lives three states away. I don't know how I would be getting through this if it weren't for my sisters, every single one of them. Who else would just hold me while I sat in the library and cried? It is an amazing comfort to walk into chapter meeting and know that every single woman sitting in that room has your back.

I have nearly 40 friends that I can call in the middle of the night, and I don't think my dues nearly cover how much that sense of sisterhood is worth to me.

So yes, I pay dues and I am a member of an organization. But no, I don't think I paid for my friends. Instead, I pay an administrative fee that allows my sisters and I to do some really neat stuff together. We volunteer and raise money for charity, we support one another academically, and we foster leadership skills in one another.

These women are all truly my sisters, for life.

That is why I joined a sorority.

~Megan