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Sorority Video Double Take

All together, sorority recruitment and sorority life differ from school to school. Many videos I find on YouTube are girls who go to large, southern schools with massive greek systems. I go to a much smaller school, so my perspective on sorority life is a bit different. A lot of perspectives on YouTube I find don’t really match up with my experience. I hope to give a different look and some different ideas. Every experience is different (although some videos make it seem like it is all the same). These women’s opinions and pieces of advice are valid!

The questions below were taken from this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCc2gWFMDag

Here are my thoughts and advice!

1. How do you join a sorority?

This is actually way more complex than you could imagine. I am a true supporter of the formal recruitment route. This is the best way (not necessarily the easiest) to meet every chapter and have a better chance at joining. It’s the most unbiased way to join in my opinion. If I didn’t go through formal recruitment, I would’ve had a completely different outcome and I would’ve been as happy as I am now with my chapter. 

Formal recruitment can come at a very stressful time though. Therefore, many chapters at smaller universities do informal recruitment during the school year to give girls a chance who maybe didn’t have the ability to complete formal recruitment. If you go to a larger school, your options may be limited though. A lot of girls have benefited from the informal route. There is always a pressure to complete formal recruitment your first year, but it is really up to what you feel most comfortable doing.

2. What is rush like?

Rush is very stressful. As someone who was very self conscious going into this, I was consistently bombarded with stress about the chapters’ impressions of me. (Check my post for more details.) Depending on the time of recruitment (the lingo, we don’t call it rush), it can line up with really long days. It was a lot of waiting around. I told a lot of people what I wanted to be when I grew up. I am also a strong introvert, so I relied heavily on the others driving the conversation. The best thing is: they are trained to keep the convo going and they will! All you need to do is come in and just be yourself! If you’re geeky, talk about geeky things. If you’re quiet, it’s okay to be quiet.

In the end, it is like giving birth: you don’t really remember it. I cannot tell you everyone I talked to the second night of my recruitment at all. I remember being very nervous when going anywhere and compared my self to other girls, but my mind went straight to focusing on the chapter once I was pledged.

3. Why did I join a sorority?

I did the classic YOLO moment. I literally just joined because I wanted to have that experience in college and I’m only in college once. My advice is: there is always a “grace period” with sororities. You don’t have to commit from day one. It may take some time! I wasn’t completely set on my chapter at first, but once I went through new member education I started to see myself better in the group. The more meaningful question, in my opinion, is why a woman stayed.

4. How do you know if you fit in?

It’s all about those conversations. If you can talk to someone in the house and be yourself, it’s the place for you. If you don’t feel comfortable, that’s a red flag. There is always some awkwardness at first, but the other members want to get to know you and want you to be there. It’s just like any new environment.

5. What do you do in a sorority?

I would break down my time in sorority life in three big categories: meeting, social, philanthropy. There are always weekly meetings (like a big club). Meetings are my favorite part! I love being in the know. Second, social is a big overarching category. There is obviously that bonding sisterhood environment in sorority life. I interact with many sisters on a normal basis. There are also events with other chapters in there too. Lastly, philanthropy is a major thing that keeps the sorority train a-chuggin’. There are usually two types: events and service hours.

6. What is a big/little?

Depending on the chapter you affiliate with, this can mean so many different things. Overall, it’s usually a woman a year above who is there to be a strong connection and friendship. They can fill a mentor role and can be that rock in your sorority to keep you involved and feel included. These most often are done in a preference way where you pref the girls you would like and an exec member does the matching.

7. Favorite memories?

Everyone chooses big/little week, but I personally loved the first week of living in the house. I was very distant my second semester of freshman year, and the bonds I strengthened in the first few days changed my outlook on sorority life forever. They always preach that living in the house is the best thing and I completely agree! I literally found my best friend and roommate in those first few weeks.

8. What events are mandatory?

Plain and simple: meetings and anything chapter related. If it’s a social events, it’s not mandatory. Events are kind of the hardest thing to balance as an upperclassman. It can get very dense, very quick. Overall though, they are things that do support you in growing in the chapter. There are always valid excuses to use as well! Sorority life shouldn’t interfere with your academic life and sometimes things just come up. Also, the fines or points are usually fairly low for missing something or can be waived with a bit of explaining to the finance chair.

9. How much does it cost?

A lot. It’s not easy. The price tag is most shocking up front. There are many one-time fees during pledging and initiation that can be high. After that, there are usually the same price of dues or small charges. A lot of stuff like t-shirts or swag are charged to you. Dues, though, keep the sorority going. It’s the income that pays for events we do as a chapter.

I’ll be transparent. I probably payed over $2000 my first semesters. It was dues and fees (that allowed us to eat at the house each week). Then, I’ve consistently paid about $900 a month to live and eat at the house including dues. Living in the house at my school is cheaper than on campus, so there are usually these incentives at smaller schools like mine.

The thing is though, that many people do struggle to keep up with payments. There is always this belief that everyone is easy-breezy paying their bills except you, but that’s false. The trick is not let it get too far without talking to your finance chair. This woman’s job is to help all the members! We all want our members there and we want to help!

10. How to prepare and what to wear?

The only prep you may need to do for recruitment is to really think about your values and why you want to be in a sorority. If your greek system is Panhellenic, you are going to be a part of values-based recruitment. They’re going to ask you a lot about what you do and what you stand for. Don’t dig too deep into what each chapter’s stereotype or who is in it, because these are all things that may keep you from having an open mind (based on what I did). 

What to wear is pretty simple: casual and comfortable. You’re going to be walking around a lot and you want to feel good in what you are wearing. Don’t shed the cash for this, though. I would recommend wearing the clothes you already have or getting staples you can wear again. There is strong emphasis on what you feel confident in. They also won’t judge you on what you wear!

#college #college tips #sorority life #greek life #Recruitment #sorority

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Reviving the College Blog

I am now going to be a senior. I’ve seen all the shit go down. Asks are always open.

#college #college theatre #College Tips #sorority #stem #studyblr

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Shit I Didn’t Need in College

It just takes up space.

1. Bed Side Organizer

Some people must use these, because every college store sells them. The reality: no one uses these things. The most useful thing to use it for is headphones or a place to keep your TV remotes. It ended up being a place to store etcetera junk I didn’t have anywhere else to put and a Twinkie I never ate. I didn’t necessarily need it. My roommate also had one and only kept her computer in it. I was not as brave as her! Instead, get a bedside shelf. By the end of the year, I was envious of my roommate’s, because it was an easy place to set her phone or snacks and drinks. If you want to get one, don’t get the biggest or the most complicated. The best uses are just for a quick place to throw your headphones before going to bed.

2. Make Up Mirror

Okay, I do know a few people who actually used one of these, but leave it at home if you’re trying to limit your use of space. During my senior year of high school, I stopped wearing a lot of make up. So, naturally, in college I also continued not to wear it due to time. Thus, I just started to do it in the bathroom instead.

3. Clip-able Fans (If your room has AC)

At the beginning of the year, I used my fan every day. That quickly ended after about a week once my roommate and I figured out our temperature preferences and I got over the feeling that I was wasting electricity. Eventually, we got down to a habit and I never used the fan again. I just turned it down if I was hot and turned it up if I was cold. *shrugs*

4. A Chair...at first.

A comfy chair may just be the best thing to help get your room feeling more at home. The thing is, it won’t do that if there’s not enough room for it. It’s hard to remember when you’re shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond that you will have desk chairs, desks, and any other furniture also in your room. My advice is to move into your room first and see how much space you have. Lot’s of stores carry dorm chairs into September, and we all know Amazon sells them year round.

TL;DR:

If you don’t need it or it’s probably a dorm gimmick that you can’t use outside a dorm, you don’t need it.

#i have pictures of dorm furniture on my computer now #college #college tips #college llama #dorm

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FBF: Tales of A Freshman Year

Part 1: Sorority Recruitment

One of my big decisions of Freshman Year was to go through Formal Recruitment for the three sororities on campus. I decided to do it, because I thought, I’m only in college once. I was hesitant for my parents were hesitant to let me do it. Many of my summer nights were spent studying YouTube videos to prepare me for the process. My friends all thought I was a bit crazy, and, of course, none of them tried it as well. 

The weeks leading up to it were a bit nerve racking. Sorority recruitment was during the same week as orientation, and my Google Calendar was starting to look too full for a first week on campus. I planned out my entire wardrobe choices for the three days of Recruitment my school planned, and started practicing from the prompts the all-knowing YouTubers gave me. My biggest mistake was researching the sororities before going in. This is where I start to regret my extensive research. (For the sake of this post, let’s call the three pink sorority, red sorority, and blue sorority. There’s no connection between these names and their actual counterparts.)

Day 1 went smoothly. It was house tours and long spans of awkward silence. I became friends with my Recruitment Counselor, and I was very excited to go to my pre-favorite Sorority. I started to become friends with the girls in line with me even though we weren’t supposed to talk at all between the houses. Blue sorority was the only one to do a door chant, and they were the first ones. We all walked timidly between houses in our dead silence, and tried to wrap our heads around the sheer amount of information we witnessed. 

Next, we went to Red Sorority which is one that I wasn’t excited about. I did know one member who ended up being the woman to give me a house tour. I was pleasantly surprised at this chapter. It wasn’t as stiff as the first, and it was nice that I actually knew someone!

Finally, we went to my pre-favorite Pink Sorority, and I was elated. It was the best experience, and I loved everyone there. I smiled the whole time, and couldn’t find one bad thing about it. I was a bit blinded by my pre-judgement.

The day ended smoothly, and I returned to my dorm. My roommate listened to my spilling of all the details, and I went to bed peacefully.

Day 2 was exhausting. It was sisterhood day which meant all talking in all the houses. I was invited back to all three which meant a lot of walking around in heels. My confidence was very high since not everyone was invited back to all three. I felt very special in a sense, but I also started to feel where I wanted to belong. Pink Sorority was still the coolest bunch on the block. I left their house feeling 100% sure that I was going to get invited back. My guide and I had good conversations and I didn’t see how I wouldn’t get invited back. Personally, I knew in my heart that maybe I would be invited back to all three. I was the perfect candidate to all three.

Instead, day 3 was hard. It was the day when the stress of orientation and reality came hitting hard. I was only invited back to Red Sorority, my number 2. My head was spinning with thoughts of: what did I do wrong, why do they not see me as a valuable woman. My small friend group only talked down this one even though I thought it was okay which made me worry about their responses. Wise words from those YouTube stars helped me through: you have to trust the process. I went to Red Sorority for preference night and really appreciated it. I was still not 100% sure as I did my final preference card and watched the other 100s of girls walk away towards their next house.

It wasn’t until I waited upstairs for my friends that I started to get into my own thoughts. Once I had time alone to really think, I reached my lowest point. It’s incredibly hard to go from getting invited back to all to being rejected the next. My thoughts must have been shown across my face, since another Recruitment Counselor came and comforted me. It all hit me in this moment and that’s when I started to cry. She really boosted my ideal of trusting the process, and made me more confident that I will fit in. 

It’s hard to go through days of trying to impress others, especially other girls who seem perfect in every way. Recruitment was something that I look back on, and see how I could’ve done it differently. I am extremely happy with my sorority. The women are wonderful, and I don’t see how I would’ve actually felt at home in any other sorority. I believe the first thing that helped me get excited was Bid Day! Bid Day is the best day of recruitment. You no longer need to be aimed to impress. All the women are more of themselves, and are excited to welcome you into your new home. I also found those people I made friends with in line or in orientation were with me. Luckily, my wonderful Recruitment Counselor was also my new sister, and I felt that I was right where I was supposed to be.

As I would later find out, many of the women I’m close to in my sorority also went though almost the exact same process in recruitment as I did. My recruitment line buddy who is now one of my closest Sorority sisters was also dropped the last day by all but our chapter. You are not alone in this process. It’s something I look back on now. There are multiple girls who may not be as lucky as you. I knew women who didn’t get invited back after the first day. I watched the numbers dwindle down from the thousand from day one to the few hundreds who lined the aisles of the Bid Day reveal conference room. There were women who made it all the way to the final preference sheet and didn’t get a Bid. I see those other sororities and I couldn’t see myself in any other house. The sorority I wanted to be in so badly? It’s not as picture perfect as I expected it to be. My number #2 ended up being the best fit with the people who are as crazy and weird as I am. But as I discovered later through talking to women who joined later in the year, it’s totally okay to drop out if it’s too overwhelming or uncomfortable. One woman in my pledge class joined us her sophomore year, and everyone accepted her! One woman joined us during the spring semester who didn’t continue with formal recruitment because it didn’t feel right. She developed herself and got accustomed to college, made friends who happened to be in our sorority and decided to join us later. Everyone’s story is different, but any chapter will let you in with open arms if you’re the right fit and love you like a sister.

#sorority #recruitment #collegellama #College Tips #freshman

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Starting College Theatre Tips for Freshmen

I am a current Theatre Design and Technology major at my college and I freaking love it. It’s a lot different to start a year in college as a theatre major than a non-major. Theatre doesn’t wait for you to get comfortable, but instead starts you right in, feet first. 

A little background:

I started my theatre experience my freshmen year of high school. Our school never had Thespian, had music department (not theatre) run musicals, and our plays focused on acting in an intimate in-the-round space (very tech simple). So, I started out a bit of a noob in the sense of theatre culture. I had no idea that I had to interview to “audition” to be in a theatre program until the April before I started school, and I had no acting experience at all and kind of despised actors. What I gained in high school was how to manage six shows a year and remain completely organized since I was the one-man light/tech show at my high school in my grade.

If you’re like first year me, feeling a bit lost, there is hope. Here are some of my top tips to getting started:

1. Get Involved Immediately

I got the pleasure :/ of joining a program that had the four tech majors graduate the year before which meant I had no one to help me manage finding my place among the performance majors. (We’re now up to three of us, though. WEEEE!) I was left to sort of fend for myself. Luckily, I was very determined to get involved since I knew that was the only way to get experience. 

I am very lucky to go to a school that does over 40 productions a year, and I got into being the replacement stage manager for a student written/directed show that went up in September after I started. This one show changed the entire course of the year and my years to come. I ended up doing lights for this show which got me a department work/study job, and I ended up helping on three other shows done by the actor of the first show and the same student director.

Getting involved gets your name and face out to the faculty and other students. Theatre is an industry of connections, and I met some of the best students and especially seniors from being involved. Go to the first auditions! Say “yes” to whatever comes your way. I know you’re not already too busy to do a show.

The beginning of the year was tough since I only had student show offers, but now I’ve done eleven shows in the course of the year and been offered so much from just those four first semester shows.

2. Be On Time to EVERYTHING

As stated before, theatre is all about making those connections. You’ll make these connections in shows, class, and about anything that requires you to be somewhere at a certain time. Being on time builds trust from others. 

Now don’t be fooled. Theatre time is tricky. Being on time means being at least 10 to 15 minutes early. It means being there early enough for you to get completely ready to go. The time you’re given is the start of rehearsal, not the start of your process. Student directed shows are a bit more lenient, but be cautious: faculty directed or involved shows are always sticklers when it comes to time.

Starting this habit early with your classes will gain respect from the faculty who you’ll be working with very quickly and also gets you used to the mindset of always being on time.

3. Be Yourself! Be nice! Be welcoming!

The world of theatre is a world of dramatic people. We love to spread the gossip and we love to please others. The best thing you can do to make the transition easy is to be kind to everyone around you. You never know who you’ll be working with, and you don’t want to be kicked out of a wonderful opportunity because you can’t get along with someone else. 

Personally, I do judge people when I first meet them, because that’s just me. Now, I look back and just think of all the people who I’ve really come to know over the past year who I thought the best people at the start. By coming into every situation with an open mind, I’ve become more comfortable around others. Don’t get me wrong, I really dislike one or two people, but I don’t stop it from doing what I love.

The first week is very hard in college, and everyone is trying to fit it. Don’t let the first week(s) be a benchmark for your opinion of others. Give everyone time and get to know their true selves.

#College Tips #collegellama #college #theatre #college theatre #freshmen #tips

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The Most Stressful Day of College: Move-In

The tips they don’t tell you at orientation, part 1.

Move-in day still stands as the most stressful, confusing blur of a day from my first year of college. I don’t remember half of it, but there were a few specific things about that day that wish I would’ve known before hand.

1. Bring at least two other people.

You’ll need two other people: one person to move your stuff and another to move the car. They don’t necessarily need to be your parents (even though it makes it smoother to get them to do more), but three is the magic number (including yourself). Once the welcome crew of students has completely emptied your car and all of your stuff has miraculously arrived at it’s destination, you and your main #1 can start unpacking that shit...kind of, see #2. Just take it out of the boxes and throw it on a surface, but leave the space around your bed clear (if necessary).

2. Loft that bed first.

If your dorm has lofts that require you to do it yourself, congratulations! You’ll be inducted into the not-so-rare society of people who can say they’ve had to loft a dorm bed. The tricky puzzle that is a loft-able dorm bed is one that seems easy on paper, but some how comes with twenty extra steps you’ll need to complete. The best and #1 tip is to have at least three people (including yourself) to make the process very smooth. If you couldn’t bring two other people from step one, you do have a brand new roommate who can help! *wink wink* I could do a whole post on how to loft a dorm bed.

Lofting it first is key to a smooth move in dorm wise. You need the room to loft the bed, and it’s easier without stuff around to clutter up the process. Plus once it’s over, you don’t have to do it again for six months.

3. You don’t need to do it all at once.

The stress starts to kick in when you’ve already made one run to Target, you still haven’t unpacked that last box, and your orientation group is doing something in only an hour. I remember the panic starting to set in seeing these piles that aren’t in exactly organized places, and my parents started to rush as well. Time will creep up on you, and you just have to face it: you’re not going to get completely moved in.

The entire spectacle of move-in day is what really contributes to this idea that you need to move everything in between 9am to 4pm. The goal of move in day is not to make your room completely perfect, but to just get all your shit in that small space. Make space gradually. The best thing about living in a dorm is that you get to make it your own and that will take a bit of time. As long as you can at least go to sleep for a night, you can clear that mess tomorrow. Your roommate won’t be moved in completely either if you’re both girls like me so maybe take time to just chill and debate who’s getting which side of the closet.

4. Wait to do anything with command strips.

You may be in a lull of time where you feel like you need to do something, but there isn’t just anything sticking out to you or you may be procrastinating the unpacking of your biggest bin. Don’t go for the command strips. This goes back to the time management thing and the fact that you can do this later. Command strips are the key to college, but move-in day time should be spent getting your necessities bought and organized. You will definitely have time to decorate later!

I did hang command strips during move-in day, and only two things actually lived to tell the tale. Those hooks actually need the time to cure to the wall to hang. That detail gets quickly overlooked.

5. Label your bins.

If you don’t have that much stuff, congratulations! I don’t know how you do it. If you’re a normal person with bedding, electronics, school supplies, and etcetera, the best thing is to label EVERYTHING. I personally labeled my bins which came into an easy unloading since I didn’t have to go through all four of my bins to find something. Over organizing will save your life, people! Put things grouped together like the categories above if they need to be in bins. (Obviously, don’t un-package things like a foam mattress pad since the box those types of items came in is smaller than any bin you’ll find.) Give the groups names and it’ll make finding your Playstation versus your sheets a lot easier.

#college #college tips #move in day #move in #collegellama