More than anything in the world, I wish I could go back and talk to a younger version of myself. While there are many times in my life that I could go back to, I think that I would, in particular, go back and talk to the senior in high school version of myself. I would tell her that the first semester of college will be hard, but that doesn't mean that you won't make tons of amazing memories and meet lots of incredible people. In particular, I would tell my younger self about the event that has been the most significant in my college experience up to this point -- joining Chi Omega.
The first few weeks of college were difficult for me. While I had met lots of great people and gone out and had fun, I was only truly close to my roommates and found it difficult to put myself out there and meet new people. When two of my roommates told me that they were going through sorority recruitment, I decided on a complete whim that I was going to do the same. Looking back, I can't believe that I actually went through with it. Before I went through rush, which I hate to admit now, I would never in a million years have pictured myself joining a sorority; I didn't see myself as that kind of girl, and to be honest, I always viewed those girls in a negative light. The entire gist of recruitment wasn't really my scene either -- as a shy girl, sitting down and talking to complete strangers about who I was and what my interests were, all while being evaluated, was completely terrifying. All in all, I decided to go through with it, figuring that if I didn't end up liking it, I could drop. What I found, though, was that I actually enjoyed recruitment. While I felt connections with many of the girls I talked to in all of the different chapters, I kept being drawn back to one in particular - Chi Omega. The girls there seemed so genuine and down to earth. I felt like I could really be myself when I talked to them, and they were so similar to types of girls I'd been friends with in the past. After 5 long days of recruitment and nine different chapters, I knew in my heart that I was meant to be apart of Chi Omega. When I received a bid from them on Bid Day, I knew that they felt the same. Ever since, I pledged to Chi Omega, I've met tons of incredible women whom I know I will be able to call my sisters for life, especially my big sister.
Going through recruitment and pledging to Chi Omega was, in a way, life changing. Recruitment, though only a small piece of my greek life experience, allowed me to come out of my shell and overcome any bit of shyness that I had before. Recruitment helped me be comfortable with answering questions on the spot and talking to someone I don't know about myself, which I know will help me in the future with interviews. Recruitment also helped me break through the typical sorority stereotypes. Chi Omega, though, has made a bigger impact. Through Chi Omega, I have made connections that will help me greatly in my professional future. I've also learned to bond with people whose cultures, religions or lives are different from mine, which has helped give me greater cultural competence. Through a social perspective, my sorority has given me friendships that I know will last a lifetime. These girls aren't just my friends -- they're my sisters, and they have my back through everything. I have over one hundred girls to call in the middle of the night if something happens to me, and over one hundred girls to call to celebrate all the little successes and moments of happiness in my life. Deciding to pledge has truly been the best decision I've ever made, and as of January 2014, I'm proud to finally call myself a true Chi Omega sister.
I agree with and believe that a picture is worth a thousand words, so for my project, I decided to create a video to showcase all the different things I have done with Chi Omega thus far. Through my pictures, you can see the friends I have made and the experiences I have had. It's nearly impossible to explain what Chi Omega means to me in words, so I felt that a video would be a good way to display how I feel about my sisters and my sorority.
The first few weeks of college were difficult for me. While I had met lots of great people and gone out and had fun, I was only truly close to my roommates and found it difficult to put myself out there and meet new people. When two of my roommates told me that they were going through sorority recruitment, I decided on a complete whim that I was going to do the same. Looking back, I can't believe that I actually went through with it. Before I went through rush, which I hate to admit now, I would never in a million years have pictured myself joining a sorority; I didn't see myself as that kind of girl, and to be honest, I always viewed those girls in a negative light. The entire gist of recruitment wasn't really my scene either -- as a shy girl, sitting down and talking to complete strangers about who I was and what my interests were, all while being evaluated, was completely terrifying. All in all, I decided to go through with it, figuring that if I didn't end up liking it, I could drop. What I found, though, was that I actually enjoyed recruitment. While I felt connections with many of the girls I talked to in all of the different chapters, I kept being drawn back to one in particular - Chi Omega. The girls there seemed so genuine and down to earth. I felt like I could really be myself when I talked to them, and they were so similar to types of girls I'd been friends with in the past. After 5 long days of recruitment and nine different chapters, I knew in my heart that I was meant to be apart of Chi Omega. When I received a bid from them on Bid Day, I knew that they felt the same. Ever since, I pledged to Chi Omega, I've met tons of incredible women whom I know I will be able to call my sisters for life, especially my big sister.
Going through recruitment and pledging to Chi Omega was, in a way, life changing. Recruitment, though only a small piece of my greek life experience, allowed me to come out of my shell and overcome any bit of shyness that I had before. Recruitment helped me be comfortable with answering questions on the spot and talking to someone I don't know about myself, which I know will help me in the future with interviews. Recruitment also helped me break through the typical sorority stereotypes. Chi Omega, though, has made a bigger impact. Through Chi Omega, I have made connections that will help me greatly in my professional future. I've also learned to bond with people whose cultures, religions or lives are different from mine, which has helped give me greater cultural competence. Through a social perspective, my sorority has given me friendships that I know will last a lifetime. These girls aren't just my friends -- they're my sisters, and they have my back through everything. I have over one hundred girls to call in the middle of the night if something happens to me, and over one hundred girls to call to celebrate all the little successes and moments of happiness in my life. Deciding to pledge has truly been the best decision I've ever made, and as of January 2014, I'm proud to finally call myself a true Chi Omega sister.
I agree with and believe that a picture is worth a thousand words, so for my project, I decided to create a video to showcase all the different things I have done with Chi Omega thus far. Through my pictures, you can see the friends I have made and the experiences I have had. It's nearly impossible to explain what Chi Omega means to me in words, so I felt that a video would be a good way to display how I feel about my sisters and my sorority.