Laney Byler

College is a wild roller coaster of craziness.  At eighteen, you’re expected to pick a school, major, potential career path, and plan a trajectory for that career path, and you’ve basically been out of high school for two minutes.  Yesterday, you were scheming how to skip gym class and get McDonald’s breakfast with your friends — today, you’re expected to know what to do with your life.

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Along with the millions of other decisions you have to make in college, you must also choose whether or not to rush Greek life and join a sorority.  Some schools don’t even have Greek life, which makes the decision pretty easy.  But for those of you who attend schools that do have sororities and fraternities, you might consider rushing.  College is a whole new ball game — why not try something new?

For some people (like me), the decision to rush or join a sorority wasn’t that easy, though.  There are a million considerations to keep in mind, and (if you’re also like me and from a region that never emphasized Greek life) you might not know anything about it.  So right now, we’re going to run through a crash course on what considerations you should keep in mind before rushing.

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Don’t be afraid to prioritize in college.  It’s all about you, so make sure you do what’s best for you.

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1) Financial considerations  

This was the biggest and most important aspect for me when I was trying to decide whether to rush or not.  For some, this isn’t an issue — if that’s the case, go ahead and skip this section.  If it is, just remember that finances are drastically important in college.  Don't feel like your life will end if you can’t rush; it won’t, and I promise you that you will find another club or activity that you can completely envelop yourself in.  You need to do what’s best for you, and if that means saving your money, save it.  You probably won’t think twice about it in 20 years.

2) Take your time

I took two years to make a decision and didn’t commit to a sorority until the second semester of my sophomore year.  I don’t feel like I missed out on anything, either — the whole point of sisterhood is that you have a welcoming community to give you a familial environment away from home.  If you feel unwelcome or like you need to ‘catch up,’ it might not be the right fit for you.

3) Know what you can handle  

Don’t forget that the ultimate reason you’re in college is to get an education, so make sure you know what time commitments, demands, and responsibilities you can handle.  If I were going to school to be a neurosurgeon, I can guarantee you I wouldn’t be in Greek life.  I’m sure there are those who have done it, and I have faith in you if you think you can — I personally can’t juggle those two commitments.  Don’t be afraid to prioritize in college.  It’s all about you, so make sure you do what’s best for you.

4) Follow your instinct  

Ultimately, it boils down to following your instinct.  If you feel like you’ve found the perfect community for you, don’t cut yourself off from it.  Sororities can be an amazing resource and tool for young women to find out who they really are and surround themselves with support and encouragement from other wonderful young women.  On the other hand, you could be halfway through rush and have a bad gut feeling — don’t ignore that.  You know yourself better than anyone else, so don’t join because you feel obligated.  

This college experience is yours, so don’t make a decision based on anyone but you.

 

Laney is a Communications student at the University of Michigan and current editorial intern with bSmart Guide.

 

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