By Ashley Tripp, Student at the University of Alabama

“Hi, what’s your name? Where are you from? What’s your major? What did you do in high school?”

It was the first day of sorority recruitment and all of these questions were floating around my brain as I eagerly introduced myself to all the different houses on the row.

Coming from out of state, I had no idea what to expect during rush. I remember standing outside my first house anxiously waiting to see what was going to happen next. Suddenly, the doors and windows in front of me opened as the sorority members clapped and chanted songs, welcoming my group into their house for the first round. As I was escorted into the house, I found my way toward a room that sounded like a busy beehive. This was the start of sorority recruitment.

Slowly but surely, the chitchat small-talk conversations became more and more personable and real as the different rounds went on each day. I started to narrow it down to the sororities I felt most comfortable in and which ones I could be myself.

On the last day of sorority recruitment, preference night, I was faced with the final decision of casting my vote for which sorority I wanted to be in.

On Bid Day, I couldn’t have been happier. I was at peace knowing that whatever sorority I was placed in was where I was supposed to be. It was all over; I had reached the end of recruitment. Except, instead of finishing the race of a long week of rush, I had just crossed over to the beginning of a new chapter in my life.

On the count of three, every potential new member opened their bid card to see which sorority they were in. Immediately following all the cheers and excitement, all the girls rushed to their new sorority houses to greet their new sisters.

I, along with my entire new pledge class, ran toward our sorority’s home and found that we were surrounded with smiles, hugs and cheers from our sorority sisters.

Now, a senior at the University of Alabama and member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority, I can look back and say that while the recruitment process was stressful and exhausting at times, it was well worth it in the end.

But just how did I survive sorority recruitment?

My best advice is to just be yourself. In effect, the sororities will ultimately see your true personality shine. There’s no need to be nervous. Remember, sorority members are just as nervous as you are when going through recruitment.

Go in with an open mind and choose a sorority based off of your personal experience and not by what others say about the sororities. You can find every type of girl in every sorority but don’t believe all the rumors you hear about all the different houses. Everything happens for a reason and you will be placed into the sorority you’re supposed to be in.

If you can survive sorority recruitment, you will have the best next years of your life in college through building lasting friendships while being a part of a truly wonderful sisterhood.