Keep Up With Sorority Sisters This Summer: Our Top Tips
Just two weeks ago, Virginia Tech University experienced an overwhelming tragedy on its campus when a mentally ill student gunned down 32 students and faculty. It was the worst mass shooting in our country's history. One of our writers, Melanie Harris, is a student at Virginia Tech. We all mourned and were saddened by the events of that day, but for Melanie, the experience was much more personal and truly hit close to home. Read her perspective on the tragedy, and how she is finding the strength to cope with such an immense loss. We thank Melanie for sharing her story with us, and everyone at University Chic continues to hold the Virginia Tech community in their thoughts and prayers.

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As a member of a sorority, you are constantly surrounded by supportive and inspiring women. Your sisters can become your closest friends. Now it’s finally summer, and everyone is heading off on their own adventures. It can be a challenge to go from seeing your sisters all the time to barely seeing them at all. But keeping in touch doesn’t have to be hard.
Snapchat and Instagram are great ways to keep in touch because they provide a visual for your sisters so that they can actually see where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing as you’re doing it. Snapchat is a super quick way to check in and let them know what you’ve been up to, while Instagram is the perfect place to post pics from your vacation so that all of your sisters can see them.
Texting each sister separately with the same information can be repetitive. A group chat is a faster and easier way to make plans, get information across, or just chat. If you don’t have group text on your phone, try using an app such as Text 2 Group Pro or Tango Text.
Nothing is more exciting than receiving some good old fashioned snail mail. Sending a hand written letter or postcard shows that you put in a little extra time and effort. You can even enclose photos or a little souvenir from your summer travels or your hometown. This is a good way to keep in touch if any of your sisters are spending their vacations somewhere without internet access or reliable phone service.
Another way to keep in touch with your sisters is to share an object and have it travel from sister to sister over the summer. But instead of the traditional pair of jeans, you can make the object something that is related to your sorority, such as a stuffed version of your mascot. Make a Facebook page for the mascot so that each sister can post vacation pictures of themselves with the toy. My chapter of Alpha Gamma Delta recently got a stuffed squirrel that will spend some time with each sister who needs or wants it over the summer.
Sometimes nothing beats seeing a sister’s face or hearing her voice. OoVoo is like group Skype – you can video chat with multiple sisters at once for free. With the option of using the app or the website, you can talk anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection.
If you have the time, try to visit other sisters in person. You could go on a road trip together or tour around their hometowns. Also, make sure to set up lunch plans or movie dates with any sisters that live in your area.
How do you plan to stay in touch with college friend over the summer? Share with us @UChic or leave us a comment below. Want more great inspiration? Stay in-the-know with great tips from our Chicsters and LYDStars on our Facebook Twitter and TUMBLR pages.
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