W&L from a First-Year's Perspective

seniorgeneral
Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:53:06 +0000

Yes, I am in a sorority. No, I will not tell you which one, or if it is “top-tier” or “bottom-tier.” Parents, every girl who ends up in a sorority is there because the ladies in that sorority wanted her. Whether it is “top” or “bottom,” she can be comfortable with the knowledge that she was selected because of her attributes and will be welcomed into her new sisterhood. Every year, there are some girls who are offered a bid to a sorority that is not the one they had set their sights on, but in the end, their experience is what they make it. Hopefully their parents have raised them well enough so that those girls will not make everyone in the house feel bad because they know they are not what Franny Freshman wanted. A girl who wants to join ABC but gets a bid to XYZ can either wallow in self-pity and bitterness, or she can meet her new sisters and make new friendships that she otherwise would not have had. Pledge classes are large enough that every sorority has girls who party, girls who don’t drink, girls who are very focused on school work, and athletes. It is unfair for anyone- parents, students, or anyone else- to make blanket statements about who is the best house. Besides, sorority and fraternity distinctions lose much of their impact by junior year, as people just don’t care as much any more.