The gusts of cold wind and the abandoned campus made sorority recruitment seem like a horrible idea. The rest of my friends were lounging at home, watching videos and spending their nights out with our high school friends. As my mom helped me unpack into my empty room, I was overcome with homesickness.

Bundled in a fuzzy ivory sweater, I headed over to my friend’s room in St. Monica’s. By 1 a.m. my friends from California were back on campus. The entire week was a huge sleepover and my friends and I grew closer than we could have ever imagined.

Gathered in Donahue that first morning, we had absolutely no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

Six of my friends rushed sororities, and each encountered different challenges throughout the week. We each gave the process a try. We had nothing to lose, right?

Dressed in jeans and collared shirts, we walked into rooms of screaming girls. The girls of each sorority were full of energy, chanting the name of their sorority and proudly wearing their letters. By the second and third round, many of the sisters had lost their voices but still continued to scream, greeting each group of sisters at the door, grabbing their hands and parading them around the room. The hours we spent learning about each sorority were exhausting. By the end of the day, every girl involved in recruitment crashed in front of the television, refusing to speak.

The week consisted mostly of small-talk and desperate attempts to get to know a few girls in each sorority fairly well. The week held many surprises, and each girl who rushed learned something about herself through the process.

“I rushed because I wanted to give myself the opportunity to meet new girls,” said one potential sorority member.

While many of my friends loved the whole process and enjoyed meeting the sisters of each sorority, others had a different experience.

“I felt like I really didn’t get to know the sisters. In fact, I thought the whole process was a bit political, like who knew who,” said another girl.

Most girls, however, found a good fit. Personally, I am thrilled to be surrounded by such a phenomenal group of women in Alpha Chi Omega!

We each walked away from the experience having learned something. If we hadn’t given recruitment a try, we would have been kicking ourselves in the long run.

The weeklong slumber party was a blast and most girls walked away with flowers, a bid and a huge smile on their faces.