As women, sisterhood is something that we search for our entire lives. And while we may have already formed that bond with a sibling or close friend, coming to Villanova is about expanding that connection and finding a group of women that will support you through the highs and lows. Sorority recruitment at Villanova helps women form bonds, meet new people and establish communities.
At Villanova, the week before classes began again the campus came to life as hundreds of women moved back to campus early, ready to start the sorority recruitment process. Over the years, the rush process gained a reputation for a plethora of reasons. However, as a freshman just coming out of the recruitment process, not only has this experience given me a new community, but it has helped me to discover a new sense of confidence I didn’t know I had.
Throughout the recruitment process, one needs to be able to identify what is right for them and where they see themselves fitting the best. This requires every woman to reflect and think about the types of people they are looking to surround themselves with during college. It is a loaded decision with a lot of pressure. However, making these choices throughout the process taught me a lot about myself.
I did not change myself to fit into a certain chapter or mold. I just went into each meeting and was unapologetically myself, holding onto hope that my people would find me and that I would find them. It wasn’t easy to be so open to a bunch of strangers, but at the same time it was so freeing. I knew that I presented the most authentic version of myself to each of the chapters, and I knew that wherever I ended up, they would want me for me. Throughout my life, I have often tried to put on a facade because I just want to belong. It is human nature to want to be a part of something bigger than oneself. This process allowed me to have that at Villanova.
“I always say being in a sorority makes campus feel small, but in the best way,” outgoing Chi Omega recruitment chair Ava Tower said. “There were so many familiar faces and people giving me confidence throughout the day to be the best version of myself. Greek life at Villanova has given me an unconditional support system and I am so thankful for its connections and friendships.”
Even beyond just the connections I have made within my new sorority, getting to interact with so many welcoming women from various chapters reinforced the Villanova sense of community. At the end of the day, every woman on campus during recruitment was experiencing the same thing or had been through the process before, with the same feelings. These mutual feelings gave me a sense of support that helped me through the recruitment process.
Every woman had felt the same feelings as I had and having that sense of support and understanding completely transformed the recruitment process for me. I understand the apprehension that women feel before making the decision to rush because I felt those same feelings. However, instead of focusing on the possible negatives that could come out of the process, I decided to focus on the positives, and in turn I gained a new sense of self, along with dozens of new friends. In the end, rush wasn’t just about finding a sisterhood. It was about discovering my true self, embracing my worth and realizing that the connections I was seeking were always meant to find me, exactly as I am.