My introduction to Greek life began with formal recruitment this past fall. Sorority Rush begins with the first of five well-structured rounds, and the whole process was one of the most draining experiences I have been through. Open House, First Invite, Second Invite, Preference Day and Bid Day. That was what I kept telling myself I had to get through. It didn’t seem like it would be that hard, but oh boy was I wrong. 19 Open house rounds, 13 first invite rounds, 7 second invite rounds, 3 preference rounds later and I understood just how well Rush lives up to its infamy. It is extremely exhausting to have basically the same conversation all day for several days with different people. The reasons Rush is so hard is because it is all very overwhelming. Even if you go in prepared to have that many conversations, the effort of always trying to present yourself at your best in every house and every new conversation is more draining than I can explain. An issue that many girls struggle with is the impact this has on their self-esteem. I went into Rush pretty undecided about what kind of impact going Greek would have on my life, so I did not feel the pressure of judgment and the fear of not receiving a Bid the same way I know many other potential new members did. As we advanced through rounds I began anticipating Bid Day. It was like the light at the end of the tunnel, the thing about Rush is even if you are enjoying it you can only hope for the end, because everyone just wants to receive their Bid. All though it was one of the hardest things I’ve been through in a long time, there are many skills I feel I gained from Rushing. To begin with, I had never been an outspoken person so the idea of that many conversations with complete strangers all crammed into a few days gave me a lot of anxiety in the beginning. Now after having pushed myself through that I’m pretty sure I can talk to anyone. Throughout the whole experience people just kept saying “trust the process” so I pulled myself through it, and I am so grateful that I did. Otherwise, I would not have found Pi Phi or had the experiences with my chapter, and the others on campus, that have made my freshman year so memorable.
Bid day announcements are held in Foellinger. I heard people would set up on the quad to watch all the sorority girls run around but I didn’t know if I believed it. When I got there weren’t an overwhelming amount of people hanging around, but I’m sure the whole campus knew about it because they had seen us running around in dresses and heels all weekend. Everyone sat down and they went through a whole presentation before giving us our Bids. The whole room opened them at once and I remember how ecstatic most of the room was to see what their new houses were. I knew what name would be on my card as soon as I received it, but actually reading that I had received a bid from Pi Beta Phi is an experience that is difficult to explain. I felt that I had made great connections with the girls in the house through the short conversations we had during Rush, knowing that they felt I belonged there with them made me indescribably happy. Just because I had gotten in did not mean I knew exactly what it was I had gotten myself into. We ran out according to the houses we received our Bids from, and that was the first time I got to see everyone who would be making up my pledge class. We ran together to Pi Phi to be “welcomed Home” by the actives in the house. Our theme was “Pi Phi Paradise” and it had all the glitter you would expect from a sorority. I had so much fun that day meeting as many of the girls in my pledge class as I could, and the active members were so excited to have us there that there was no way you couldn’t feel welcomed. Knowing that this was what I had worked for throughout Rush made it that much better. I finally felt like I could relax and get involved in ways that would not have been possible if I had not joined the house. I knew it was part of something bigger on this campus, and I was so ready to get involved.
My time in Pi Beta Phi is full of memories that have shaped my college experience so far. I know that is a corny thing to say and what most people expect to hear but it is true. My house, and the friendships I have made because of it, are the reason I love the University of Illinois as much as I do. You don’t have to be Greek to go to this school, but it definitely helps open doors that otherwise I would not have even known are there. The only family I have that has experienced Greek life is a cousin of mine and when she was trying to convince me to Rush she told me “From the outside looking in you can’t understand it, and from the inside looking out you can’t explain it.” This means that trying to tell people exactly why I love being a Pi Phi as much as I do is very difficult. It’s something you have to experience in order to understand. But the things I can explain are the ease at which I am able to get involved within the house, and the U of I community through Pi Phi. The friendships and memories I have already made. The people outside of my chapter I have been able to meet through social events, and overall thinking that there is a larger “we” on the campus that I can identify with. It is so easy to get involved in philanthropic service when you are an Active, and I love this because I get to help raise money for amazing causes while having fun with my friends at philanthropy events where I can meet people who are going through similar experiences in their houses. Next year when I am an in-houser I plan on getting even more involved in the committees and taking other positions within the house. A unique aspect of Greek life is that everything that goes on within the house is run by active members. We organize ourselves and I really like that we have the ability to do this because it is a freedom that you don’t often get to experience in organizations that are as large as Greek life. Pi Phi takes a lot of my time, between all of our meetings, events, and socials, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I can’t wait until next year when I get to live in. I call Pi Phi my house, but next year when my address is 1005 S Wright, and I am living with the friends I have already learned so much from it really will become my home.
