Greek Life in College, better than we thought

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

pledging is fine we're almost done i got my big sister yesterday!!! :D
nd thats good i hope grandpa gets to go home soon

She told me before she returned to campus on Sunday that she signed up for helping at her school’s Open House next Saturday, which means she will stay on campus for the weekend. So far I haven’t heard from her, but assume she’s not coming home. My father is doing better and is being released from the hospital today. I might fly home this May instead of for my parents’ 50^th wedding anniversary next year in July. He might not be around then. I am trying to stay here long enough so I can finish my semester, because if I just miss one class, I am lost. Missing two classes would be the end for my course (English Composition 121).

Alexandra worked at her school’s Open House on Saturday, so I picked her up afterwards. Her first words were: Mom, by the way, I changed my major. To Communications. I said, “Praise the Lord.” Really, I am glad, because Marine Biology includes so much math, chemistry and physics, she would have been overwhelmed and frustrated. Now she has much easier math ahead of her and courses she can do, like public speaking, which is no problem for her. She spoke to rooms full of people during her years as a Girl Scout and since she was seven years old, she danced in front of hundreds of people, in shows and competitions. I am really relieved, because Communications is a broader and more versatile field, and easier for her. She is not all that into studying, thankfully she has great memory and social skills which hopefully will bring her far in life.

She got her big sister in her sorority and is so excited about belonging to that sisterhood. Whether sororities and fraternities are negative or positive, this is how I look at it: Before she even started college she researched the Greek organizations on her future campus and talked to people in different sororities. During “Meet the Greeks” she already knew exactly which group she wanted to apply to. She went to every one of their meetings, made friends during her first weeks on campus, and when the night of the bidding came, she received her bid. It was a huge deal. Out of 15 applicants, she was one of 4 freshmen who received a bid, a guaranteed spot for the next semester. She called us at 1 in the morning, exhilarated that she just got the call and was accepted. So, she decided what she wanted, showed her face at all the meetings, made friends, succeeded in being accepted, went through the pledging process, and reached her goal. Her sorority is involved in community service, they tutor each other because you need to have a good GPA to stay in it, and during the six weeks of pledging, there was no partying and alcohol allowed what so ever. Doesn’t this sound great to us parents? And for the fact that sororities and fraternities do nothing but party… if kids in college want to party, they will, whether it’s with a Greek organization or on their own. I trust that she made a good choice and picked a good sorority, not the ones you hear bad news about. She did all the research herself and reached her goal, and I am proud of her.