When I came to West Chester University, I was shy. Lost in the sea of thousands of students all trying to find their place at this school was stressful. Coming from a small high school, I felt out of place. I made friends in my dorm and my classes, but I felt as though I was missing an integral part of college. Trying to find who I wanted to be was difficult enough, let alone having to pick a major too. Deciding to focus on myself my freshman year, I did not join Greek life right away. Instead, I waited until my sophomore year with the rest of my friends. That decision was the best one I’ve made in college, along with declaring a Communication Studies major. Becoming a member of Alpha Sigma Tau at West Chester has transformed my academic career, my social life, and my happiness.
I finally had the “fun” college experience
I thought I had fun my freshman year… until I joined a sorority. Gaining 130 sisters and being introduced to the Greek community as a whole suddenly made my social circle huge. There is always someone to hang out with or something to do on the weekends. While this is by far not the most important aspect of Greek life, it is definitely a plus.
I had dozens of activities to choose from to fill my free time
Between other organization’s events, campus events that need help, or my own sorority’s philanthropy events, I can easily stay busy. Before joining AST, all I did in my free time was watch Netflix. Being able to spend more time on charitable and important causes makes me feel better as a person and balances my life better.
I Raised My GPA
My Freshman year ended with a 3.2 GPA. I was proud of this, but I knew I could do better. In order to join a Greek organization, you need to uphold a certain GPA, which is different for every chapter. At the end of my first year in AST, I raised my GPA to a 3.5! People think that joining a sorority is too much of a time commitment, and will affect the time you spend on school, but in my opinion it just teaches you how to balance your time better. If I know I have an event coming up, I will get all my work done in advance. Also, since there are older sisters above you, as well as alumnae, there will always be someone else who has taken or is taking classes you are that is more than happy to help you out.
I learned the skills and gained the circle needed to network in college
Networking is one of the most important skills to have when you are looking for a job. As I mentioned, joining Greek life expanded my social circle greatly. I now have countless people I can talk to about their intended career, and what experiences and connections they have. Older sisters reach out all of the time looking for people to fill internships or even job positions.
I developed friendships that will last well-past the college years
Of course, when you are thrown into a group with 130 members, you aren’t going to be best friends with everyone. But there are so many close friends that I’ve made through AST that I can count on for the rest of my life. These girls act as my therapists, my roommates, my best friends, and my sisters.
While college is an exciting time in itself, joining Greek Life at West Chester has transformed my time. Without it, I would not have learned some valuable skills and life lessons as early as I did, and I would not have found some of my lifetime best friends. Coming from someone who used to proclaim herself as “not a sorority girl”, if you are thinking about adding to your experience by joining a Greek organization, I say 100% do it.
