
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I didn’t come into Tulane knowing whether or not I wanted to rush a Panhellenic sorority. I knew that Greek Life has a significant presence on campus and thought that it might be a good option, but I come from a family where none of the women have been in sororities. Throughout my first semester, I debated back and forth on whether or not to go through recruitment. I loved the close friends I had made, but also wanted to branch out. It seemed so overwhelming to keep making friends with new people, and I thought Greek life was the only way to do it.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"> Ultimately, I decided to go through recruitment; I wanted to take advantage of this structured opportunity to make friends. I booked my flight to come back to school a week early, and arrived on campus eager, excited, and slightly nervous. Unpopular opinion: I actually enjoyed the rush process. While the days were exhausting, I talked to so many new people each day. I was able to glean insight into Tulane from older girls in my majors and from my state, hearing about opportunities to take advantage of, courses and professors to take, etc. I made friends with the girls next to me in line and had really great conversations with actives at every house. I worked hard not to take anything personally when I didn’t get invited back to certain houses. In the end, I really believe that “everything happens for a reason,” as cheesy as it sounds. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">During the week, I tried to trust my gut. I made sure to be
aware of how comfortable I felt at every house and tried to remember that if I
wasn’t totally in love with a house, it wouldn’t be worth it. I told myself
that I would drop if at any time throughout the process something didn’t feel
right, but subconsciously thought it would never end up happening. I was wrong!</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I ended up dropping on “Pref Day,” when each girl only goes to two final houses. I liked both of the houses on my schedule, but that morning I had a sort of awakening. Throughout the week I had heard from girls in almost every house that they were still involved in tons of other things, best friends with girls who weren’t in Greek Life or were a part of other sororities. Greek Life wasn’t the only defining part of their college experiences. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">That’s why I knew it would be okay to not be a part of Tulane’s Greek Life. I realized that there isn’t a huge divide here between Greeks and non-Greeks, and although it would probably be super fun to be in a sorority, it didn’t seem to fit with my belief system. This is not to say that I am judging anyone who is in a sorority; many of my best friends here and almost all my friends from home went Greek. I just didn’t think it was the right decision for me. I also didn’t want to break the bank for experiences and friends that would probably still come naturally. And I wanted to leave room in my life for possibilities that I’d have time for if I wasn’t committed to a sorority.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Although it was hard to see all the Bid Day Instagram posts, even just a few weeks later, my worries about feeling “left out” of Greek Life and being unable to make friends have disappeared. I’ve already made new friends this semester who are in a variety of sororities and those who aren’t involved in Greek Life at all. Plus, I managed to keep a couple thousand dollars of my hard-earned savings in my pocket.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Cover Photo: Carolyn Ellis</p>
 <!-- WP Biographia v4.0.0 -->
<div class="wp-biographia-container-top" style="background-color: #FFEAA8; border-top: 4px solid #000000;"><div class="wp-biographia-pic" style="height:100px; width:100px;"><img alt='' src='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/0e2ac522c1fea667303fcfdb5c15bf3a79bd235469266fcdc56b878f5773bad6?s=100&#038;d=wp_user_avatar&#038;r=g' srcset='https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/0e2ac522c1fea667303fcfdb5c15bf3a79bd235469266fcdc56b878f5773bad6?s=200&#038;d=wp_user_avatar&#038;r=g 2x' class='wp-biographia-avatar avatar-100 photo' height='100' width='100' /></div><div class="wp-biographia-text"><h3>About <a href="https://tulanemagazine.com/author/rachel-gothelf/" title="Rachel Gothelf">Rachel Gothelf</a></h3><p>Rachel Gothelf is a freshman from the Bay Area, California. She’s planning on majoring in Political Science and Communication with a minor in Spanish, and has joined the Crescent as a College Life contributor for the purpose of having fun writing about her experiences here at Tulane!</p><div class="wp-biographia-links"><small><ul class="wp-biographia-list wp-biographia-list-text"><li><a href="mailto:rgot&#104;&#101;lf&#64;t&#117;&#108;&#97;&#110;e.edu" target="_self" title="Send Rachel Gothelf Mail" class="wp-biographia-link-text">Mail</a></li> | <li><a href="https://tulanemagazine.com/author/rachel-gothelf/" target="_self" title="More Posts By Rachel Gothelf" class="wp-biographia-link-text">More Posts(3)</a></li></ul></small></div></div></div><!-- WP Biographia v4.0.0 -->

It’s (Not) All Greek to Me
