Incoming college women may think you have to be a residential student to join a sorority, but that’s not true at all! The sorority community welcomes both residential and commuter students. A sorority woman who commutes to school can have the same enriching sorority experience as a sorority woman who lives on campus. How do I know? Because I was a sorority woman who commuted to campus.
Throughout my four years of college, I commuted every day to class and back home. I wanted to experience the “student residential life” on campus, but at the time I could only afford to commute. This was one of my biggest concerns before participating in recruitment. All of the “what if” questions popped into my mind.
“What if I don’t make any friends, because I can’t make it to sisterhood events?”
“What if I’m late to important sorority events or meetings because I got stuck in traffic?”
“What if I can’t spend time with my sorority because I have a long commute back home and have class early in the morning?”
And most of all…”What if they don’t accept commuter members because it would be a waste of time?”
I had to stop thinking about the “what if” scenarios and switch them with the “how can” scenarios. I asked myself how I could make it to meetings, build relationships and make the most out of my experience.
When I had a meeting or sisterhood event late at night, I would stay with a sister on campus, so I would make it to my morning class on time. Important activities such as chapter meetings, philanthropy activities and sisterhood events would take place at night, so I would be able to attend classes beforehand. Because I wanted to find a way to be a member, I found it wasn’t that hard when I planned out my time.
I had become very involved with my sorority, even as a commuter. It’s all about planning and committing. I knew I wanted to get as much experience as I could, so I planned out my schedule day by day and committed to each thing. When I would have free time, I would relax with some sisters in our student center. I had classes with some sisters, where we would study or work on a project together. During winter and summer vacation, I would plan out weekends where I would meet up with sisters that lived close to me. Again, it’s all about planning and committing.
To the first-year commuter students – if you want to join a sorority but are afraid of what the outcome might be, remember this: “If I can do it, then YOU CAN DO IT!”
