Involvement With Other Sorority Members!

How Do You Get Close To Other Girls?
Don't worry, they make sure this happens for you ;)

You may be asking yourself, "Isn't it intimidating to talk to older girls in the sorority once you are recruited?" I know you will be thinking this, because I thought the exact same thing when I became a member of my sorority. I remember looking around and being scared to talk to older members because they all seemed so confident; they all knew everything about the sorority already and were all so close. I had just met my pledge class so it was awkward looking at all of the older girls laugh and joke around while my pledge class and I were trying to get to know one another.

Every sorority will have different ways for you to get to know older/younger members in your chapter. Your sorority will organize events so you will be able to get to know others. For example, for my sorority, each new member was assigned a "Big Sister" and a "Rose Buddy." A Rose buddy is the first older member you meet in your house; well, this is how it went for me. On Bid-Night when you find out what sorority you have been accepted into, you run back to the house and find out who your Rose Buddy is. They wait for you there with presents and are basically the person you ask questions to and get to know. They are basically there to back you up and make you feel comfortable. This is how it was for my sorority at least.

Big Sisters are even more exciting to have. When you find out who your Big Sister is, she is meant to be the one who guides you. She is there for you to call if you are feeling down, she is there if you have ANY problems with the sorority, and she basically is your sister- (If you have any blood related sisters, think of her as this). I remember my big sister, Lisa. She did everything for me... from picking me up from my dorm every Sunday so I didn't have to walk to chapter to taking me out with her when I had no one to go out with. She would invite me to the sorority just to hang out... and have sleepovers. She was my guidance and my wing. I would have been scared to talk to her if she wasn't my "Big Sister." It is really great that every girl gets one of these. Once you get your Big Sister, you meet all of her friends in the sorority as well and then become close with them. Once you become an older member and new girls are accepted, you will become the big sister. It is fun to be able to take a new member under your wing and show her the ropes. When I wasn't a new member anymore and got appointed a little sister, it made me feel happy that I could make a member feel comfortable and wanted. I would buy her presents for no reason and make sure she was happy.

Some sororities take it to the level where you can have "Moms" and "Grandparents." This goes beyond having a sister so you can have not only a sister but even older members in the sorority to talk to. I think this is a great idea so you can branch out to other members that are not just one year above you, but two or three years above you. It can be intimidating to talk to a senior member when you are just a freshman; but with ideas like this it is really helpful.

Gifts of appreciation are also given to big/little sisters; and sometimes just to other member who you look up to. For example, in my sorority, they told us to think of one person we really looked up to and appreciated that we didn't know that well who was older. They then told us to make them a paddle explaining why we appreciated them. I made one for an older girl who was always nice to me but I never got the opportunity to talk to that much. I idolized her because of the way she volunteered in the community and genuinely cared about others. I made her a paddle telling her this and by the look on her face I could tell it made her day. It was not only a sign of appreciation; but a sign of respect and love.