How to Survive Freshman Year: Sorority Edition

1. School is your first priority either way, but ESPECIALLY in a sorority. Remember that you can't even be in it unless you keep your grades up. The higher the GPA the better your chapter looks. It's cool to be smart in college, I promise. Go to class, do all the homework, and study A LOT. Most sororities have study rooms that you can attend and once finals gets close you are basically guaranteed to find a sister in the library at all times. Also, do yourself a favor and purchase yourself a cute little agenda because how else will you keep track of all the fun events coming up this school year? Oh yeah and dont forget to add in all of the due dates for your homework!
2. Oh, the parties. Please keep your priorities straight.  If you need to stay in and study, do it. There will always be another party. If you feel pressured to drink but aren't into it or just aren't feeling it that night, don't do it. Be smart and always have a DD or an uber app that is all set up and ready to go. 
3. Socials. Oh yes, the socials. They are a fun time, but don't be that one girl that gets the entire chapter in trouble. She knows who she is (and so does everyone else). The one who gets way to drunk at the pregame and throws up all over the floor the second we get to the venue. It's not cute. Know your limits, or just dont drink at all. It is still possible to have a ton of fun without alcohol. Please respect the social chair and follow any guidelines that they have. If you don't, things could get messy. You could end up at a cool venue and then never be allowed back because y'all got a little to rowdy, resulting in getting kicked out. 
4. Boy oh BOYS. Another thing many girls look forward to is seeing all the cute fraternity guys. PLEASE dont get consumed by them. They aren't greek gods, they are just in greek life. Just normal guys, trying to have a good time. My best advice is to avoid serious dating your freshman year. If you are already single, chill out and stay that way. Have a good time with sisters and friends without the worries of a boy waiting in the wings. Half of them only want to hook up anyway. No offense to the guys who might be reading this, but I'm sure you would agree that freshman year should be about having fun with friends instead of worrying about a relationship. 
5. Social Media: As cute as the pic from last friday might be, even with a red solo cup in it, do yourself a favor and don't post it. Social media is a huge factor in greek life with how we present ourselves. We already have huge targets on our backs and society loves to catch us in any way that they can. So lets not give them a reason to by keeping social media cute and classy! 
6. Wear those letters with pride! You are a sorority woman and you have standards to uphold. This is a time where you can really step up your character. You ALWAYS represent your sisterhood with everything you do. This isn't meant to intimidate you, but once you are associated with a sorority it becomes part of how people remember you. If someone has a bad experience with you, not only does it make you look bad, but it could make your entire sorority look bad. 
7. Go to ALL of the events you can! Try new things and push yourself! Join your sororities intramural flag football team! Compete in step off! Do something, or even everything! This is a great chance to try something new, something that high school you may not have done. As a freshman you most likely have a much more free time than the older girls do. Go to all the events and represent your sisterhood! By doing this you will make a TON of new friends. From older sisters, girls in your pledge class, to people in other greek organizations. 
8. Get close with your Big, and the rest of your fam as well! I got lucky enough to find an amazing Big who played a huge roll in my life freshman year. I got even more lucky to be brought into a huge family that supported each other. This is a group of girls who will be there for you and watch your back, take advantage of that and spend as much time as you can with them. If you are like me, they will be who you end up hanging out with most of the time anyway. 
9. Take a ton of pics, like WAY more than you think you need. Capture the good times with sisters and friends to remember forever (and also to send to your PR chair when the time comes for cute pictures to be posted). 
10. Chill out, its freshman year. Stay focused, but have fun! If you are having trouble with anything remember that your sisters have your back. Anytime you need advice there is almost always a sister who can help you out.