After having been in college for a year and not finding my niche at a rather large university, I knew I wanted to make a change come sophomore year. I thought about rushing a social fraternity, but I didn’t really see myself fitting in. I don’t think I necessarily based my decision on what I heard around campus about our fraternities, but I wanted to find a place where I could surround myself with other likeminded students. A place where my academics could excel, accompanied by a social setting.
I eventually found that place in Phi Sigma Pi, a gender-inclusive national honor fraternity. Here are some aspects of what it’s like to be in my honor fraternity.
Rush Is Relaxing
I’ve heard stories about the intensity of rush for social fraternities and sororities, and while I don’t know how many of them are true, rushing an honor fraternity was a relaxing and positive experience for me. I was able to get to know brothers and talk about myself without feeling the pressure of feeling like they were judging my every move. The activities we did to get to know brothers and other students rushing gave us relief from having to talk about our hometown, year, major, etc., and instead answer funky questions about fun situations. I never felt like anyone was staring down on me, and rush was an experience that I don’t have nightmares about today or wish went differently.
School Is Cool
Phi Sigma Pi promotes three ideals – scholarship, leadership and fellowship. The organization encourages brothers to create opportunities for each. For someone like me, whose priority is academia but does enjoy the party scene, there is the perfect combination of the two in an honor fraternity. We stress the importance of academics, but we like to relax and have fun when we have the opportunity.
Chapter Is Casual
I’ll just go ahead and say it: I hate wearing nice clothes. It’s so hard to get dressed up, especially when you’re stressed out from classes. My go-to outfit is a T-shirt and gym shorts, and I’m not happy when I have to wear something more than that. At chapter, we get to wear whatever we want and have fun. Meetings aren’t too formal, except when we have elections, and they are a great place to see all of your friends at once.
We Still Have Formal Social Events
While I don’t like wearing nice clothes, it is cool to get dressed up every now and then. We follow the motto of “work hard, play hard”.
We Come From Different Backgrounds
The diversity in an honor fraternity is amazing. We all come from different backgrounds, but in the end we accept each other for who we are. It’s great to have your best friends be from all different walks of life, as it helps open your eyes to other backgrounds, cultures and experiences. We don’t all act the same and we don’t all enjoy the same things, but that is what makes our bond unlike many other more homogeneous organizations’ bonds. We learn and grow from each other, and that’s what makes us not just best friends, but family.
