After sorority recruitment comes to a close, the girls who have been extended bids enter what is called “the new member period.” This is the time when each girl starts to learn more about the chapter they’ve decided to join.

For some girls this can be a tricky time, as many are overwhelmed by the number of people who they still have yet to meet and get to know. It can also be a little awkward trying to meet new friends in your pledge class when there are so many that you can’t remember the names of.

Now a senior in college, I look back and think about the new member period that I went through. Some girls I sat next to at our new member meetings have since dropped or transferred schools. But some of my best friends now were sitting across the room at those same meetings. 

If your pledge class was 80+, like mine was, you can’t be best friends with everybody. You have to filter through the ones that get your sense of humor, the party animals vs. the library goers, those who want to be involved in the sorority and the ones who just want to slip through. 

It took time for me to find my group of friends in my pledge class, but that is only because the pledge class itself was so large and it just took some time.

If you are currently stressing out as a new member, it is best to give it patience. Pretty soon your sorority will need girls from your new pledge class to volunteer for philanthropy events or various other sisterhood events for your chapter, and there will be plenty of time to settle in and make new friends. 

Volunteer yourself for these things to meet more people and to get to know them on a deeper level, not just small talk before or after meetings. 

New member educator, Lizzie Shepard from Alpha Omicron Pi is currently aiding and teaching 74 girls in the Fall 2016 pledge class. When asked what she stresses most for the new members, Shepard said. “I personally stress that academics are the most important thing for the new members, since they are at UK to get an education.” 

This is probably a huge relief for those girls who are worried about time management. Each house has a different minimum grade point average that a member most uphold to stay in the chapter. Finding other girls in your pledge class with the same major or minor can be beneficial for study time or further questions.

If a new member came to Shepard for advice about not fitting into sorority life, Shepard said she would tell her to, “dive in head first. Attend as many events as you can and hang out with as many people as possible, because you won’t meet your best friend by staying in the dorm by yourself.”

Don’t be afraid to ask what a girl’s name is because it will be even more uncomfortable when you still don’t know her name a year later. Give it time to meet your close friends, and have an outgoing and open-minded outlook to have the best new member period you possibly can. 

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