I am a stubborn person, and pretty much everyone knows that about me. Yeah, yeah, I know it is not necessarily a good thing to be known for, but it is one of my defining characteristics. Oh well.
In high school, I was this way too. I swore I would never go to this university. Rich, snobby, preppy, lots of people from Northern Virginia. Nope, nope, nope. Not for me. I also swore that, unlike my sister, I was NOT a sorority girl. I didn’t take super cute pictures or have a really unique style, and I was absolutely terrible at doing makeup. I hated — and still do — the word “sisters.” And all the clapping and chanting and hand signs were cult-like to me. There was no chance I was joining a sorority. Ever.
Well, here I am — mostly loving my time at this University and a proud member of the most inspiring, supportive, hilarious and unique group of girls ever. But I’m not here to convince you that sororities aren’t what you think.
Sometimes your preconceived notions are justifiable. But mine weren’t. I had come up with my own opinions based on nothing but other people’s experiences and my understanding of them. It was unfair to write off a whole organization of women so unique simply because I had watched “Animal House” and “Legally Blonde” and thought I knew what Greek culture “really looked like.”
But apparently I do this a lot. I’ve written off schools, people, majors, clubs and organizations all because I’ve had a bit of information that I decided was enough to keep me away.
I have been lucky enough to have really good friends who push me to think differently about all of these things and people I have written off. My mom, of course, was the first to push me to think differently about the University. So, I thank her because had I not come to this school, I may not have had the opportunity to continue to challenge myself to be more open.
I definitely still have this issue, though. I am still not really that open to new experiences, and I know that if I didn’t have the friends I have I would be the same stubborn person I was in high school. I’m still the same stubborn person I’ve always been, but what’s different is that I have people to urge me to question my viewpoints.
My preconceived notions about this school, my sorority, some of my friends or organizations that I am now involved in were almost strong enough to deter me from them altogether. I have had to work on being more adventurous, which is something a college kid usually has no issues with. And it really is sad thinking of what could have been without my current friends pushing me to alter my perceptions.
I am a sorority girl now. I don’t like to admit it, but I am. I am proud to go to the University, and I have had to eat a lot of crow when telling my mom she was right. But, for someone as stubborn as I am, I need to eat crow every once in a while. It’s worth it after realizing all the amazing experiences and people I could have missed out on.
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