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A Day in the Shoes of a New Greek

<p>As the pandemic surges on, Greek Life recruitment has been pushed to an all-virtual platform. </p>

As the pandemic surges on, Greek Life recruitment has been pushed to an all-virtual platform.

Everyone likes a new pair of shoes, right? Well today I have two new pairs of shoes for you to try on. The first is a pair of leopard print Sperry's that belong to a new sorority girl. The second is a pair of blue and black Nike Metcon 2's that a new fraternity member wears. So go ahead, take off your shoes -- take a minute to walk in someone else's for a change.

Slip on those leopard Sperry's...

You wake up on time and start getting dressed to go to class. Before you can make it out the door to go to the bathroom, you find yourself on your bed again. The next thing you know it's 8:08 a.m. and you have to be in French class in about twenty minutes. Grabbing your coat and the French children's book that makes you feel stupid, you make it out the door by 8:13 a.m. after running a brush through your hair.

Already stressed from running late, you curse as you trip over something left in front of your door. Looking back at the accused object, excitement replaces your annoyance. A box rests on the floor with a card on top that must be from your Big. It reads: "I couldn't wait until later when I get to decorate your room so I brought you this to start your day right. Chocolate is the best breakfast right?" Inside the box you find Skittles, a Hershey's bar and a donut that looks more incredible than any you've ever seen -- or maybe you're just hungry.

You set the box on your bed before setting off again, this time with a chocolate cake donut in your hand.

Time to lace up those blue Nike Metcons...

You finish your work shift at 9:30 a.m. and head back to your dorm at a power walk to change your clothes before your marketing class at 10:00 a.m. You pass a few people on your way up to the third floor but no one you know very well, so you make it to your room by 9:36.

As you tug a mostly clean t-shirt over your head, you think that next year you'll be running into close friends -- your brothers -- and probably would have ended up late for class. You'll have to plan that into your work schedule next semester.

You throw your bag over your shoulder and check your phone for messages you missed while you were working as you close the door. You have five new messages all from soon-to-be brothers. You smile as you hurry down the stairs to catch up with another guy from your pledge class that lives on the second floor.

Get those leopard Sperry's on again...

You walk out of your last class of the day frustrated because your law and ethics professor just announced an exam for next week. This exam, not to mention the online exam for your bio psych class on Tuesday and the French project you might have due on Friday are going to make it hard to be able to hang out with friends in your corridor. You hope you'll at least have time to get all your work done and still make it to sorority events.

You scroll through the notifications on your phone and see that you have an email. Opening it with interest, you're delighted to find that it contains information about the upcoming dance competition each pledge class must participate in. You have been looking forward to this ever since you were shown the videos from last year. Your sorority's dance was fantastic even though the girls couldn't have all been good dancers. This makes you feel better about your own sub par dancing skills.

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You make it back to your room, but when you try to open the door your roommate tells you to go wait down the hall, At first you're annoyed, but then you realize that your Big must be in your room. You think back to the speed dating sessions you had with all the potential Bigs and try to guess which one chose you.

There was one Big that went to your high school and you hope that she picked you. The two of you had lunch once at the beginning of the year and while you don't know her very well, she seems like a nice person and you already have a connection. You're tempted to peek through the window in the door to see who it is, but you decide it's better to be surprised with everyone else on Reveal Day.

After a few minutes, your roommate comes to get you and you look in your room to see awesome sea creature decorations all over your half of the room. Sitting on your bed is a gift bag filled with your favorite jelly beans, white cheddar popcorn and several smaller decorations with your initials and your sorority on them. She even left you an entire cheese pizza from SDS. You find a t-shirt in the bottom and slip it on to wear to dinner with some other girls in your pledge class.

Nike Metcons again...

You just got out of class a few minutes ago, and you head straight for the fraternity house as soon as you meet your future roommate in Armstrong. You talk about the trip to Illinois that you are both going to with your fraternity next weekend. He also tells you about a Hillel event that a group of the guys are going to during the week.

Both of you find a chair once you get to the house and watch a basketball game on the TV with a couple of sophomore members. You worry about your stats homework for a moment before remembering that there will be mandatory study time in an hour and everyone will be quiet enough that you should be able to get it done quickly.

Put on the Sperry's again please...

You walk out of Harris with your soon-to-be sisters and you all head off towards your sorority's suite to meet up with the rest of the girls. You're heading over to another suite to be serenaded by silly, and often tone deaf, fraternity members. Last time you were serenaded you laughed and smiled so hard that your cheeks hurt for hours afterwards.

You hurry to catch up to your roommate that joined the same sorority and loop your arm through hers. When asked if your clothes look alright for the occasion, she assures you that you look very cute and that your crush is sure to agree. You blush and abruptly change the subject, mentioning that you are missing a meeting for Colleges Against Cancer and you're glad that you shouldn't have to miss it again after this week. She laughs but goes along with your not-so-subtle topic change.

Pull out the Nike Metcons and get them on...

You finish up the last of your stats homework that is due tomorrow right as a senior guy stands and says it's time to get ready for tonight's activities. You wonder what they've come up with this time as you all head over to a suite on Central Quad. You stand among a pack of brothers and can't help but smile at the feeling it gives you. You are a part of something much bigger than yourself as you walk with them.

You shake off the sappy thoughts and talk with a couple of guys that went to Israel with you over winter break. You share a lot of the same interests, and they will probably end up being your best friends at Miami.

Slip on the Sperry's one last time.

You lay in bed at 2 a.m. and think about the spectacular day you had. You're so glad you went through the exhausting but rewarding process of sorority recruitment to make it here.

You couldn't imagine not being a part of this group of young women that support you and make you better. You have already met three other girls that are psychology majors like you, and one of them is in your bio psych class. It will make it way more fun next year when you have sisters to take classes with.

You close your eyes with a smile on your face, ready to wake up and do it all over again.

Put those Nike Metcons on your feet for the last time.

You fall into your bed and kick off your shoes. You just got back from the house after playing games with the guys. It was just warm enough to go outside and start a game of Ultimate Frisbee. Your team won but not without casualties -- one of the sophomore guys thinks he sprained his ankle when he dove through a bush.

After a while, you moved inside to play basketball when it got too cold outside. You're pushing your luck with all these sports because you aren't very athletic. If you aren't careful, it'll be you with the sprained ankle -- but you can't seem to worry too much. You are exhausted in the best way possible and you resolve to take your shower in the morning before work so that you don't have to get up again now.

You can't wait until you live with all of your brothers and don't have to walk between your dorm and the house. You fall asleep on that thought and don't wake up until your alarm rings the next morning.

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