Why I decided to Go Greek

By Kelly Garrahan, Class of 2015

Every since I was a little girl I wanted to join a sorority. I grew up hearing stories about the lifelong friendships my mom created with girls in her sorority. When I finally entered college I considered whether Greek Life at Umass was a good fit for me. I decided it was. Since the campus is so large it can seem daunting at times. I wanted to be part of a smaller community. I also was very active in clubs in high school and wanted to continue that in college. Through information sessions I learned Greek life offers many leadership opportunities and ways to get involved.

When I went through recruitment I was unsure if I would find a house where I felt comfortable. On the second day of recruitment I walked into Sigma Kappa. I talked to the girls and immediately felt like I could be myself around them. As I looked around the house I thought to myself are these girls the type of people I want to be like in two or three years and my answer was yes. We had meaningful conversations and I left there each day knowing I wanted to be a part of their chapter. During recruitment each sister I met was a unique, driven individual. I was so happy on bid day when I could call Sigma Kappa home. I am thankful for Greek life and being able to find such wonderful group of women to now call my sisters.

Why I decided to Go Greek

By Leslie Engel

I had always known that I wanted to join a sorority, ever since I was in high school. Everybody in the town I'm from all went to college and joined Greek life. When I got to UMass I had my heart set on recruitment and finding the perfect fit for me.  Becoming a part of Greek life has been the best thing I have done here at UMass. I have met incredible people, participated in philanthropic events and has the opportunity to hold different types of positions within my chapter. Greek life, especially Sigma Kappa has made me grow so much as a person and I'm so grateful to be a part of it.

Why I Decided to Go Greek

BY NOELLE KELLICKER, CLASS OF 2013
If you asked me my freshmen year of college if I thought that I would ever join a Sorority, I would have probably laughed in your face. I thought sororities were like what I saw in movies- and I was not interested in joining one of those. 

My freshmen year of college was rough: I had a terrible break-up, a cliquey floor, and an awful roommate. My few remaining friends from that year suggested that I should look into joining a sorority. They had gone through recruitment the previous semester, and had found some great friends who genuinely cared about them, and sisters that would be a part of their lives forever. I thought to myself that since my friends did not fit the stereotypical image of sorority girls, then maybe it was something for me after all. 

The fall of my sophomore year I went through formal recruitment, thinking I had nothing to lose. I found myself glued to the Sigma Kappa table during the information session, talking to all the girls. It seemed like I had something in common with everyone and that they each sincerely wanted to know me. From that day on, I was hooked- no other chapter made me feel at home the way Sigma Kappa did. I had a connection with every girl I met and could see myself being friends with these wonderful women past my years spent at UMass. 

When Bid Day came around, I was anxious to see if I would receive a bid from Sigma Kappa. From the moment I found that they had in fact, extended me a bid, I felt like these girls were truly my sisters-we would do anything for each other This kind of friendship is a rare commodity and I am so fortunate that I found it in Sigma Kappa. Now as a senior looking back, I believe that joining Sigma Kappa was one of the most pivotal moments of my collegiate life. The majority of the memories that stand out from the past few years involve Sigma Kappa and the beautiful women of this chapter. 

Why I Decided to Go Greek

BY BRITTANY CHAPMAN, CLASS OF 2014

As a transfer student, joining a sorority helped make UMass a little less overwhelming. Sigma Kappa was the perfect way for me to make such a big school feel a little smaller.

Now it has served a different purpose- almost the opposite- and made it bigger. Greek life has introduced me to so many new people, has given me endless opportunities to develop leadership skills, and has helped me make connections. 

Most importantly though, Sigma Kappa has introduced me to friendships that will last a lifetime. This chapter has taught me about myself and has contributed in making me the woman I am today.

Why I Decided to Go Greek

BY RACHEL TRIPP, CLASS OF 2015

Ever since I was in high school, and maybe even before that, I knew that I wanted to be join a sorority. I had known a lot of older girls, mostly friends’ older sisters, who all said that Greek life had been the best decision of their undergraduate lives. I also knew that I wanted to be a part of a community where I would make life-long friends, be able to experience new things, and be pushed a little out of my comfort zone.

I have never been someone who takes a lot of risks, and I liked the idea that by joining a sorority I would be able to do new things in a setting where I felt comfortable, and with people who I knew wouldn’t judge me. I wanted to have the best possible experience that I could during college, and I felt that Greek life was the way that I could do that. 

At first I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to find a sorority that was right for me, especially because Greek life at UMass is on the smaller side. Recruitment itself was a blur of faces, first impressions, and hectic instructions. But Sigma Kappa was the chapter that stood out of the blur- from the moment that I stepped into the house and began talking with the sisters, I knew that this was the place where I belonged. 

I felt like I connected with the sisters of Sigma Kappa the way you connect with close friends. Sigma Kappa didn’t make me feel like I had to change myself or dress a certain way or have a certain kind of hobby to belong with them- it seemed like each sister was completely unique and different then the next. Sigma Kappa made me feel that I could be accepted just the way I was. They seemed like the perfect mixture of studious and fun- Sigma Kappa seemed very balanced. I knew that I was making the right decision to go Greek, and I knew that Sigma Kappa was a chapter I wanted to be a part of. I think that the way I felt about Sigma Kappa is how everyone should feel about the chapter that they end up with at the end of recruitment.

Welcome Back!

We hope that everyone is getting settled back into Amherst and is having a great start to their semester. Now is the time to get involved- try new things, check out new clubs and activities, and try new things around campus and the community!