Popular. Hot. Bitch. Dumb. Partier. Frat groupie. Trust me, I’ve heard it all. Welcome to the world of being a sorority girl.

I never thought I would be the type of girl to join a sorority. In high school, all my friends were guys. The thought of being around over 100 girls – and preppy sorority ones at that – seemed foreign, torturous even. I never thought I would be the type of girl to live with at least 15 other girls or sing those catchy yet annoying chants. I never thought I would be the type of girl to wear matching shirts everywhere I went or sorority squatting in all my Instagram posts. Now I’m that girl.

I decided to rush my sophomore year of college. I didn’t really know why, but some of my friends were doing it, so I decided why not. After one long week of getting to know every chapter at Chico State, I found my home-away-from-home with Alpha Phi.

So I know what you’re thinking, basic right? But it’s not all “The House Bunny” or “Legally Blonde” stereotypes like you think. There’s more to being a sorority girl than meets the eye.

People from the outside looking in see the letters and the clothes. They see cliques dressing up and going to socials or tabling on campus. They see what’s on the surface. What they don’t always see is what’s most important. When you join you go deeper than the surface. You stop seeing and start experiencing. You become invested in the sisterhoods and philanthropic events. You create a bond that turns you from sorority sisters by chance, to best friends by choice.

People say when you join a sorority and pay dues to remain active in that chapter, you are paying for your friends. Well if that is the case, then I don’t pay nearly enough. The decision to go Greek has given me my best friends, roommates and future bridesmaids. I can honestly say that the time spent with my sisters has been some of my best memories in college.

“First you’re a part of it. Then it becomes a part of you.” It sounds cheesy, but bear with me, it’s true. If I hadn’t decided to give sororities a try, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

If you’re questioning whether it’s right for you, I urge you to go for it. I wasn’t “that type of girl” and maybe you’re not either, but there’s something for everyone. Spring recruitment is right around the corner. I won’t lie to you, it’s not all bells and whistles. I can’t promise you there won’t be times when you’re tired or think it’s fake. There will be times when you’re out of your comfort zone. But I can promise you that you will make new friends. I can promise you that new opportunities will open for you and you’ll get that true college experience. I promise that you won’t regret it because the only thing worse than not going, is not knowing how it would have been.

Julie Ramos can be reached at [email protected] or @julie_ramoss on Twitter.