Caroline Meuser | A family in my chapter

As a freshman nearing the end of my first semester of college, my thoughts consisted of successfully completing finals and going home for the first time in months. Housing plans for the following year were definitely not my top priority.

But during the first week of spring semester, also known as rush week, I found I could not avoid the seemingly stressful topic of housing any longer.

Oftentimes, the sisters I spoke with either lived in sorority houses or referenced to a good friend of theirs who did.

Despite their reviews, I could not make any definite plans to “live in” until I was offered a bid. Meanwhile, I discussed tentative housing plans with my freshman roommate.

It just so happened that one of my close friends received a bid from the same sorority as I did. As we weighed the costs and benefits of living in the house together, we found that rent was about $500 less than other on-campus options per semester, and a professional cleaning crew every week sounded pretty appealing.

I also considered the intangible benefits. I thought, “When in my life am I going to get a chance to live in a house with 15 other girls — all of them part of the same organization?”

Though any living space would be quieter with fewer people, the house lends itself to making my sorority sisters feel like family.

Of course, the decision would not have been so easy for me if I was not going to be moving in with a close friend-turned-sorority sister. However, my living experience has proven itself valuable in more ways than I had expected.

The house offers a unique opportunity for friendship — and a stronger connectedness to my Greek organization — that I would not experience anywhere else on- or off- campus.

Caroline Meuser is a College sophomore. She is a beat reporter for The Daily Pennsylvanian. She can be reached at caremeuser@gmail.com.

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