I’m not exactly sure what it’s like at every school in America, or what each individual chapter requires, but I’m almost positive that most sorority chapters require, at minimum, their sophomore and junior pledge classes to live in the house. I think it might be different at some schools, and I’ve heard of schools that don’t even have an official “house” on campus and are forced to keep a 10 bedroom rental under contract. Whatever the case may be, it is more likely than not that all of us will face the same situation: living out of the beloved, safe, familiar sorority palace once senior year (or super senior year, or grad school, or post grad/denial of actually not being an undergrad anymore) comes around.
I’m torn between whether or not “living out” is actually better or worse than living in the house. I can’t reach a clear verdict, but I can definitely say that the two are VERY distinctly different. For example, I was very unclear as to how we chose our bedrooms. Living out was the first time since I lived in my parents’ house that I didn’t have to share a bedroom with someone; I didn’t really understand that Room Pick night wasn’t going to occur. What do you mean, I just figure out which room I want to sleep in? There’s not going to be a Franzia-fueled three-hour long process of putting you and your room-mates name onto a list and hoping the house manager is at your mercy? I’m confused. What do you mean we don’t have a kitchen staff to provide my breakfast, lunch and dinner now? What is this scary white machine in my kitchen, and why am I actually expected to know how to work it? So many variables.
Anyway, since I’m always looking out for the best interest of all of you, I’ve compiled a list of pros/cons and dos/don’ts that will make your live out situation an absolutely fabulous one.
Pros and Cons
PRO:
You were able to select the five or six best friends from your pledge class that you were closest with, and now will be able to spend your drunken nights/mornings, and late night Adderall-fueled benders with them exclusively, without the intrusion of the other 46 members of your PC.
CON:
You were able to move your clique of BFF’s into one adorable little house just a 30 second walk from the bars, but, inherently, rarely wind up running into some of your more distant sisters (that you really love and would love to be closer to). It gets a little depressing when you get to a point where you run into the majority of your pledge sisters at sorority-related events almost exclusively, with the occasional blacked out encounter at the bar…which doesn’t count as QT.
PRO:
You finally have your own room, closet, and essentially, your own living room and kitchen.
CON:
You finally have all of your own space…which you’re also required to clean. I don’t think I could ever grow tired of having a live-in kitchen crew and people that cleaned the house bathrooms and hallways. Also, I feel that it was way easier to get a bedroom cleaned when two people did the job, as compared to getting an entire house cleaned when six college girls were left to their own devices.
PRO:
There are no more rules about visiting hours, and there are no rooms that are off-limits to boys.
CON:
There are no more rules about visiting hours, and there are no rooms that are off-limits to boys. Call me old-fashioned, but I kind of enjoyed living in the house and knowing that I could run out of the bathroom in my ultra plush robe with my hair still wet, not having to worry about which of my sisters’ boyfriends would be around the next corner. I enjoyed being able to wake up the morning after a particularly crazy night out, slightly resembling a better version of Ke$ha, and knowing that no boy would be able to see me during my trip from my bedroom to the shower. It gets a little intrusive when all of your roomies’ boyfriends/best friends/study buddies/male others are over at the house, regardless of the hour, or what you had planned. Maybe I did just roll out of bed wearing an ATO T-Shirt and with eyeliner smudged all over my face, but you know what, it’s 10:30 in the morning, on a Friday, and I have no time for you and your judgmental eyes, Mr. Sigma Chi president.
PRO:
You FINALLY get to decorate and make the house super cute and cozy.
CON:
You are forced to agree on a theme. Somehow interior decoration disputes were so much easier to settle when they were practically non-existent.
Dos and Don’ts
DO:
Choose your roomies carefully. Not all best friends are created equal. Some girls are great to be friends with, but terrible to live with. Make sure you pay close attention to your sisters’ living habits BEFORE you sign the lease. If she has trouble keeping her room clean in the house, and there’s always a late plate or two floating around on her desk, imagine how sharing a kitchen will be.
DON’T:
Turn down your Little and her friends, or your roomies’ Little and friends, for a pre-game. If you have a “sober house,” it’s only fair to pay it forward and allow your precious, perfect Little the same courtesy your Big gave you; the right to pre-game louder, more openly, and with better vodka.
DO:
Give your house an adorable name that everyone will remember.
DON’T:
Make it something super bland, such as “Kappa Delta University Ave” or “Pi Phi 6th Street House.” On that same not, DO NOT, name your house, “AChiO’s Little Whore House” on Facebook. Seriously? People can see that.
DO:
Over-decorate everything with your sorority’s colors. Apparently, it’s a little frowned upon to do so after you’ve graduated.
DON’T:
Lose sight of the prize: as fun as it is to finally have a ton of freedom, you really need to remember to make the effort to go to class, keep going to the gym, be as active as possible on campus, and study. There’s a reason Greeks graduate sooner and with a higher GPA than our non-Greek counterparts. Keep it that way, will you?
DO:
Live out. This is the first step in becoming a grown up. You’re able to have your own space, that isn’t exactly ONLY your space. Plus, I’m sorry, but this is the beginning of a maximum of 1-5 years where you can live with your best friends in your personally decorated palace, free from the confines of University housing and the watchful eye of standards board, and party like a freshman on Daddy’s dime. You’re so welcome.
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