Going through recruitment as a transfer

Coming into Clemson as a Sophomore, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Sure, I had visited the campus before and talked to a few other transfers over social media, but I didn’t know how I was going to transition to this big change. My freshman year of college I attended George Washington University, which is right in the heart of Washington, D.C. Moving from D.C. to Clemson, South Carolina was going to be a huge change for me. When I visited Clemson, I knew it was going to be a better fit for me than GW was, so I was ready to take on the challenge.
Since I was coming into a much larger school where I didn’t know a single person, I was nervous about meeting people and making friends, especially since I was coming in as a sophomore and people already had friends. I decided to ease the friend making process by going through recruitment. I had literally no idea what to expect from this, and all of my friends from home and GW were telling me it was going to be insane. I’m from Massachusetts and Greek like at colleges at home doesn’t really compare to how it is in the south. One of my biggest concerns was that I was going to be the only sophomore, surrounded by freshmen, and that none of the sororities wanted to take sophomore. Then when I met with my Pi Chi group for the first time, I was relieved to find out that there were 5 other sophomores rushing with me in my group and my Pi Chi even rushed as a sophomore. All through recruitment I was meeting girls who were either other PNMs that were also sophomores, or members in rounds that I was paired with who had rushed as sophomores themselves. I learned that it was totally normal and there was no reason to be worried in the first place.
Going through recruitment and joining Gamma Phi was one of the best choices I’ve made as a transfer and it has made my Clemson experience so much better! I was able to make friends before classes even started within my pledge class, and I had some familiar faces to say hi to around campus in the first few days. Joining Gamma Phi made me feel like I was already part of a community within the larger Clemson community. I didn’t feel like an outsider at my new school, I felt welcomed and it really did help my transition here. If you are either transferring to Clemson or even a current student thinking about going through recruitment as a sophomore or junior, my advice for you is DO IT! It may seem scary at first, but I promise you that everyone is nervous, and it is completely normal. You’ll find the perfect home for you with girls who will welcome you, so you don’t feel lonely. You will join an amazing family, who will literally do anything for you, like a family away from your actual family at home. Rushing as a transfer and joining G Phi was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made in college, besides choosing to transfer to Clemson in the first place!
​- Liz May