To the transfer student wanting to rush a sorority

Hey everyone! My name is Emily Pfeiffer and I’m a part of the Eta class here at KD. Unfortunately, my spring semester was cut short, but I’m still so excited to share with you guys my experience as a transfer student rushing a sorority. My situation is ~kind of~ wacko but hopefully someone reading this can relate!

I’m originally from good ‘ole Fort Wayne, Indiana, so only about two hours away from Purdue. When I graduated high school, I thought I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. The original plan was to go to IUPUI and pursue a degree in Nursing in the hopes that I’d become a pediatric oncology nurse! Obviously, that didn’t happen or else I wouldn’t be writing this lol. Right before graduation, I started getting cold feet and something was telling me I shouldn’t go away to school just yet. During my senior year of high school, I was also attending Ivy Tech and was taking two courses there. So, I made the decision to stick with Ivy Tech after high school for the time being until I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do.

Fast forward about a year and I decided to go on a whim and pursue a degree in retail management with an apparel design concentration at Purdue, which was my passion all along, but it took me a year to finally realize that! So, if you’re reading this and you’re about to graduate high school with concerns about your plan, it’s completely okay to take it slow. Because I’m a part-time wedding videographer on the side, I decided to only be a part-time student for my first 2 years. This ultimately made me a year behind in school, but I don’t regret a thing. Transferring schools is always an option! Going to community college my first year let me be able to explore ALL my options before making any harsh decisions. I went to Purdue when I was ready, not when all of my friends were ready. You might be reading this and are confused when I said I was a part-time student for two years, and that’s because I also made the decision to attend Purdue online my second year because of prior commitments I had at home. I only took one course in the fall and one in the spring, which ultimately was such a nice time to rest and prepare before I packed my whole life up and moved to West Lafayette.

And as soon as I knew it I was moved into my little one-bedroom apartment and ready to become an “actual” college student. ALL throughout high school, though, I was so attracted to sororities in the hopes that I would join one someday. Because of my experience, I thought it was out of the picture. In my head I was like, “who on earth would choose a 20-year-old sophomore to join their newest pledge class?” Being a transfer, I knew absolutely nobody. I literally was starting a new chapter of my life, and making friends is definitely one of my weaker traits, so just saying, “who cares?” and signing up for recruitment was probably one of the best decisions I could’ve made.

At first, I was weary, but all the comparisons and fatigue you feel during recruitment is all worth it in the end when you find the house for you. I would be lying if I said that Kappa Delta was my first choice, let alone my second, but that just goes to show when your Gamma Chi’s tell you to “trust the system” they’re being 100% RIGHT! Now, writing this after my first year as a KD, I can confidently tell you that I’ve never felt more at home and more loved by these amazing girls. Even though I’m still brand new to the campus and am 21 in a pledge class with 18-year-olds, it doesn’t change the bond and the love I have for these people. I liiiivvveee by the quote, “Everything happens for a reason”, and boy did everything in my life happen to get me to where I am today, living up my dream of being in a sorority and absolutely loving my college experience.

It 100% is rough at first, but I beg you to stick with it even through those tough times. It’ll be so worth it!

And to formally answer the question: if you’re a transfer student/ girl who hasn’t followed the traditional academic path, still rush for a sorority. Don’t let your choices change what you still want to do.

AOT <3