Greek Life – College Admission at Loyola

Bring On the Opportunities

By Meredith Simmons | October 6, 2016

Being a college students means being constantly busy and constantly handed new opportunities (or so we all hope), and this isn’t a bad thing. Opportunities are the gateway to successful careers and lives, but there is a point at which you run out of time to accept these opportunities and their implied commitments. This is a problem that I am facing, not for the first time all together, but for the first time on my own.

This year I have definitely been blessed with all the opportunities I have been given, but I have started to realize that I’m coming to the end of my availability to do anything else. The realization came the moment I opened up my instagram app and realized that I had five accounts logged in on my phone that I was working on or with or ran myself. It was that moment when I said, Hey, this actually is A LOT. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. My work on social media both for the school, myself, and my sorority brings me so much joy, but the problem with working on social media is that you’re working all the time. Social media doesn’t stop, so I’m constantly posting or liking or monitoring something! Maybe I overbooked myself.

The last two weeks I’ve been stressing out more than usual, and missing assignments, something that I never like to do. Maybe you noticed I haven’t posted on this blog much, this is why. But I don’t want to live behind the excuse of overbooking myself, and neither should you. That’s why I’m taking all these things as another opportunity, one to learn where my balance is. These four years are all about finding yourself and finding out who you’re going to be for the rest of your life. Realizing where your limits are and where you can improve your time management/ procrastinating is just as much a part of this as picking a career path.

The biggest learning experience that I’ve had from this just over the past few weeks, is that I have the ability to manage a lot of things at once, but if I don’t stay organized it will all turn into one major mess. This year more than ever I have been writing things down. If it’s not written in my planner it’s probably not going to happen. Maybe you got away with just remembering it in high school or even Freshman year of college but, once life starts to move a little faster you’re going to thank god for your planner too.

Another important scheduling and time management tidbit I’ve learned, is consistency. If you do the same thing over and over again, it becomes a habit. Going to bed and waking up at the same time can seem like a drag, especially on the weekends. When it gets to be mid-semester and waking up to go downtown isn’t fun anymore though, you’ll be glad you wake up before your alarm.

Taking on more is scary and exciting at the same time. It’s the feeling of moving forward and learning hands on, and I know that I am thankful everyday for the opportunities I have had this semester, but it can be challenging. It’s okay to feel stressed out, even by something you love. Don’t forget to take breaks, and eat cookies, and when you feel like you don’t have time for anything anymore take a deep breath and tell yourself you can do this, because guess what, YOU CAN DO THIS!

On the Eve of Initiation

By Meredith Simmons | April 7, 2016

As I get ready to become a fully initiated, real life, Chi Omega, I wanted to take the time to reflect on what the past two months have been like for me as a new member. Joining Greek Life at Loyola was not something that I had ever really intended to do. As I talked about in my post “Going Greek” which was all about the recruitment process and picking my chapter, I was not completely on board with the whole idea of sororities when I first signed up for recruitment. Through the recruitment process though, I found that I was at home with the beautiful women of Chi Omega.

Joining a sorority isn’t just about the recruitment process though. Becoming a member of Chi Omega, or any sorority or fraternity on campus is a life changing process that goes way past the excitement of bid day.

Once you get over adrenaline of bid day, you have to get down to the reality of sorority life, which is a huge commitment. You now have to learn about not only being a sorority woman but also how your chapter works and what commitments you have to uphold as a new member. This of course can seem daunting, you’ve just met one hundred plus new people and can’t tell up from down, and now you have to set aside a huge part of your time for your chapter. Don’t worry though, because everyone that you just met is either going through this process with you or has done it themselves.

Soon you’ll be getting your Big and joining an amazing greek family, these girls will become your home and your rock in the face of anything and everything. Then slowly and without even noticing it you’ll start to find that the women who were strangers a few weeks ago, are now quickly becoming your best friends.

Attending mixers, formals, and any other social events is different as a sorority woman. Not only do your sisters hold you to a higher standard but so does the world. You will learn that you set the example for how people will view your sorority and sororities as a whole. But don’t forget to have fun.

You’ll make mistakes, and it will be okay. You’ll feel lost at times, but your sisters will be there to help you. You’ll be overwhelmed… a lot, but your sister will help you find your balance. And soon it’ll be initiation weekend and you’ll find that you yourself have changed. You have grown as a person and you have found a group of women who you know will be there for you for years and years to come.

There is an amazing group of women waiting to welcome you into their world, no matter which chapter you choose. So as you start to think about joining Greek Life at Loyola, consider this.

-Meredith

Kappa Klassic

By | November 6, 2012

Yes that is exactly what you think it is… a Gold Pyramid. My fraternity, built this structure for “The Kappa Klassic.” Which, is a mini golf course brought to campus by the sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. My group was asked to design a hole and being that our fraternity was built on Egyptian history, we built this pyramid. Looks great right? It better! We stayed up til’ 3am building!

Egyptian Expedtion

By | November 6, 2012

This last weekend was the Delta Sigma Phi Egyptian Expedition. The goal of the event was to of raise money and blood for the American Red Cross for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. It was our first ever philanthropy event, as a fraternity on campus and we had high hopes.

Our first event of the night was a pyramid hunt. This was an “Amazing Race” style event where groups were required to find spots on campus based on clues, upon arrival at each spot they would be given a quick task and then the next clue. First team with all the pyramids wins.

There were a number of events going on all week: coin war between all of the sororities, a organ a tissue donation sign up through Gift of Hope. On Saturday we had our huge blood drive which, by the end of the day, had a three hour line out the door!

The last event was a Ms. Cleopatra Pageant with contestants various Loyola Sororities on campus. Campus legends, Sister Jean and LU wolf judged the event.

Finally I Have Brothers!

By | November 21, 2011

Growing up I always wanted a brother. When I came to Loyola I simply wanted to avoid Greek life. There was something about that just didn’t seem right for me me.

Now, I realize that joining Alpha Phi Omega (APO) is quickly becoming one of the best decisions of my life.

Let me start by saying that APO is not the normal fraternity, not only do we not associate ourselves with any type of party scene but we are based around the idea of service. It is this idea that bonds the brothers and makes being part of APO so amazing. It was a fraternity based on Boy Scouts.

Last night I was finally initiated into this fraternity after a semester of pledging; never in my life have I felt so comfortable in a room of so many different people. I knew that every person in the room was there for me as I was there for them. From the wiffle ball tournament last weekend to volunteering at Snoozeum, the experience has been nothing less than amazing. I mean, seriously, what is cooler than playing in the Museum of Science and Industry after hours with all of your closest friends?

Also I should mention that APO is co-ed. Yes, I know, its not a real fraternity than right? Well this fraternity is based around the idea of brotherhood, regardless of the make-up it’s members. Personally, I would consider my new brothers closer to me than most of my family. After pledging for the last three months I have nothing but amazing memories, great stories and unbelievable friends to talk about.

So yes, I may have come to Loyola thinking that fraternities are horrible but the fact is that Loyola is so diverse that you never really know what you are going to find. And if you don’t find anything, you are clearly not looking.