Chandler Freeman (PC ‘15/Alumna) tells us #WhyTriDelta was the place for her in undergrad, and still is post-grad.

If you’re reading this, well, my apologies. I was asked to write a paragraph or two, but if you know me, you know I have WAY too much to say to keep within that.

My name is Chandler Freeman and I’m now a graduate (cue the tears) of Clemson University. I was a Marketing major from Raleigh, NC, and I come from a family, a Clemson family that is, that all the women were in Greek Life. My mom and aunt were in sororities here, my cousin was in one when I came through, and my sister was in one at NC State. I personally came to Clemson knowing for sure that I wanted to be in a sorority because of the experiences my family shared over the years and the many friendships from Greek Life that they still hold dear from back in their days.

If you’re in a place where you’re wondering “Do I want to go through recruitment or not?” let me be the one to tell you that being in a sorority is your choice and your choice only. There are a million organizations on this campus to be involved with all filled with amazing people if you don’t feel that Greek Life is your thing. However, let me just tell you that being in a sorority is one of the best things I have been able to be a part of on this campus. The women that I have met and built relationships with over the past 4 years within the Panhellenic community are some of the most motivating, encouraging, supporting, kind, and smart, women I’ve ever come across, and the memories and experiences that being in a sorority have given me are something that I’ll carry with me forever.

Let me get into a little about recruitment: hello long days, hello lost voices, and helllllooo exhaustion- but also hello to one of the most fun weeks ever. Pack the band aids for blisters, pack the water (you’ll need it), pack the positive attitude...AND GET SLEEP. So you’re given this group of girls called your Pi Chi group, along with an older girl called a Pi Chi (hard to guess that) who has disaffiliated from her sorority for the duration of recruitment- AKA she has been in your shoes and she’s here to guide you through it. She’s going to encourage you to be yourself, to not be nervous, and to just have fun with it. Y’all. She’s so right. Now did I listen to my Pi Chi about not being nervous? Absolutely not. I was the girl who was standing in line waiting to enter her first round who almost stepped out because she was on the verge of peeing her pants from nerves. Honestly, that would’ve been a funny story to tell if that had actually happened, but I’m glad it didn’t because that first round happened to be Tri Delta (guess it was meant to be).

When you’re in these lines waiting to go into your rounds, talk to the girls outside. Trust me, the girls in front of you and behind you are just as nervous, but also just excited as you are. I can honestly say that 4 years later I’m still friends with girls that I met talking to in a line waiting for a round to start. And hey- if you’re going into the same round, you may even be sorority sisters at the end of it. Also on that note, befriend the girls in your Pi Chi group, how lucky will you be if you get to call girls friends who all end up in different sororities on campus??

Know this when you go into rounds: the girls in these sororities that you’ll talk to *WANT* to get to know you!!! Literally they want to know you for you and only you. Yes, the conversations start out surface level, (of course since you’re just meeting each other) but it’s how much that you open up and connect with the girls that is the most important and makes you the most memorable to her. Try your best to not answer just “yes” and “no’s” to their questions because that gets the conversation nowhere, and like I said before, they want to know you so tell them about yourself. There are so many ways to keep a conversation flowing and have it change into another subject. (I 100% had that conversation with someone and that may sound dumb, but your quirks and your interests are important to them- again, it lets them know you for you.) You’d be surprised how small the world is and how many commonalities you may have. Just be yourself, be you, and no one else. After rounds, your Pi Chi will tell you to write everything down that you remember from your conversations and I can’t stress enough how important this is! I think I’m good at remembering things, but you go through two rounds and all of a sudden you’ve forgotten not only what you talked about, but who you talked to, and how you felt about it. Being able to come back to your notes to refresh yourself is something you will need when it comes time for you to choose the sororities in which you felt more yourself than others.

Another thing that you’ll hear over and over is that it all works out and where you end up is where you’re supposed to be. You can listen to that and be all yes of course!! Or question it of...what? But really, it truly all does work out. You chose the sorority you did for a reason and they chose you back. You both saw something in each other just like you chose Clemson and Clemson chose you. Have some peace of mind with that.

Now that that’s all out, how did I end up being so lucky? Because I chose Tri Delta and they chose me back. Honestly, I cried the last night of recruitment because my heart told me Tri Delta, but my head was telling me elsewhere and I questioned myself. A decision that’s going to effect your next 4 years isn’t to be taken lightly. (This may happen to you, but honestly, just go with your heart. It won’t mislead you.) Fast forward to bid day and wow, did my heart lead me correctly. There is no other group of girls that leads me, supports me, encourages me, and loves on me like my girls of Delta Delta Delta do. They laugh with me, sometimes at me, listen to the same stories I’ve told one too many times, they let me drag them to the dikes for sunsets, go on road trips, have brunches on gamedays, are the last ones to leave a function with me, sing way too loud to throwbacks in the showers on the quad...just, everything. They’ve been there for it all. There are few memories I have at Clemson that doesn’t have at least one of my girls with me in it and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Tri Delta has this national phrase that says “Bring You,” and really, that’s all that’s ever been expected of me and it was the greatest thing I could’ve ever asked for and I’ll forever be grateful.

So to the girl choosing to go through recruitment, have the absolute best time, I’d give anything to be in your shoes again and I’d make my same choice again and again. I wish you all the best and enjoy Clemson with all you’ve got, the day you have to call yourself an alum comes faster than you think.

With all the Delta Love I have left,

Chandler Freeman