[polarpi]

I joined as a upperclassman. I talked myself out of going through recruitment my freshman year, and on the bid day of that year, I knew I had made a mistake. I was hoping to go the same sorority as all my other friends (one who joined through formal, one who was CORed right after FR, and two others who were CORed in the fall), and was devastated when I was cut from them after the third round. I was really glad that I stuck with it, because I felt more at home with the ADPi's than I would have felt with the other sorority, and it was nice to have friends in that sorority and get to know their sisters while having my own sisters at the same time.

I joined with the largest Alpha class we've had (besides our colony)...12 women went through initiation together in February. I still remember everyone I initiated with, and am close friends with a few of them that I still talk to on a regular basis. My only regrets were not going through recruitment earlier, because I would have loved to know the sisters who graduated before I joined (and those who graduated the semester I joined) a lot better than I did.

I know also what it means to know the other members of the chapter really well. My chapter has been consistantly around 30 members or so, I think 40 has been the highest we've been (and campus total is 53). Being part of a smaller sorority allows for us to know each other really well, but at times you can have more conflicts with smaller chapters as well. I still love being with my sisters, but I am closer to some sisters rather than others (based on similar interests and personalities).