GLO Withdrawal

BrownEyedGirl · #1 04-08-2003, 04:54 PM

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dzrose93 · #2 04-08-2003, 05:04 PM

The good times aren't over yet!!! My suggestion is to get involved with a local alumnae chapter as soon as you graduate. It won't be exactly the same as your college events, but alumnae events are tons of fun, too.

For example, all of the young alums in my area meet for Happy Hours, movie nights, and weekend brunches on a regular basis. We also are very active in assisting the nearby collegiate chapter, which keeps us in touch with our college days to some extent.

Grab some of your other graduating sisters and take them to the next alumnae chapter meeting in your area to see what the chapter has to offer. Having a few of your chapter sisters with you will help to "break the ice" when meeting other alumnae. You'll have fun - I guarantee it!

And as for worrying about letters on your car and whether or not you'll wear your mixer shirts again... Keep those letters and show them off with pride! I've still got a DZ sticker on my car, and I'm looking for a DZ Alumnae sticker to add to it.

Also, since we have casual Fridays at my office, I still wear my social shirts regularly. In fact, I don't think that there are many shirts in my wardrobe that don't have Delta Zeta on them in one place or another -- and I'm 27 years old!

Always remember... you joined ZTA for a lifetime, not just a college term. It's up to you to keep your love for the sorority strong -- and alumnae chapters can be a huge help with that.

Good luck and congrats on your upcoming graduation!

Dionysus · #3 04-08-2003, 05:15 PM

Will you still be in the same town? I thought alums can still stay involved after they graduate.

BrownEyedGirl · #4 04-08-2003, 05:17 PM

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greeklawgirl · #5 04-08-2003, 05:23 PM

I'm going to tell you the same thing that I told an Alpha Gam graduating senior. Congratulations!!! Welcome to alumna life! You will have a wonderful experience after you graduate because what you put into it will be what you get out of it. As long as you remain an active, contributing member, Zeta Tau Alpha will always have something great to offer you.

Good luck!

Jadey28 · #6 04-08-2003, 05:32 PM

I kinda went through the same thing BrownEyedGirl. This is how I remained sane....first, I joined the local alum chapter. This was a little weird though, because all the sisters who attended the meetings were way older than me and it seemed we had nothing in common other than our roots in Phi Sigma Sigma. So, after thinking heavily about it, I became an advisor for a local chapter of Phi Sigma Sigma. I am not the BIG chapter advisor, but I am the Risk Management Advisor...basically I help the risk management chair out.

Anyway, I still wear my letters proud, display my pictures of everyone, and sport my letters on my car. At my real world job, everyone knows I am a Phi Sig, and they know how much it means to me. I still attend my chapter meetings every now and then. I also hang out with the ladies I graduated with, as well as the ladies I was really close with in the chapter that haven't graduated. It's nice to attend meetings every now and then, but I must say it's a little odd when the newest member class has no clue who you are!

At first, it might seem that you are leaving everything behind. But, you will look back on your years as an active sister and realize that things haven't changed that much! You will survive, I did!

Tom Earp · #7 04-08-2003, 05:35 PM

Listen to GreekLawGirl , a new adventure lays before you!

Find a local Alum Chapter, hell I am 2 hours away from my Chapter, but 30 min. from 3 others! You never know if there is a Local Alum Chapter near you! Check it out!!!!!!!!!!

It is a very tuff thing to leave the nest so to speak, but if you do not, you will not grow to be the swan that you might be! Hell, you think you are a swan now, sweety, you aint seen nothin yet!

Keep in touch with your fellow Soros, keep in touch with local Alums, hell keep in touch with anyone in Your Soroity! They will always be there for you! Why? Because they love you!

Butterflys are Free, reality is true!

Bestest of Luckiness to you! Just dont leave GC! You have pals here!

James · #8 04-08-2003, 05:40 PM

Don't let anyone kid you. ITs really bad. It won't really sink in until September when you would normally go back.

If you are in grad school that may alleviate some of it, but otherwise its like . . . Withdrawal.

Not just the fact that you might be extraordinarily active in your activities, but just the face recognition.

All of a sudden you go from a high percentage of people knowing you all over campus . . . to relative anonymity.

No matter what else you are doing, working or straight Grad school, its really a pale imitation of the excitment of volunteer activities.

Good Luck

dzrose93 · #9 04-08-2003, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by James
Don't let anyone kid you. ITs really bad. It won't really sink in until September when you would normally go back.

If you are in grad school that may alleviate some of it, but otherwise its like . . . Withdrawal.

Not just the fact that you might be extraordinarily active in your activities, but just the face recognition.

All of a sudden you go from a high percentage of people knowing you all over campus . . . to relative anonymity.

No matter what else you are doing, working or straight Grad school, its really a pale imitation of the excitment of volunteer activities.

Good Luck

James... the eternal optimist.

It's really not the end of the world... Things change, that's true. But it's not like your life goes down the toilet just because you're not an active collegiate member anymore. Keep your head up, BrownEyedGirl... I think it's great that you'll be near a collegiate chapter and an alumnae chapter in your new town.

I can't remember who mentioned being an alumna advisor for a collegiate chapter, but it's a great idea and I strongly encourage you to look into it. I'm an alumna advisor for a DZ chapter near me (my focus is on both Ritual and Alumnae Relations), and it's great to be involved with the girls and hear them talk about what events they've got going on. I may be an alumna, but I'm not out of the loop. Not by a long shot.

pinkyphimu · #10 04-08-2003, 06:15 PM

don't worry! you will be ok!!!! it will definately hit you in sept when you chat will all of your friends that went back to school...and you didn't! hopefully, you will be so busy with grad school that you won't notice! by the time graduation came, i was all finished being in a sorority. i was completely ready to move on and i would probably join an alum group, but i really wasn't interested in staying involved. that quickly changed!!! i didn't join the alum group my first year after college, only bc i couldn't get in touch with them. i did join, but then wasn't very active for my first 2 years due to my job. it really took me a few years before i was really into it again! the one thing to remember is that your closest friends will still be your closest friends.

AchtungBaby80 · #11 04-08-2003, 08:02 PM

Jaaaaaames, shut up! I'm going through the same thing, and I'm just going to ignore your posts from now on!

Just kidding. But I really am going through this "crisis," too...I'm moving to another country (I think), and I have no idea how long for, which really bums me out because DZ is just sort of a way of life for me and I don't want to give it up! I won't even have my damn truck with the DZ sticker in the back window.

I realize that this is really sad and that I ought to be excited, so don't make fun of me.

James · #12 04-08-2003, 09:12 PM

But Darlin' you are going to a different country. That counts as a "Grand Adventure" almost like a holiday. So its not the same lol.

Where ya goin'?

Quote:

Originally posted by AchtungBaby80
Jaaaaaames, shut up! I'm going through the same thing, and I'm just going to ignore your posts from now on! Just kidding. But I really am going through this "crisis," too...I'm moving to another country (I think), and I have no idea how long for, which really bums me out because DZ is just sort of a way of life for me and I don't want to give it up! I won't even have my damn truck with the DZ sticker in the back window. I realize that this is really sad and that I ought to be excited, so don't make fun of me.

AchtungBaby80 · #13 04-09-2003, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by James
But Darlin' you are going to a different country. That counts as a "Grand Adventure" almost like a holiday. So its not the same lol.

Where ya goin'?

Northern Ireland. You know, the land of homemade bombs and paramilitary organizations.

ztabchbum · #14 04-09-2003, 10:36 AM

BrownEyedGirl - I was in school for 4.5, almost 5 years and when it was time to leave after graduation, my parents had to literally pack up my stuff without me because I totally refused to move away. Then my boyfriend called me to tell me how happy he was that I was moving in with him. Things got a little better. But not much, I still wanted to stay with my Zeta girls. Then, that night as I was sitting in my mom's hotel room my cell phone rang constantly. My big sister called as well as another sister of mine that live in the town I was moving to. They told me how excited they were that I was moving down there by them and they told me about the alumni group they belong to and that we would go to meetings and events together. Then they told me not to worry. Like you, I only moved 2 hours away from my collegiate chapter, so I could visit any time. You know what I found out, I didn't have the time. I've been so busy with work and my life that I've been up twice in the two years that I've been out of school. But that doesn't mean that I don't talk to one of my closest friends EVERYDAY! (No joke. It's like I never left.) Your sisters will always be there. They're in your heart. They won't ever go away. Our chapter song is The Promise - everytime I hear it, I start to think about school and singing it with all my sisters and do you know what my first reaction is? I pick up the phone. I call EVERYONE. I'll call my big sister - even though I know she's at work and won't answer her cell phone. I call my best friend that's still up at school and she calls me a freak and I tell her (she's graduating in May too) that she'll do it to. It'll come on the radio and she'll pick up her phone and start dialing. Why? Because the memories are still there. They will ALWAYS be there. So get up, get out of bed, put your letters on, wear them with pride, and enjoy your last few days at school. You'll regret it if you don't. In your down time, start looking for sisters that are graduating that will be living in Columbia and start making plans to meet up. Contact the Columbia chapter and ask them what seniors might be staying in the area. Set up a time to meet up with everyone, they're going through the same thing you are right now. Good luck with your last few days at school and if you need ANYTHING else, just shoot me a PM or an email and I'm more than happy to chat with you. And remember "That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends."

BrownEyedGirl · #15 04-09-2003, 08:35 PM

,,,