If you’re on the fence about going through sorority recruitment this year, don’t freak out. There are so many girls that feel the same way you do, but with time ticking down to the registration due date (Friday at 5 p.m.), you’re probably feeling even more pressure.

First, take a deep breath. You can always apply but not show up. You can always go through recruitment and drop. You can always go through recruitment and join a sorority. You can do anything you want, because this is a decision that you are making.

Your new friends from your floor or classes are most likely talking nonstop about recruitment, and I’m sure you have friends that are on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. One says, “I’m absolutely rushing because I’m a legacy and if I don’t get in I will DIE,” but another says, “I wouldn’t rush if you had a gun to my head.”

You’re somewhere in the middle.

I know what you’re thinking. What would I wear? How do I have to act? What if I hate every single sorority? The answer to those questions is simple: Do whatever you want. Wear what you feel comfortable in, assuming you don’t show up in sweatpants (I wish we could wear sweatpants and eat D.P. Dough for recruitment, but alas). Be yourself. Decide what vibe you get from the girls you meet.

So let me just say it: Recruitment is weird. You have the same conversation with a million different girls, you have to rank sororities after each round based on those identical conversations, and you end up with a match. Everyone is sweaty. They suggest what you should wear, and they all wear identical outfits. You get lost in a sea of “Where are you from?/What did you do this summer?/I love your top!”s and it’s flustering.

Personally, I went through fall recruitment last year, dropped on Bid Day, but then was lucky enough to go through spring recruitment and find my perfect fit. I don’t want you, dear freshmen, to think I’m trying to dissuade you from rushing. Last fall, I was bitter and resentful. Now, I could not imagine school without my incredible sisters that inspire me and help me become a better person every day.

But one of the millions of clubs at Penn State could give you that exact same feeling of family. You could join a THON organization or committee, club sports, or maybe even a super cool student-run website ;). College is about finding your niche and the people that you’ll make incredible memories with. Maybe that’s through a sorority, maybe it’s not, and that’s ultimately up to you.

The bottom line is this is a decision that you have to make for you. For me, rush absolutely sucked, but in the end it was so incredibly worth it. For me. Maybe you know people that love recruitment and love talking to girls in a very hot and sweaty but cutely decorated suite for five minutes at a time while trying to sit cross-legged in a cocktail dress and heels. Maybe your mom is pushing you to rush because she did. But maybe you’re more into theatre. Maybe you like soccer. Good thing there are a million things to do and a million clubs to join on a campus with so many undergrads.

Sorority recruitment will most likely not be your favorite memory from college. But watching movies with girls in your pledge class might be, or seeing your THON committee’s work fall perfectly into place in February, or finally beating another club lacrosse team that you’ve rivaled for years.

You can rush now, you can rush later, you could not rush at all. You have so many options, so don’t stress. Anything can happen, and whatever happens will be for the best.

You do you.