[We scoured the country to find the ultimate sorority girl to share her sisterly expertise with you. After reading through tons of applications followed by hours Facebook-stalking all the candidates (which proved difficult thanks to FB's privacy settings....), we found her. She gave you the lowdown on rush and the rules of the sorority date party. And now that you're sitting pretty in your new house, she's got a few things to say about sisterly love.... or a lack thereof.]

When you combine 80 girls plus their stress from exams and boys, there is going to be drama. Duh. And even though sorority girls do sometimes get in crazy bitch fights over missing nail polish and whether they are going to watch Gossip Girl or Grey’s, they aren’t lying to you when they say that no one hates anyone in their house.

My non-Greek friends always ask what it’s like to live in a sorority with SO many girls. Thinking back, it’s safe to say that it’s like something between 7^th Heaven and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. No, really. It is true that we all love each other like Lucy and Mary (don’t act like you don’t know what I am talking about – everyone watched 7th Heaven) and sure, living with all your sisters can be a blast. BUT sometimes living in a house full of girls is a complete nightmare and is full of drama, drama, and more DRAMA.

Living in a sorority is just the same as living with your own blood sister at home, but on steroids. Yes, your clothes will go missing and, yes, you will see your sister tagged in a picture the next day wearing them. It happens. But that’s normal between blood siblings. And it’s the least of the problems when it comes to sorority sisters.

Here are some of the more pressing issues (read: watch your back):

Boyfriend stealers? Check.
I recommend you do your research before falling head over heals for some hot, older frat star. Chances are if he’s that good looking, an older sister in your sorority has already taken her turn with him. Do yourself a favor and move on before things get serious, or half the senior pledge class will be on you like Chi Os on quesadilla day. Don’t be that girl.

Room picks? Obvi.
Everybody knows that there are certain rooms in the house that are way better than others. Most houses have a point system that allows girls with the most points earned (based on GPA, philanthropy, house involvement, etc.) to have the most privileges and get first dibs on rooms. BUT you will guaranteed have that one friend that will beg you (even though you have more points than her) not to take the room she wants… and for some reason if you take that room anyway, game over. I have no advice for you on this, just a heads up. Good luck.

Birthdays? Geeeez.
For someone reason, most of us seem to think that our birthdays should be national holidays. Update: not everyone cares, BUT you better be at every pledge sister’s party. Trust me, she will remember if you were a no-show, then you will have no reason to act surprised when no one shows up for yours.

When it comes to a house full of estrogen, fights are inevitable and sorority living is no exception. At all. Ever. For real. You can’t prepare for everything (especially when there’s always at least 5 girls with PMS), but do yourself a favor and try to diffuse whatever potential drama you can.

What CRAZY sorority drama goes on at your house? Do YOU have a juicy story to share? Let’s talk sorority drama!

Got some college questions? Unsure of a decision? Need help managing those dreaded group projects? Just wanna chat it up with some really awesome chics? We’ve got the girls for you. Hit them up in the comments or shoot them an email with the subject “College Q&A”! They’ve got all the answers you need, no matter who you are.

Question:
So I’m a sophomore and I’m living in my sorority house. I’m having the best time – there’s always someone to hang out with here and there’s always something going on. The problem is that my non sorority friends have been getting mad at me for not hanging out with them. It’s not that I don’t want to – it’s just that they live all the way across campus and I don’t have as much time to see them as I did when we lived on the same floor. I feel really torn and don’t know what to do. If I stay at my sorority house, I miss out on times with my other friends. But if I hang out with them (when I find time), I’m missing out on something at the house.

Can you help me find a balance?

Busy Bee:
It all boils down to this: Who do you like more? I think that when you like a certain group, you make an extra effort to hang out with them, regardless of the complications. On the other hand, I do understand that you are extremely busy. You have to hang out with whoever is easier to access (which happens to be your sorority girls).

Sooo, you gotta tell your non-sorority friends to meet you halfway. They can come to your place every other week, while you make it over to their dorms on the other week. Other ideas include meeting up at the campus coffee shop, making weekly study dates, or having weekly shopping hangouts.

Plus, your sisters should understand that you have a life outside of the sorority. I don’t think that you would miss that much when you go out with your friends. If you do, I’m sure some of the girls would be happy to fill you in when you get back. And it’s always good to have a life outside of the people you live with (it can get catty)! Remember, just set your priorities straight. I know it’s difficult, but just keep in mind that if you really like both groups, you have to find a way to keep them in your lives. Otherwise, you might lose a good thing without knowing it.

Party Girl:
You’re in a pretty common position. Even without the sorority committment, it’s difficult to find time for all your friends during sophomore year. You all have different living assignments and some of you may have taken on jobs and Greek life as well. Finding the balance is tough…but completely manageable with alcohol. It’s the great socializer! Your campus can’t be that huge where walking to your friends’ dorm on the weekend is impossible. Dorm parties, house parties, tailgates – all of these are great ways to keep the balance. Also, I’m sure your sorority has functions that the general public is allowed to attend. Invite your friends! And while you shouldn’t start flaking on your sisters, you should make some time for your old friends by skipping one or two of the smaller events. Keep the connections alive, girl!

GPA Girl:

My first reaction was to say that your non-sorority friends sound kind of petty, but then I thought about it some more, and I think they have a point. From the way you describe it, it does seem as if you’re not really making much of an effort to see them. Then again, I have a feeling we don’t know about the full situation here–how much of an effort are they making to see you, for example? Are they trekking across campus to hang at your place?

I think you need to be really honest with yourself about how much of a priority your non-sorority friends are to you. Because if you keep telling them they’re important to you but your actions always say otherwise, they’re going to figure that out pretty quickly, and they’ll have a right to be ticked. If you start to actually back up what you say and meet up with them regularly, though, I predict they’ll cool off before long. Why do you have to go all the way across campus, anyway? Can’t you guys meet at a nice coffee shop in town or at the library to study or something?

Alternately, if your non-sisters just aren’t as important to you as they used to be, I believe you should gather some balls and be honest with them about it. There is nothing wrong with having friendships that fade away–it’s natural, and we all have experienced it–but the bogus part results when one friend isn’t honest about her priorities. You can be honest and still be nice. Try saying something like, “I’m so sorry I’ve been neglecting you guys lately. But I’m really having fun hanging out at the house, and it’s hard to motivate myself to leave. Would you want to meet up with me just once a week off-campus or something?” This is really a communication issue–just talk with your friends about how you feel, and be real with them. A solution will follow.

Sorority house. Not whore house.

As college students, we are constantly inundated with new knowledge. It can be useful, thought-provoking, or crammed into our head on a Starbucks-fueled binge several hours before an exam. However, very rarely do we question the validity of all this new knowledge (unless you take philosophy classes, then you’ll question away).

That’s where College Candy comes in. We’re not going to debate whether or not the Theory of Relativity actually exists (a disappointment, I know, but I’m a communications major and stopped taking science classes after Baby Bio fresh year). However, we are here to thoroughly investigate the most widespread college knowledge (no, not rhyming)—the myth.

Recently, a good friend of mine came to visit me at escuela. When she got here, we screamed and squealed and moved all of her bags upstairs into my room. We chatted and caught up for a while, before I offered to give her a tour of my place.

I adore giving house tours, because the place where I live is so much more than my home—it’s my sorority house. I love showing friends and family all the beautiful details of our old Southern mansion, pointing out hidden symbols and telling the histories behind everything that decorates the house.  My guests are usually very interested and complimentary, so I was kind of bummed when I realized my bestie was being super quiet (and not in the “I’m-so-jealous-you-don’t-have-to-cook-or-clean” kind of way).

When I asked her what was up, she sighed and told me that she’d always wanted to live in a sorority house, but unfortunately the city where her campus was located strictly forbade her chapter from having one. “Why the anti-Panhellenic attitude?” I asked. To which she replied, as thousands of collegiates before her have, “Well, under city law, any more than 5 women living under the same house is considered a brothel.”

Whaaaat?! Brothel? Huh?!

Seriously, all those movies and books have it wrong. No, Sorority Row, we do not throw giant foam parties in our formal sitting room (my House Mom would spontaneously combust). Sorry, Alexandra Robbins, we are not having “naked parties,” and not all of sorority housing is glamorous (I’m a 21 year old woman who sleeps in a bunk bed). Hell, we aren’t even allowed to have guys upstairs (ever)! How the hell could a sorority house, or for that matter, any female dwelling be considered a brothel based solely on the number of its occupants with vaginas? I decided to investigate.

Turns out, this rumor has been circulating for quite some time. Richard Roeper commented in the Chicago Sun Times that it was “the most widespread piece of university folklore making the rounds.” That was in 1994, and not much has changed.

According to Snopes, the myth probably originated due to confusion and misinterpretation of “Blue Laws” and zoning restrictions.  “Some municipalities do indeed have zoning laws prohibiting more than a specified number of non-family members (male or female) from living together, but not even in those cases would a household in violation of those codes be labeled a brothel.”

More importantly, any law that stated such doesn’t apply to fraternity, sorority, or any other form of intentionally communal living. So, good news for my friend (if she wants to contact her national headquarters and start some hardcore fundraising), sororities (and fraternities, and non-Greeks alike) can indeed all live happily together under one roof without the city labeling them as prostitutes.

Unless, of course, they are exchanging sex for money. That might be a problem.

[I like to think of myself as a pretty easy going gal, and try not to sweat the small stuff. But sometimes (ok, maybe slightly more often) the general cluelessness, carelessness and overall stupidity of some things and or/people really gets to me. I find that venting is the most efficient way to rid myself of the stress that idiots, wrong meal orders, lack of cell phone etiquette and cheese flavored products (that don’t even contain any freaking cheese!) induce.

So, in an attempt to avoid an ulcer or an unfortunate road rage incident, I vent to you, dear reader. Please feel free to join in and comment about anything–really, anything–that pissed. you. off. this week. Let it all hang out. I feel you.]

Ex-boyfriend calls out of the blue (at 3 am).

Although it would be mighty enjoyable to deny your calls during daylight hours, I just couldn’t muster up the proper amount of excitement about ignoring you as I was attempting to sleep. At 3 am. As most (okay some) college students are doing on Wednesday nights. It was, in fact, incredibly irritating to listen to my phone vibrating violently until it buzzzzed right off my nightstand, unplugged itself from my charger and died early the next morning, preventing me from whiling away my classes with interesting texts and Facebook stalking.

It seems that you still find ways to annoy the sh*t out of me, even technologically! Your call was especially appreciated by my new (and way better) boyfriend, who happened to be sleeping next to me and was quite frankly a little pissed off for the entire next day due to sleep deprivation and extreme annoyance with you. The only consolation I got from your obnoxious ass was the touching voicemail you left me (I believe you were crying) slurring on and on about how great I am. Well, I think it’s a little too late for that, mister, and so does everyone else who listened to it (aka 48 of my sorority sisters with a tendency to gossip)–although they did get a great laugh out of listening to your blubbering for 3 minutes.

Re-runs of The Office when you specifically cancelled Thirsty Thursday to curl up with Jim and Pam.

Any college student can tell you how vitally important Thursdays are to the bar, social and (for my single ladies) the sexual scene on campus (um, VERY). So it’s a heart wrenching decision when I decide to spare my liver and my wallet on the occasional Thurs, order myself an entire pizza (not that I’ll eat it all at once or anything…) and wave a bittersweet goodbye to my dressed up friends waltzing out the door with our good friend Franzia tucked under one arm. Any regret of staying in usually vanishes upon the beginning of my favorite Comedy Night Done Right component: The Office. And then it’s a repeat. I already know that Jan had her baby before the shower, that Angela gets screwed out of both Dwight and Andy, and that sadly, Michael will not win Holly back. What I do not know is how to deal with the intense anger and grief that accompanies my realization that I have 20 minutes to get ready, get my ass to the bar and start chugging before Beat the Clock is over. You may have won this week NBC, but I’ll be watching next week’s episode on Hulu while I’m hungover Friday afternoon.

Scented Candles.

It seems like I buy a new scented candle anytime I go anywhere. At the mall, it’s Bath and Body Works to splurge on White Barn. At home it’s buying fundraising candles from younger cousins or my mom’s co-workers. At Walmart it’s just me going buckwild on the candle aisle (they’re like $2.99 for a 20 ouncer! I’d be crazy not to take advantage!). Every time  I come home with a new candle, find a strategically awesome place to put it so that it matches the room’s color/vibe/purpose/season/whatev and light that bad boy up, I get a little feeling of wonderfully scented satisfaction. Fast forward to two weeks later. My formerly awesome candle just doesn’t have the same pungency. It’s not as pretty now that all the wildflowers in the wax are long gone. In fact, the wax is kind of crazy and gnarly and isn’t cute at all. And that’s if there’s even any wick left.

Most of the time it just burns down to the bottom and I’m left with a glass jar of wonderfully scented garbage. I don’t even have any surface area left in my room to put things down on. Just jars and jars of various candles that I occasionally sniff and can’t bear to throw out. I think it’s turning into a problem, so I’ve resolved only to buy 4 candles a year (so they’re seasonally appropriate, and I won’t feel bad about shelling out for Yankee Candle in the recession.). Yet everywhere I go, a new candle with some pretty ribbon or delicious scent taunts me and tries to lure me back to the dark (light and fragrant?) side…

When your roommates go on dates with a**holes.

More specifically, when I’m the designated meet and greeter for said a**holes. I have better things to do than get the door for you and make small talk while my roomie finishes making herself hotter (for your benefit!). The least you can do is be polite, don’t turn on MY TV without permission and not take the phrase “make yourself comfortable” to the extreme (removing jacket, perfectly acceptable; removing shoes and socks while you wait for 15 minutes—not so much.) And I would have thought that it goes without saying, but um, don’t be f–ing rude to a friend of the girl you’re most likely gonna try to hook up with later (because I will c&ck block you with all of my best efforts).

Being rude includes, but is not limited to: Answering my small talk with nods, only speaking to ask where the shot glasses are, proceeding to nonchalantly smoke pot in my living room, chase aforementioned shot with my last Diet Snapple, eavesdrop on me telling my boyfriend that I have a headache, or suggest that a good remedy for headaches is an intense workout—and that I should try it sometime. Don’t worry, I’ll catch your date up on your rude behavior via text message while the two of you enjoy your evening out.

Okay, so I guess I let Hollywood feed me that stereotype.

However, once I started freshman year I started meeting some great girls (who were none of those stereotypical adjectives) and who were also in sororities. The contrast baffled me, so I decided to investigate.

Sororities are pretty big on my campus and something like 35% of girls go Greek. That fact and all the nice girls I had met led me to sign myself up for the 2 week long process of rush. My floor friends all signed up too, but I was still pretty iffy about the idea. I told a few home friends and their reaction was…well less than enthusiastic. I got responses like; “Are you serious?” “Why would you do that to yourself?” and “You are not a sorority girl!” Even my mom, who went Greek in college, said that it might not be for me. These people were the people that knew me best, so I thought that they were probably right, and I prepared to pull my name off the list of about 700 girls.

I deliberated for a while and ended up setting everyone else’s input aside (where it should have been in the first place). While my friends meant well, what did any of them know about being Greek? It is simply impossible to judge such a huge population of college girls based on Legally Blonde. So I kept my name on the rush list, for the primary reason that if I backed out before I had given it a fair shot, I knew I would feel regret and always wonder “what if.”

So I rushed, which at my school is literally rushing around. You go from house to house, sometimes in heels, meeting tons of girls. There are four rounds, “Go Greek”, “House Tours”, “Philanthropy”, and “Preference Rounds”. At the end of each round you rank the houses and they, in turn, rank all the “rushees.” Not gonna lie: it was a little nerve-wracking and exhausting. But as I walked around the houses and met the girls it became easy to sense where I belonged and where I didn’t quite feel comfortable.

In the end I picked a house and they picked me and I got to meet so many people that I would not have otherwise. People that are now my best friends and sisters. At such a big school, going Greek provided me with a smaller circle, girls to have fun with and girls to study with, girls to take care of me when I needed help and a place to feel comfortable.

Rush, of course, doesn’t turn out the same for everyone. Some people find houses, others don’t. I have a friend who regretted not rushing freshman year and rushed as a sophomore. In the end she dropped out of rush, but at least she could now say with certainty that it wasn’t for her. Even if you rush and end up not liking it you will meet so many more people. You could meet girls you like and choose to be friends with, but not sisters with, after the process. Or you could meet girls that dislike rush just as much as you end up bonding over disdain for the process. Or you could rush and find a sorority that you want to be a part of. You could find yourself a place where you are comfortable and happy, and what could be better than that?

Either way, I encourage rushing because it’s something you don’t get to re-do later in life. Give it a shot and you’ll be regret-free either way.