My Social Experience throughout Georgia Tech

I remember coming to college as a nervous freshman and being super worried about how to make friends. I was worried that I would not have a lot of friends. But on the first day of freshman year, I met Maggie and Amanda. Ever since then, they have been my closest friends, and I know that I will always have them.

I am a Jewish girl from the suburbs of New Jersey, so I decide to join Chabad. Chabad is a home away from home. I have gone every Friday night for shabbat ever since my freshman year. Shabbat is a great way to spend time with friends, it is a great way to de-stress from your schoolwork, and you get to eat amazing food. Chabad will always be welcoming, even when I graduate. I also go there for the different Jewish holidays. There are a lot of nice people that attend there; not just Georgia Tech students but also Georgia State students go to Chabad. I met this really nice girl named Shani who went to Georgia State but transferred to Georgia Tech and is engaged to her boyfriend, Ethan. She is so nice, and we hang out and talk at shabbat and she offered me a ride home one time. She and her fiancé helped me get through my breakup with my ex-boyfriend. She told me not to worry, and we are now Facebook friends! I met a nice boy named Jacob last year at Chabad who goes to Tech. We talk and sit together at Chabad; we even walk home from Chabad together, and we follow each other on Instagram. I hope I can still see them at Chabad after I graduate. I hope I can stay in Atlanta so I can continue to see them at Chabad every Friday night.

Chabad is not the only source where I find my friends. Another place I found my friends has been through Omega Phi Alpha (OPA). Omega Phi Alpha is Georgia Tech’s only service sorority. I was the first Excel student to join a sorority, and I eventually got three of my friends to join after I did! I always wanted to be part of Greek life and to join sisterhood and make lifelong friends. I pledged my first semester sophomore year, but I did not get in because I was too focused on my guy friends and on my ex-boyfriend. After I ended it with my ex, I was able to focus and become active in Omega Phi Alpha. My junior year was my first active semester. It was hard to get all my service hours because I was sick. I almost got kicked out because I had a hard time getting all my service hours, but they were so understanding. OPA has been a great experience for me, and same with Chabad, because it made me get out of my comfort zone. I am proud of my leadership by being the first Excel student to join a sorority. I made such an impact in Excel that my two best friends, Maggie and Amanda, joined Omega Phi Alpha. Maggie joined her first semester of her junior year; I am Maggie’s big sister in Omega Phi Alpha. My second friend, Amanda, joined her second semester of her junior year. I also got a new friend in Excel to join Omega Phi Alpha; she is a freshman, and her name is Lily. I am also friends with the other girls in it but would love to do more things with them. I would also love to do more things with Maggie and Amanda or just the other girls in the sorority. We do a lot of fun in-person service activities. One service project that is super fun is going to the Reece Center, which is helping children and young adults with autism and Down syndrome to ride horses. That is my favorite service project because I used to ride horses when I was little.

I had a lot of great experiences over my four years of Excel. I love Georgia Tech and I would have never wanted to go to a different college! College has been great for me because in high school I did not have a lot of friends or a group of friends. I was afraid college would be the same as high school, but it has been different and wonderful; I have more friends now than I ever did! Chabad and Omega Phi Alpha were really great experiences. I am glad I was able to join a sorority and continue my religion. I am glad that I got out of my comfort zone to join a sorority and to branch out at Chabad. My advice for incoming freshman would be to not be shy and to try different clubs and organizations. If you liked volunteering in high school, then try to find a volunteer option in college; you can find a group of friends that way also. I think these can be lifelong friends that I met through OPA and Chabad. I know that I will always have Maggie, Amanda, and Lily as friends.