My Unusually Long Prequel to Sophomore Year by Lauren W. '29

Happy FDOC and FWOC! Realistically, this is going up a couple weeks after FWOC, but at the time I am starting to write this, it is the first day of classes! As a fall athlete and sorority member, my time at MIT before FDOC is a lot longer and busier than most students, so come with me as I tell you about pre-season and sorority recruitment!

I’m on the MIT varsity women’s soccer team, and our move in day was on August 18 this year. Since our first official game was on September 1, over a week before classes started, we have to move in a couple weeks early to prepare for season. It was so exciting to reunite with everyone on the team after being separated all summer long, and of course meet our new frosh!

Last year’s pre-season, when we were scrimmaging D1 Harvard within the first week of practice.

We started off with two-a-days⁠01 two practices a day and scrimmages for a couple weeks before our first official game. We would normally have a lighter morning session, and then a harder afternoon practice or scrimmage within our own team or against another school. In between practices, I would hang out with others on the team. We would get coffee, play Fortnite (mobile), take naps, and do literally everything together. It was so much fun.

In the evenings, we would plan mixers for our frosh with other sports on campus. This early in the year, there are only other fall sports on campus with us: women’s volleyball, field hockey, football, men’s soccer, and men’s waterpolo. Last year as a freshman, these mixers were super exciting as I was meeting a bunch of new people and future friends at every one. This year was still fun, and I was happy to reunite with my friends on other fall sports teams. 

The current sophomore women’s soccer class going out to dinner in Boston together!

On the first day we didn’t have afternoon practice, each grade on the team decided to do its own class bonding in the evening. It wasn’t something anyone planned as a team, we each just did it on our own. I thought it was so cute that our first instinct on a semi-off day was to spend quality time with each other. I absolutely love my team and it really feels like a second family. 

Our second scrimmage against SNHU, came out with the dub!

We then drove all the way to New Hampshire (a whopping 1 hour to drive to an entirely different state)⁠02 it is extremely difficult for the california mind to comprehend this , to play SNHU in our last scrimmage before the season started. I started my first game at MIT in this one, but unfortunately got into a bad tackle and sprained my left ankle. I haven’t had many significant injuries in my time playing soccer, so I’m not used to sitting out, and it’s been pretty hard.

Walking out to our first official game of the season at our lovely home field, Roberts!

I still was not able to play in this game a week later. It’s hard because my ankle has healed a lot but it hurts to sprint, change direction, and kick, all things absolutely necessary to actually play soccer. But, I have had a great time watching my teammates do awesome things on the field, and it has been nice to let my body rest. I know that when I’m able to come back, I’ll have even more motivation to play at my best.

Since then, I’ve been taking a back seat on soccer, which meant I could focus more on rush! I am in a sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta for short), and we have FSR, Fully Structured Recruitment, the weekend before school starts. If you want to learn more about the details of FSR and Panhel, there is another amazing blog that goes more into it here.

Now that I’m a sophomore, I got to experience the other side of rush for the first time, actually recruiting freshmen to Theta. I honestly was not the most involved in my sorority last year, but recruitment was still super fun and I feel a lot more connected to Theta and the amazing people in it. 

Me and some of my famline! My grandbig, big, and one of my aunts!

My famline is one of my favorite parts of being in Theta. Every year after rush, new members go on kitesises or sister dates, which are basically hangouts with different people in the chapter. Then, around mid October, they rank and get matched with a member one year older than them to be their big. Last October, I got matched with my amazing big, Selin. My grandbig, Joanne, is Selin’s big, and my great grandbig was Joanne’s big. This chain of bigs is how famlines are formed, and it’s amazing to have a close group of people in different grades to look up to. My famline is pretty big because my grandbig now has three littles, so I have two aunts who also add to the famline. 

It was fun reuniting with my famline during when everyone came back to prepare for rush. It also was super exciting to talk to PNMs⁠03 </span>Potential New Members: People who are rushing! ! The freshmen were so cute and it is crazy to think I was in their exact spot only one year ago. 

Preference Round⁠04 </span>The last round of recruitment before PNM's rank which sorority they want to be in and Bid Night⁠05 Where PNM open their bids and run home to their new sorority! are both on the same day, and then the next day is FDOC, so it is a very fast turnaround. The women’s soccer team normally can’t make Bid Night because we always have a game that evening, but we do our own little bid night after our game and all hang out at the Theta house and order food. I love our new class so much, and I’m super excited to go on many kitesises this fall and meet them!

My twin star famline on FDOC morning!

Theta has twin star famlines, which are temporary famlines to welcome the new members into the sorority. Everyone in my twin star famline is on the soccer team, so we are all super close already. It’s my first time being a big in this situation, and I love my cute twin star little⁠06 shoutout Alex .

It’s also a Panhel tradition to wear our Bid Night shirts all of FDOC and take pictures on Killian before classes start. It is really nice, especially as a freshman, because you can instantly spot new friends and people to sit with in class when you’re wearing the same shirt!

Last year’s FDOC, when all the sororities congregated for pictures on Killian

The past couple weeks have been amazing, and although classes starting isn’t my favorite thing, I know this semester is going to be super fun. I’m excited for soccer season and to come back from injury and compete for the NEWMAC and of course THE NATTY, I’m excited to get an amazing little and add to my awesome fam, I’m excited to be back with all of my friends, and I’m excited for everything this semester will bring that I can’t predict yet.

If you can’t tell, I’m really looking forward to this fall, and I can’t wait to bring you guys along with me this time!