It's been almost a year since I became an alumna of my sorority Sigma Sigma Sigma. Making the transition to alumnae life was tough in some parts more than others, but today I am going to share with you some of the ways to make the transition to alumnae life easier.

This time of year tons of sorority women will make the transition to alumnae life with May graduations are occurring soon. Hopefully this blog will help you with some of the transitions necessary to go from an active collegiate to an active alumna.

Understand The Difference Between Being Active In College and Alumna Life

Okay, first and foremost, being active in college versus active in alumna life are two distinct things. You cannot be active in the same way as an alumna, but it doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of ways to be active as an alumna. The sooner that you re-arrange how you define active the better for you, your specific sorority chapter, and your national organization as a whole.

Fill Your Time

Your time is going to definitely be spent differently as an alumna member over a collegiate member. As a collegiate in college, a lot of your life revolves around your sorority. You go to weekly meetings, sisterhoods, games, etc. with your sisters and you get super involved. As an alumna, even as an advisor to your chapter, there is no way to fill your time with that many sorority activities weekly. Do something else with your time. More than likely you will have a job or you will be continuing your education so you won't have a million years to think about sorority life. If you aren't transitioning that quickly, find other ways to fill your time through other clubs and activities in your neighborhood. Just don't get too stuck on feeling lost now that you don't go to sorority meetings each week.

Get Active

One of the easiest ways to start your transition is to get involved with your sorority. That might be in the form of a national volunteer position or getting involved with an alumnae chapter in your state. This could also be as simple as joining a Facebook group for your sorority. Most sororities now a days have a great connection group online where you can find sisters from all over the country. This can be a great place to look if you are moving to a new city and want some friends, or you just want to see what chapters all over the country are doing.

Once sorority life as a collegiate was over, I became a national volunteer. This was a way for me to work with my sorority in the location that I was because where I attended graduate school there was no nearby alumnae chapter.

Understand That Things Change

One thing that is pretty inevitable as you begin your life as a sorority alumna, is that things within your chapter will change. As your sorority gets new leadership, your university culture changes, and other things happen around you things will change. Don't stay stuck or try to make your chapter stay the same. Don't use what influence you have in your chapter to try and keep it stagnant. The best part about Greek life is that it is constantly changing, and as an alumna you shouldn't try to stifle that growth so thing stay the same.

Support Your Chapter

The best thing you can do as an alumna is support your chapter. Share their images on your social media networks every blue moon if you still have an audience in your college town, give money to their causes, and give physical support where needed. Don't impose yourself into their daily lives, but send a little money their way sometimes. I have donated to my local chapter once or so since I left the chapter and I try to give when I can. I am not able to really give all the time because I am in graduate school, but when I can I do like to give a bit of money because it is the nice thing to do.

It's Not Four Years, But For Life

Remember, above all else: it's not four years, but for life. Your sisters will stand behind you, support you, and the transition will be what you make it. The four years of college life are just a portion of the point of sorority life. Collegiate life shouldn't be the end of your sorority life, just the end of sorority life as you know it. During your sorority alumna life, you shouldn't focus so much on your collegiate chapter, as much as you should focus on what you can bring to your sorority life as an alumna through the many programs your sorority has to offer.

It's A Whole New World Out There

Above all else what I have learned is that I am not just a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma's Alpha Omicron chapter, but I am a Sigma Sigma Sigma woman. It's more than just about loving my chapter, but it's also about loving my sorority. Since I have left my undergraduate university I realize that it's a whole Tri Sigma world out there filled with beautiful and amazing women who inspire me on the daily with the work they do across the country to raise money for our philanthropy, spread awareness about various causes, etc. I love my chapter and the amazing things they do for me, but since I have become an alumna I feel more connected to chapters across the country rather than just my one little chapter. I hope that you are able to find the same connection in alumna life.

I hope this blog post helps you make the transition to sorority alumna life so that you can be involved as an alumna without missing collegiate life too much.