The sorority girl

The Sorority Girl: Clare Libbing, freshman
Fort Wayne, 19 years old

Clare Libbing left behind high school curfews and parental supervision. Freedom, she says, is living in a house with 100 sisters.

Clare Libbing walks into a mansion with tall ceilings, golden chandeliers, and large couches with pillows that are there more for show than for comfort. Clare, a 19-year-old freshman, recently received her bid at her first choice sorority, Alpha Xi Delta.

Clare is confident she’s found her new home on campus, but admits she’s still slightly nervous around her new sisters.  “Right now I’m acting a little different because I know I’m trying to impress them, but every week I feel more and more relaxed and like myself,” Clare says.

It’s coming up on 9 p.m., and Clare isn’t checking her watch for the time. The concept of a curfew disappeared when she left high school. “Now I can do whatever I want, when I want.”

Clare’s older sister is a junior in the same sorority. But as much as Clare loves having her sister around, she’s also trying to make a name for herself. “I’m trying to have the sorority girls get to know me not so much as Sarah’s little sister,” she says.

Freshman year gave Clare the freedom to decide how she spends her time, but she is still learning how to budget everything from her stress to her bills. She is responsible for half her tuition and all of her spending money. “I’m free, but still dependent on my parents for advice,” Clare says. “I can always call them, and they’re just a short car ride away.”

Clare doesn’t seem concerned about any freedom she might lose by moving back into a house where she isn’t completely in control. “You have less freedom of where you should go and what you should say to people. You’re not just speaking for yourself, but you’re speaking for 100 other girls that live with you,” Clare says. “I am much more aware of what I do now and how I portray myself.”

Though she’s still taking it all in, Clare knows she wants to be involved in Alpha Xi Delta. “It will be like living on a dorm room floor with people that will be your best friends.” She takes a deep breath. “I hope.