Recruitment can seem like a confusing, stressful, scary process to someone who has never been through it before.
Hopefully this advice will help your recruitment experience run smoothly so that you end up in the sorority that's the best fit for you.
1.) Brace yourself before your first round of day one, you’re about to be hit by a wave of clapping, smiling, singing, bouncing, sorority girls. It’s a little overwhelming at first, especially when you’re about to walk through the doors and all you can see for miles is a sea of girls all wearing the same outfit. Don’t fret, a member of that house will appear at the doorway when you walk in and help guide you to your seat.
2.) Be prepared to answer these questions: What were you involved in in high school? What are you looking for in a sorority? What did you do this summer? And of course the classic, “what is your major?” If I had a dollar for every time I was asked that last question when I went through recruitment, I probably could have paid for all of my outfits that week.
3.) Keep an open mind about each of the houses before recruitment starts. While it’s tempting to try to find out the reputation of each sorority, they are often inaccurate and don’t speak for all of the members. Let yourself form your own opinion of the sorority based on the girls you talk to during recruitment.
4.) BE YOURSELF, not someone you think a think a certain sorority wants you to be. If you pretend to be someone you’re not, you might end up in a house with girls like that. As long as you stay true to yourself, you’ll find girls just like you and you’ll be much happier that way. Just make sure you reveal yourself to the members of each sorority in a positive light (AKA avoid telling stories about how blackout drunk you got, or how many guys you regularly hook up with).
5.) Don’t be afraid to ask questions and lead the conversation! You may be nervous, but it’s important that the member you’re talking with isn’t the only one talking to. She wants to get to know you too to see if you’ll be a good fit for her sorority.
6.) Have one go-to question in mind incase there is a lull in conversation. It could be anything from “what are your favorite things to pin on Pinterest?” to “what made you want to be a (enter sorority name here)?”
7.) Your Rho Gamma’s are great, wonderful girls who disaffiliate themselves from their sorority during the recruitment season so that they can help you throughout your whole recruitment process. If your breath is a little stanky before you’re about to visit a house, no worries, they’ll give you a breath mint. If your hair falls out of place, fear not, they’ve got you covered with bobby pins and a brush. Your Rho Gam’s are also there to help give you advice and wipe your tears if you got cut from the house you really wanted. However, they are NOT there to listen to you talk smack about a house you hated. Always keep in mind that you could seriously offend your Rho Gamma if she’s a member of the house you were saying mean things about.
8.) Bring a pair of sandals with you on days when you’re going to wear heels (generally the last two days). This will save your feet when you have to walk to and from the Greek and from house to house once you’re there.
9.) It’s Texas in the middle of August, aka it’s going to be H-O-T hot! Luckily, there will be giant fans and tents outside of each house, but they can only do so much. If you know you tend to sweat easily, make sure you wear colors and fabrics that don’t show it as well. Dark colors make sweat harder to spot, and so do patterns. As far as material goes, cotton is the most breathable to help keep your body cool, but it also takes the longest to dry once the sweat is visible. On the other hand, polyester is one of the fastest drying clothing materials.
10.) Don’t overdo it with your perfume! There will be about 160 girls in the room (80 members and 80 PNM’s*), and if all of them were wearing strong perfume it would probably be enough to make you choke. As long as you’re wearing deodorant and no more than two spritzes of perfume you’ll be fine.
11.) CHILL OUT. It’s easy to get overwhelmed during recruitment, but try not to stress out too much. Chances are you’ll get cut from at least one of the houses you really liked, especially after the first day. However, everything happens for a reason and maybe it means you wouldn’t have liked or gotten along with the girls in that house the more you got to know them anyway.
12.) Get to know the other girls going through recruitment with you. You’ll have down time during lunch, break rounds, and waiting in line before you enter a house. It will be much more enjoyable if you have friends to hangout with. Who knows, they might even become some of your best friends, even if you don’t end up choosing the same sorority.
13.) Your sorority doesn’t define you. It may seem like a HUGE deal to get the house that you want, but if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world. Try to keep be positive on Bid Day, even if you’re upset with the sorority you got. I know plenty of girls who cried on Bid Day when they found out their sorority, only to look back on that moment months later and laugh because of how happy they are with their sorority now.
*PNM stands for Potential New Member
