With formal recruitment quickly approaching, freshmen everywhere are wondering if Greek life may be right for them. There are so many positive aspects about being a Greek woman, but there are also so many lies circulating about recruitment. Here are the craziest lies I have heard during my own recruitment experience.
1. You cannot drink the ice water or use the bathroom.
This is absolutely not true. The girls rushing know that it can be a long and hot day, especially in the opening days of recruitment. It is so important to stay hydrated and relieve yourself when you need to go. Recruitment is always about presenting your best self, and you can't do that if you're uncomfortable or dehydrated!
2. Sororities cut you based on what you wear or how you look.
Again, this is super false! You should wear something that makes you feel confident and comfortable. Plus, this Louisiana weather can be so unpredictable, you may get rained on and your hair may frizz. Sorority women completely understand your pain, most of them have gone through recruitment as well!
3.Preference round is really weird.
Preference round can be many things, but it definitely is not weird. This is the last round before you make a commitment to an organization, so it can be emotional. It is the most serious and the conversation deepens a lot, but I promise, no house will make you feel uncomfortable for pref night.
4. You cut sororities.
The way the decision process works is that you visit every house for ice water. Then, you choose your favorite eight houses, and then rank your remaining ones second, third, fourth, so on until you run out of houses. If a house in your top eight decides not to extend an invitation to invite you back, your remaining choices are bumped up. Each round functions this way until preference. You can choose to include all houses, or you can "suicide" your top choice, which means you only put down your favorite house. If you choose to eliminate any of the houses you were invited back to on preference night, you may end up without a bid on Bid Day, which is why you should maximize your options!
5. Some sororities are better than others.
I bought into this lie for a long time before I realized how ridiculous it was. Each sorority is basically the same, just with different names and symbols and philanthropies. Some houses are choosier than others during the recruitment process, but that does not make the other houses any less amazing. You will meet sisters, get a Big, participate in amazing service projects and be a part of something greater whether you're a Delta Gamma, Chi Omega or a Kappa Alpha Theta.
Take a deep breath, blot your face with your coffee filter, pop that Altoid in your mouth and relax. You will find your place and love every second of it.
