'Tis the season for sorority recruitment. Some girls have been waiting their whole lives to take part in this process, growing up wanting to be in the same sorority as their mothers and even grandmothers. Other girls are fairly certain they want to go Greek, but are there to explore their options of chapters and find the one for them. And lastly, there are girls who are unsure of the whole thing—they are there to get a better feel if this is the right thing for them. Regardless of which of these categories you fall in, formal sorority recruitment is a scary thing. No matter how much you love Zeta Tau Alpha, for example, there is always the chance of them not loving you and dropping you from their list, but don’t be scared. Here is some advice for the PNMs of 2015 sorority recruitment.
- Be confident that a chapter is going to love you. Because it’s true. Even if it may not be your very top choice, give them a chance. If they love you, it is likely that in a few weeks you will realize that you found your true home away from home.
- Be yourself. This is the most cliché statement in existence, but if you’re not a peppy and bubbly person, don’t act like one simply because you think that’s what every chapter is looking for. Diversity in a chapter is what makes it exciting—don’t try to fit the “srat girl” stereotype, because honestly, most girls don’t. Rather, unique girls come together to form amazing and diverse chapters.
- Dress like yourself, too. You don’t like Lilly Pulitzer or Jack Rogers? Then don’t buy them for recruitment just because you think those are the only clothes sorority girls will accept. You don’t really care about expensive name brands? Then don’t wear them. Wear something that you would normally wear out to a nice dinner—forget about what you think sorority girls expect.
- Smile. This doesn’t mean being peppy even when you may not be, but show the chapter members that you are excited to be in their house. They put endless hours, blood, sweat, tears, and glitter into preparing for you, so appreciate it.
- Don’t sweat the little things. If you accidentally drop the fried macaroni and cheese balls on their parlor floor, or you stumble on a step, don’t linger on it. Laugh about it, brush it off, and continue your conversation. Hey, maybe the chapter member will even remember you better from your clumsy mistake. If there is a connection and the conversation is good, something like that won’t make them remove you from their chapter list.
- Keep an open mind. I came into recruitment fairly certain I wanted to go ZTA, but I had been told to keep my mind open to other chapters. For all you know, the chapter you think you want isn’t that great for you after all. They are all on the same playing field and deserve to be judged equally.
- Disregard the stereotypes. Form your own opinion of the chapter yourself. All that is really important is what chapter you fit in with because you are the one who’s going to be a member for life. Forget about what others think about the chapter, because you deserve what you think is best for yourself.
