This year has been the first time I was on the other side of sorority recruitment. Last year, I went through recruitment as a freshman and found my home with Delta Gamma.This year, I was not only on the other side, but I was able to see all the behind the scenes of how crazy and intense recruitment can be. Whether it's girls running to get in line at the last second or trying to teach everyone the songs or even painting banners, there is so much more work that goes into recruitment than I would have ever imagined. It has been one of the craziest experiences of my life, but I'm extremely excited to welcome the new amazing sisters that we worked so hard to find. During recruitment, I found myself thinking about a couple different things...
1. Why am I up this early?
Recruitment requires you to be awake at obscene hours. Whether it's 6 a.m. or midnight, sleep is always on your mind. As exciting as recruitment is, the week is extremely draining and all the sisters are just looking forward to Bid Day (when we get to sleep in and then welcome our new sisters).
2. I need coffee.
Remember the whole no sleep thing? Because of that, coffee with five shots of espresso is everyone's go-to drink. It helps to give you that energy throughout the day that you are sufficiently lacking.
3. I'm so hungry.
Because you try to get as much sleep as you can before getting out of bed, you end up rushing out the door. While talking to all the PNM's throughout the day, you realize how hungry you actually are and your whole conversation starts revolving around food. "What's your favorite food, restaurant or dessert?" Anything and everything about food was talked about in your conversation. And when you finally break for lunch, it looks something like the GIF above.
4. Oh, wait, I already asked her that.
Interrogating the PNM's can be pretty fun because you are trying to see if they would fit in well with your sorority. But when you ask them so many questions, sometimes you might ask what you already talked about. They might answer the question again because they realize how tired you are, and you probably didn't remember that you asked them where they were from five times already.
5. Where is ______? She should have bumped me by now.
Sororities have something known as bumping which is when you have a specific girl who will come and join in on your conversation. Once your PNM and the bumper start talking, you slowly make your way out of the conversation and head onto the person whom you will then bump. It gets pretty confusing. But when you end up not getting bumped and have to talk to a girl for the full 40 minutes, it can get a little awkward...especially if you run out of questions and the PNM gives you one word answers.
6. This girl is literally my best friend.
Sometimes you have those extremely awkward conversations, but there are also those amazing girls who open up entirely. You find out that you know her brother's girlfriend's ex's sister or you end up talking about Southern food the entire time. Those simple conversations end up being the best, and you honestly feel as if this girl is your best friend.
7. I'm totally losing my voice.
After all the screaming, clapping and chanting, you are surprised that you can still somewhat talk. You thought you voice would be gone forever. Screaming songs at the top of your lungs for 10 minutes long has never been so much fun (just kidding).
8. I can't wait to find my 50 new sisters (and possibly my little).
One of the most exciting parts about going through recruitment as a sophomore is looking for your future little. Not only do you want an amazing new pledge class, but you also want to look for the newest member of your family.
No matter how stressful and tiring recruitment can be, it is honestly one of the best experiences of my life. I am so glad that I joined last year, and I am so happy that we found our new sisters.
