Classes are about to begin here at San Diego State. That also means that formal recruitment is right around the corner as well. Formal recruitment is when young women figure out if Greek life is for them or not and they get all dressed up to try and impress as many sorority women as possible. This is also one of the most stressful times for women going through recruitment because they may feel overwhelmed by how many girls they talk to and worrying about whether or not they will say the right thing. I get it, recruitment is super stressful. As someone who has been on the recruiter side, I can tell when a girl is feeling worried or stressed by the long days or the hot weather.

The first piece of advice that I want to give young women going through formal recruitment is to not be afraid to ask whoever is recruiting you tons of questions. Not only are they trying to recruit you, but you are also trying to figure out if a certain chapter is a right fit for you. The more questions you ask, the more likely the recruiter is going to think that you are genuinely curious about the chapter and that you want to learn more about the Greek community.

The next most important piece of advice I have is to know who your Rho Gamma, or recruitment advisor, is and to ask them for help when you need it. These girls are trained to answer any questions girls may have about recruitment and do their best to make the process as easy as possible for all potential new members. You can ask them about anything, including what outfits to wear, how the selection process works, even how the rest of the day is going to look. These girls are going to be your backbone throughout the whole recruitment process, so make sure to utilize them.

A good tip that we as recruiters use is that we always have a "pocket question" on hand just in case there's a lull in the conversation. This can be anything like, "Tell me about your hometown," or, "Describe the perfect day for you." Potential new members can also benefit from having a pocket question on hand so that they are able to see what kind of girls are in a certain chapter. The more confident you feel that you know what type of girls are in a chapter, the better chance you have in finding the right fit for you.

Lastly, just be yourself. We are very good at judging when someone is being fake and not genuine when they answer our questions or if their mind is somewhere else. We are not recruiting some weird copycat version of you. We are recruiting YOU. At the end of the say, you're the one that knows yourself best. If you go through the process and find that Greek life isn't for you, then that's completely fine. Trust your gut and go with the flow. Trust me, it will make things a lot easier for yourself in the long run.