As recruitment is approaching in a couple of months, I am reflecting back to the beginning of last school year. Little freshman me was terrified. I didn’t know what to expect at all, and so naturally I watched like 5 million YouTube videos about sororities to try to get an idea. To the sweet potential new members going through recruitment and maybe freaking out a little, take a deep breath. It is going to be fine, I promise. Here are some things to think about as this exciting time gets closer..

Be yourself. I know this sounds incredibly cheesy, but it is by far the most important. You can’t really ‘trust the system’ if you aren’t being your true self. I know that it can be intimidating talking to a bunch of girls you don’t know, but just try to relax and just be you. The girls on the other side are just as nervous, and all they want to do is get to know you, because you could be their sister! If you feel like you have to fit a certain image or talk a certain way 24/7 around the girls, they aren’t the house for you. Your home will love you for you.

If you are a bit shy like me, I encourage you to just try to come out of your shell as much as you can. Recruitment is a time for you to brag a little bit about yourself and just have good conversation, and for the girl in the house to share why she loves her chapter so much. Maybe have some questions prepared so that way you have something to fall back on if you can’t think of anything to talk about, and that way you can get to know as much about the sorority as possible so that you can make an informed decision on pref night. I was terribly nervous, and was scared of being awkward, but I knew I was in a good house when we were so caught up in conversation, that when it came time for the party to end, it felt like it zoomed right on by.

Another big piece of advice is to keep an open mind about all of the chapters on your campus, when going into recruitment. Every chapter at every school is different, so you won’t know until you give it a chance. For me personally, I had made a judgement off of social media because a particular chapter looked so cute in all of their pictures and I thought that it would be the perfect fit for me, and I ended up cutting them the first day. I am not saying that this will happen to you, but I recommend going in with no expectations, because if you give every chapter a fair chance, you will see which ones stand out to you. You are going to be exhausted by the end of the night, but even on your last house, don’t waste conversation complaining or anything, because they could be the girls who you hit it off with the best! A huge part of keeping an open mind is not letting other potential new members influence your decision. I know that it is so very tempting to spill your guts when you are so excited or so torn, but you need to make this decision for yourself. You don't want to end up in a chapter that you don’t fit into as well, just because you want to be with your best friend. I promise it is not the end of the world if you end up in different chapters. You will both be so much happier where you belong, and besides, just think of all the adorable pan love photos.

Preference night is a little different for everybody. Some people might know exactly which house they want by this point, and some might be completely torn. Again for the girls terrified because you have to sit and talk with someone for an hour, don’t freak out. You will probably have met this girl already and you will feel more relaxed. For me personally, I had made up my mind that I was going to go a certain chapter, which was the first house I went to, and then after I visited the second house, I was completely torn. It was a very hard decision and there may or may have not been tears. Multiple times. When it came down to it for me, I thought about which group of girls I could see myself going with to get McDonalds at 2 in the morning with my hair in a bun and no makeup on. Feeling like you can be yourself is the most important thing.

To all of the potential new members out there, I hope that you have an amazing recruitment. Be yourself, make awesome friends, and just enjoy the process. Choose to be a part of something that makes you a better version of yourself. You could meet your very best friends that become like family to you. It is truly a bond that will last for a lifetime. Have an amazing summer and GO GREEK!