If the university you currently attend has any sort of Greek life, you've probably heard something about sorority recruitment weeks. For the women going through recruitment, it's a week of anxiety, sweating as girls cheer at you and ask you what your life goals are.

But what isn't often discussed is what it's like being a sorority woman recruiting other women.

I never went through formal recruitment on my campus. Sorority life didn't really appeal to me, and it didn't help that I had mono during recruitment week. I wasn't going to get a bid if I fell asleep on the girl asking me about my major. However, I did join a sorority and happen to be a founding member of my chapter on campus. Although it's awesome being able to say that, it left me terrified for what would be my first formal sorority recruitment. The first time I would go through this process would be from the other side, and I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

Recruitment is different on every campus, and every sorority prepares in a different way. My chapter started preparing in late November with a recruitment workshop where we sat for six or seven hours together and discussed a week that seemed too far away to talk about.

We then all came back for spirit week in January. Yes, we came back to campus three or four days early to prepare for recruitment week. We talked endlessly about having good conversations and what we would like to see in our new group of sisters. While sitting in a room with 80-ish girls for 10 hours for four days sounds awful, it was actually some of the most fun I've ever had with my sisters. I got to know people I didn't previously have a lot of chances to talk to. I got to know my friends even better, and I got to eat a lot of pizza and Jimmy John's.

We all left spirit week anxious to help girls find their new home, regardless of whether their home was our home.

Then recruitment week came. They warned us that it was going to be a long week, that we would lose our voices, lose sleep and we would need to get ahead on our school work before it started. A lot of us were not excited to be stuck in a room for six hours, cheering loudly in these nervous girls' faces and asking the same few questions.

To all of the girls that recently went through recruitment or are considering it: we were just as nervous as you were. We were just as nervous that conversations would be awkward with silences so long they might as well be elevator rides with someone you made out with once freshman year. We were nervous you weren't going to like us or what we had to say about our own little family. We were scared you'd be completely disinterested and talk about the weird girl you just talked to with all your friends.

We also were heartbroken if we talked to you and really liked you and saw you pick a different sorority on Bid Day. It was really hard for us to hide our sad expression as you ran off to your new home even though, at heart, we really are excited for you. We also wonder what made you not choose us and what we could've done differently.

Something that you also probably don't realize is how close we get with our sisters. I found that there were quite a few people in my chapter that I knew very little about. I was learning that some of my sisters were involved in awesome service trips and organizations on campus, and they had some really cool stories to share. I found myself getting closer to my friends and making a lot of new ones along the way. Although I'm sure we all got sick of seeing each other so much, we came out with a much stronger sisterhood than going in.

Overall, yes, recruitment was exhausting, long and sometimes irritating. But I found it to be a very positive experience that made me love my chapter even more. There really are no words for what happens on Bid Day, between all the cheering and fun and welcoming girls into your home. Even though I left Bid Day without a voice, I also left with 53 new sisters that I can't wait to get to know and love. It made all of the hours of prep and recruiting so completely worth it.