It’s almost that time of year again: the time for sorority recruitment to begin. This means that sorority girls across the Penn State community are preparing to find the next group of girls that they will welcome in to continue their legacy and incoming freshmen (and even older girls) are thinking about joining Greek Life and what that will mean for them. Recruitment can be very scary for the girls who are rushing (called PNM's). However, a lot of the intimidation of recruitment, especially at a huge school, can go away with the help of some good advice. If you are rushing this fall, here's some good advice for you!
1. Relax.
You will obviously be a little nervous when you are going into recruitment, which is totally normal. However, you don’t need to be a giant bundle of anxiety when you meet the sorority women. They, just like you, are normal girls with whom you probably have a lot in common. If you are overly nervous, your conversations won't flow naturally and your actual personality won’t show through to the sorority women you talk to. It’s important to relax and be yourself so the women can get an idea of who you really are and if you will fit in with their chapter—not a fake version of you. If you’re nervous, just think about the fact that all of the sorority members you'll speak with were once in your place and ended up just fine!
2. Don’t spend a fortune.
When you go through recruitment, you’re going to be tempted to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe to fit in with what everyone else is wearing. If you want to buy some new clothes, that’s totally fine, but stick to your own style and don’t break the bank. Don’t go out and buy crazy designer outfits that you can’t really afford and you wouldn’t normally wear just because you heard that’s the style that XYZ sorority wears. If you buy new clothes, get ones that you feel comfortable in and that show your style. Your style is a reflection of your personality and remember, it’s important to be the real you. Who wants to spend four years pretending to be someone they’re not? Also, the sorority women are going to be seeing thousands of girls throughout the rounds of recruitment. Odds are, they won’t remember that you had on designer wedges. If you wouldn’t normally wear it, don’t waste the money!
3. Be nice.
This might sound cliché and simple, but you'd be surprised by the amount of girls who have terrible attitudes during recruitment. Remember, these sorority women are trying to find the members who they feel will best carry on their organization’s legacy. It takes awhile to get a feel about a person, and just because you might think you hate ABC sorority, doesn’t mean you actually would. When you visit a sorority, you are talking to a few out of hundreds of members. Give it a chance and as recruitment goes on, you’ll begin to realize where you fit in. If you are called back to a sorority you think you hate, be respectful and carry on a conversation with the sisters. Do not ignore their questions or act snobby.
4. Not a freshman? No worries!
You’ll find that, in sorority recruitment, everyone just assumes you’re a freshman because the majority of girls who are rushing are freshmen. However, a lot of older girls rush as well. If you aren’t a freshman, don’t feel like you are going through the process with a disadvantage. If you are truly meant to be in a chapter, you will get a bid from them. I wasn't a freshman when I rushed, and I never felt like it was working against me. I ended up in a chapter where I feel completely at home, and never once did I feel weird or awkward being older than the majority of my pledge class. It’s really never too late to go Greek, so if you’re not a first-year student, don’t let that stop you during recruitment.
5. Don’t try to figure out what sorority your Pi Chi's are in.
During recruitment, you will be grouped with other girls by last name in alphabetical order and will be guided through the recruitment process by sorority members known as Pi Chi's. These girls are in one of the chapters participating in formal recruitment and have temporarily disaffiliated from their organizations in order to provide unbiased advice to PNM's. Throughout recruitment, you will not know what sorority your Pi Chi's are in. At the end, when the Pi Chi's rejoin their chapters, you’ll find out what sorority they belong to. WAIT UNTIL THEN TO FIND OUT. Sure, it’s fun to guess what sorority your Pi Chi might be in, but don’t seriously look into it. You aren’t supposed to know their affiliation for a reason. If you find out what sorority your Pi Chi is in, it might cloud your judgment. Say you love Pi Chi Sally and find out she’s in XYZ sorority. You might not even fit in at XYZ sorority, but are pretending you do because you love Sally. Just let their sororities be a secret and have a surprise when you find out.
