When I started sorority recruitment, I was terrified. I had heard all of the complaints from my friends who had already gone through it, and it scared me to no avail. And while there are certain things that you simply have to experience for yourself to truly understand how they feel, there are still things I had wished I had been told beforehand.
- The days aren’t as bad as they’re made out to be. As long as you don’t let them be. You hear all about recruitment beforehand and how long and draining each day is. And it’s true, by the end of each day all you’re going to want to do is pass out. What nobody tells you however, is that they can also be really fun if you make them. Of course you aren’t going to love every single chapter you go to, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try to have a good conversation and have fun in each one you walk into. When you make the most of the experience, not only will you leave feeling pumped, but it will probably show and leave you with far more options.
- It’s easier to be yourself. Before recruitment, I was constantly told to just "be myself" and it would all work out. However, something I didn’t even consider beforehand is how much more work it would be to try to be someone I wasn’t. You may be able to walk into your very first chapter and be fake, but I promise by the end of open houses you’re going to be way too exhausted to do it all again.
- They sing to you. Don’t be scared. You’re going to walk in, they’re going to sing to you, and it may be a lot. Just get used to it, because you’re going to be hearing it a lot. And if you don’t go home every night with the songs stuck in your head, I envy you.
- All the conversations might blend together. If you walked into recruitment with a sign that said where you’re from, where you live on campus, if you’re close with your floor/roommate, and your major, you could probably skip at least all of open house round.
- Getting dropped can really hurt. And that’s okay, because it happens to everybody. While you may be fortunate enough to not get dropped by that one you absolutely loved, even getting dropped by one you just sort of liked can sting. This is where it becomes really important to know that this is absolutely not personal, and it says nothing about your character. While it is undeniably hurtful, you have to remind yourself that these girls only got to talk to you for an hour at most, they don’t know you, and it truly is not a reflection on your worth.
- It’s not for everybody. Personally, I loved recruitment and am glad I went all the way through the end with it. However, it definitely isn’t for everybody and that’s perfectly okay too. If you decide to sign up for recruitment and then feel like it isn’t for you, there’s nothing wrong with that. As with everything in life, not everybody is going to like the same things, and feel comfortable in the same situations. It’s a personal process, and that’s important to remember.
- Trust the process. Whether you end up in a chapter or decide that it isn’t for you, you will end up where you’re supposed to be.
Recruitment is definitely an exhausting and scary process, but it is also so many things that I didn’t realize beforehand. The most important thing is to know that you will end up where you’re meant to be,
