The recruitment process is a very interesting one. I never really thought I would go through it, however this year is all about trying new things, right?

The past few weeks, I had my first experience with recruitment. At Miami, recruitment is split amongst two weekends. Friday and Saturday of the first week are Welcome Rounds. Once Welcome Round is over, we were to rank our bottom four sororities. The next day we would get a schedule with the sororities that wanted us back. Some would be the ones we wanted and some would not.

Sunday was Philanthropy Round. During this round, the sororities tell the potential new members (PNMs) about their respective philanthropies and the different events they do to raise money for them. Some fun events they have are selling pancakes late at night uptown, putting on swimming fundraisers, and dance shows. These events are all aimed at raising money for their philanthropies, and many people across the Greek community attend.

The next round is the following Thursday and it is titled Sisterhood Round. During this round, the potential new members talk to their remaining sororities for a longer amount of time than the previous rounds. In the earlier rounds, we spoke to the sororities for 25 minutes. Now, we would talk to them for forty minutes. This allows us to get to know the girls better and allows them to get to know us better, too. This helps both us and the sororities decide if we are the right fit for them.

The last round is Pref Round, short for preference. This round is even longer than the next. This round lasts sixty minutes with each sorority left on a potential new member's schedule. This is the last time the sororities will speak to the new members before making their final decisions.

Sunday is Bid Day. The potential new members will receive a bid from only one sorority. Once the bid is accepted, the member is officially a sister and part of that sorority.

My favorite part about recruitment was when we walked into each sorority and they were all so happy to see the potential new members. All the girls are cheering and singing their sorority songs and it's a really cheerful and positive environment to walk into. Seeing them all smiling and having so much fun with their sisters made me feel so much better about being there. It seems like everyone is a little nervous before going in, but a welcome like this was a great way to lessen the nerves.

Throughout recruitment, a lot of people say "trust the process." I found this statement to be so important while going through recruitment. At Miami, there's a place for everyone, in and out of a sorority. There are so many sororities and so many types of people in them and, eventually, everyone will find their match. It's worth it to go through recruitment, even if you don't decide to commit to a sorority in the end. The experience is a fun one and it's a great way to learn more about yourself.

Although I chose not to join a sorority, I am so glad I decided to go through recruitment. Miami has something for everyone and, right now, I don't think sorority life is for me. The most rewarding part of this all was actually getting to know each sorority. I walked in thinking so differently of each sorority compared to the way I thought of them when I walked out. Greek life can sometimes have a bad reputation, but recruitment showed me how wrong it is to judge a book by its cover.