This past weekend, I went through formal recruitment at my university. It was an experience filled with heels, tears, and a lot of glitter. On Bid Day, I ran home to my new sisters at Kappa Delta and I couldn’t be happier to call anywhere else home. Going into rush, I had an idea as to what was in store for me… which is not something that every potential new member (PNM) had going for them. Recruitment is an intense process, but luckily for you I’ve broken it down into the basic stages every PNM experiences.
1. You're completely overwhelmed.
The first day of recruitment is such a sensory overload. By this time you’ve been separated into groups lead by sisters of different sororities on campus who have temporarily disassociated themselves from their respective houses in order to keep the PNMs open minded to all of the houses (at my university, these sisters are called Pi Chi’s, but that name changes at different institutions). Your group goes around to different sororities to meet and get to know what they’re all about. The first time you enter a chapter’s recruitment space, you’re immediately met with over one hundred girls chanting at you… which is a little overwhelming to say the least. After that, you get to talk to a couple different sisters and then leave. This process repeats until you’ve seen every sorority on campus.
2. You're terrified.
Once you’ve seen all the sororities, you rank which ones you like best and if the sororities you picked decide that they like you too, you’ll get asked back to see them again -- keep in mind the dress codes for each round of recruitment gets fancier as it progresses. The fear in the room while PNMs wait to see what houses they’re going back to is tangible. Every girl is wondering: did my top house ask me back? What if I only get my bottom houses? Does my hair even look good right now?! The last round is when you go back to, at most, two houses to decide which one is the best fit for you.
3. It gets emotional.
Preference round (the last one) is by far the most emotional because that’s when you’re finding out where you feel most at home while simultaneously praying that your top house wants to give you a bid. Most of the sisters have tissues at the ready because there’s a lot of singing and hand holding and emotions at preference rounds… meaning at least four girls are going to cry.
4. You're excited and glittery.
Bid day is the best day of recruitment because you get a little envelope with a bid from the sorority that wants you to be a part of their sisterhood. Everyone gathers in a circle surrounded by all of the sororities dressed up in their bid day theme chanting and screaming. It’s at this time that all of the Pi Chi’s finally get to reveal what sorority they’re a part of and they run home to their sisters. After that, the new members get to run to their sorority as their new sisters wait with open arms and tons of glitter.
This process is exhausting but extremely rewarding. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life and I couldn’t imagine being in any other sisterhood.
