As recruitment season surrounds us, there is heightened sense of fear in the air and an increasing desperate need to nail that first impression. Every single strand of hair must be either perfectly curled or straightened to perfection. A manicure and pedicure is a must have. Face masks are needed to bring out that certain glow. All of the PNMs (potential new members) are desperately trying to impress every house just to guarantee at least one bid for themselves. Recruitment week is possibly the most stressful and anxious feeling weeks these college women endure. However, no one realizes what's going on on the other side.
The women you meet this week are going through the exact same thing as you. They are trying to build the best outfit that would not only compliment their looks but compliment the entire chapter as a whole. Some tricky business huh? I remember last year our Recruitment Chair told us that one day we needed to wear purple dresses. Believe it or not, purple dresses are probably one of the hardest articles of clothing I have ever tried to purchase.
Every sorority also practices and prepares for the week before at recruitment school. We practice not only how to talk to people but how to keep the conversation going. We relearn all of the history of our sorority and everything we do to correctly give information to the PNM.
We practice how smoothly they transition talking from one person to the other. We practice not judging the women solely on what they wear but instead look at what makes up their personality, their spirit, their values, and how they fit well within the chapter themselves. One of the most important things we are taught at recruitment school is trying come up with questions to ask you in case the conversation starts going dry.
I remember going through formal recruitment myself and how some girls ran out of things to talk about. We sat in silence for a few minutes. One of the most awkward situations I have been with. Not every PNM will magically fall in love with the girls they talk to that day. It's just the reality of things. Some girls are harder to talk to while some girls can bond on anything. This past week a PNM and I bonded over the fact that we almost burned down our dorms because we can't cook whatsoever. Another PNM and bonded over our ambitious dreams in life. She ultimately wants to graduate from Stanford. I want to graduate from veterinary school. Another PNM and I bonded over the food babies that form every time we leave Orange Leaf or HuHot. On the other side of recruitment, we don't care what we talk about (to some extent). As long as you and your girl are getting along, you are golden.
One of the most important things that we work on preparing for recruitment is our RBFs. Resting. Bitch. Face. It's no lie that every girl has one. Some of my sisters have the worst RBFs in the world but as soon as you start talking to them they seem like some of the nicest women you will ever meet.
It's never on purpose. It's just human nature to have one. The more innocent you look the lest chance you'll have to survive in the wild right?
If you think you meet all of these amazing girls just know that it took a lot of work for us to be like this. We can't magically walk in heels. It kills us on the inside. We took off our heels today and everyone's feet were noticeably swollen. It took forever before we were able to walk normally again.
As you are trying to power through sorority recruitment just think that although we appear confident, we are screaming and freaking out on the inside. Our hair may look perfect, but it took several attempts and multiple girls to make sure it curls just right. There are pounds of makeup going on our faces and an undeniable scent of hairspray and burnt hair lingering in the air. We did not just wake up like Queen B does.
We got up early to be those girls you see in our pictures. We may seem put together but in reality we go through the same challenges you face. At the end of the day we're girls, too. Don't forget that.
