As someone who is currently a member of a sorority, I can confidently say that recruitment week is unlike any other; the amount of preparation, excitement, and stress that those recruiting –as well as those being recruited– experience within recruitment week is intense.
When I was going through recruitment last year, there were so many things I wish I had known beforehand that would have made the experience so much more enjoyable and worthwhile. Rather than enjoying the experience, I put an immense amount of pressure on myself that ultimately made me wish I had never joined recruitment in the first place.
There have been so many moments since going through recruitment where I have thought about everything I could have done better that would have made me happier, more confident, and more trusting of the process. Since there are no such things as do-overs in life (sadly), I have compiled five things I hope those going through recruitment remember.
Be more confident!
I know the sentence "Be more confident!" is easier said than done, but it's one of the most important things –in my opinion– one should work on. I have always focused on what other people think of me, and during recruitment, I let my insecurities get the best of me; I would compare myself with the other women going through recruitment and tell myself that the houses would like them more than me, thus psyching myself out. I wish I would have gone into recruitment only focusing on myself and not everyone around me because instead of all of my great qualities shining through, my insecurities did.
Understand that it's not personal.
No one likes to feel unliked or unwanted, especially me. When a sorority I really liked decided I wasn't a good fit for their organization, I took it very personal; I felt as if I wasn't good enough, pretty enough, or outgoing enough and would sulk for the rest of the day. Now that I'm on the other side of recruitment, I realized that I wasn't dropped because the sororities didn't like me, they just felt like I would be a better fit and happier in some other one.
Go into it with zero expectations.
Since I knew a fair share of women active in FSU's sororities, I had a lot of preconceived notions and judgments going into recruitment. Because of this, I had a mental list of all the ones I would be "happy in" and all the ones I would be "sad in," despite the fact that I honestly knew nothing about them. Looking back, I'm ashamed of how judgmental I was considering the fact that each sorority deserved to be viewed equally and with an open mind. Since I had certain expectations of the type of sorority I wanted to be in, I would be utterly devastated when I wouldn't be asked back; I wish I would have trusted the process and accepted the notion that whatever sorority I end up in is the best fit for me.
Be your true self.
If I could change at least one thing from my recruitment experience, it would be my behavior. I hate to admit this, but during recruitment, I was a completely different person. I thought it was in my best interest to change my personality so as to seem more likable, but little did I know that it would be my downfall. People can tell when you're being fake, and no one likes a fake person; also, recruitment is all about finding the right sorority for you, so how can you do that when you're not even acting like you?
Accept sorority recruitment for what it is: sorority recruitment.
I cannot tell you the amount of stress and anxiety I experienced before and during recruitment. I looked at my recruitment experience and wish I could've just shaken myself and screamed, "It's just sorority recruitment, stop acting so crazy!" Yes, it's an exciting thing to join a sorority, but the sorority you join shouldn't dictate your worth or how you perceive yourself. A sorority is a way for you to meet friends, become active in meaningful philanthropy, and grow as a woman. Treat this experience with openness and lightness, for everyone ends up in the right sorority for them.
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