With recruitment just around the corner, all of the sororities on my campus have started their polish week. To kick off the week and get everyone excited, Panhellenic had the company Phired Up send out a motivational speaker, KJ McNamara. Her speech brought to light an important point about sorority life and greek recruitment in general; people don't join greek life because we tell them that we have one of the highest GPAs on campus or because we do the most volunteer work. People join sororities and fraternities because of the relationships they form during rush. From the second they walk in, to the moment they leave, those crucial minutes when we really talk to PNMs, and truly try to get to know them and make strong connections, are the most important.
This got me thinking about what made me want to go through sorority recruitment, and ultimately what made me decide on my home. The reason why I joined my sorority wasn't because of what I learned about our philanthropy or all of the cool events they put on during the year. The moment I knew I belonged was when a sister got me talking about where I wanted to end up by the end of my four years, and the conversation led to me letting down my walls and us laughing every other sentence. It wasn't even the cute recruitment-safe laugh. It was the same kind of laugh that you do at three in the morning, on the kitchen floor with your best friends. Not once did I worry that if I didn't smile and look perfect she wouldn't like me. I walked away that night knowing I had made the strongest connection to that sorority; a connection that came naturally and without fear of judgment. At the end of recruitment week, I realized that that feeling was the reason I wanted to give sorority life a chance. To find a place in the exciting new world that college was to me where I could be myself and not have to think twice about it.
Heading into your own recruitment, remember that people join people. Don't get caught up in the pretty outfits, cool decor, and the crazy chants (even though your recruitment chairs did an amazing job).Your sorority's philanthropy and volunteer work are important to talk about, but don't forget that the new girls are first and foremost going to care about whether or not they fit in with the people that make up your sorority. So show your PNMs who you truly are and what your sorority really is about; the incredible sisterhood and amazing relationships that you make for a lifetime.
