The season is finally here! As we are getting settled into our dorms, getting in routine of class schedules, and getting a hang of our professor’s teaching style, we are now faced with surviving sorority recruitment. Below we will provide 10 tips and bits advice to get you through recruitment week! Keep in mind that different universities handle recruitment differently. One PNM may have a different experience at Florida State University than another PNM’s experience at New York University. However, this guide will give you a good idea on what to expect.

Img source

Get To Know Your Rho Gamma

A rho gamma is a recruitment counselor that assists potential new members through the recruitment process of finding a sorority. She will be there to assist you with any questions you may have about the experience. She will direct you and the rest of your group to all of the sorority houses. Rho gammas temporarily remove their letters and association to their organization to mitigate bias of PNM’s finding their sorority.

Basically, rho gammas give up their letters so they can help you find yours. Cheesy, I know.

Have A Recruitment First Aid Kit

Recruitment is a long process you have to be prepared for. Your rho gamma (recruitment counselor) will be your guide to help you get through recruitment, but it is important to come prepared!

In your recruitment first aid kit, make sure to wear comfy shoes, or bring a spare change of shoes. You are going to be doing a lot of walking. When you visit the girls in the house, you will not be sitting and talking. You will be standing and talking the entire time----Ouch! I know. If you don’t feel up to carrying shoes, buying gel inserts for your shoes will be your best bet (and best friend). If you need a new pair a shoes, check out Public Desire, ASOS, Charlotte Russe, Missguided, Cole Haan for some great deals.

Other essential items to include in your recruitment first aid kit are snacks and water.

What To NOT Say

Now is not the time to talk about hookups, booze, partying, heated topics, and gossip. Talking about frat parties and how cute that one frat guy in your GenEd class is will turn off the sisters in the house. You want your conversation to be well representative of who you are as a person. The sisters will rank you later. Do not give them a reason to say, “All she does is talk about frats and drinking.”

On another note, there is already a stigma with Greek life being associated to binge drinking and partying. Do not tell talk in the recruitment rooms about how you got wasted during syllabus week and made out with your T.A. The sisters of the house will not want to invite a sister who will run the risk of getting the sorority in trouble with the Panhellenic Council.

Most importantly, do not trash talk the other sorority houses. As stated previously, first impressions are everything. You don’t want to leave the sisters wondering if you will trash talk their sorority when you leave, or have them thinking you are a negative person.

Also, girls do have friends in other sororities as well. People talk a lot in Greek life. You can run the risk of missing out on a bid if word gets around you were speaking ill of other Greek organizations. It doesn’t impress the sisters when you talk about how much more “prettier” their sorority is than another sorority It makes you look desperate, catty, rude, and uncivil. Nobody wants a negative seed in their organization.

Img source

Have Your “Pitch” Ready

Be aware that there is a lot of competition to get into a sorority during recruitment. Sororities want girls who want to improve the chapter, and are intelligent, self-motivating, and hardworking women.

To stand out, have a couple of appropriately interesting facts ready at hand. A sister may ask you to state an interesting fact about you. You want to show how interesting you are without bragging. Bonus points if you can talk about what you can contribute to the sorority and ask questions about them. If you ask questions about them, it will show that you are truly interested in being apart of the sorority. You may uncover something interesting about them that you can relate to! Asking questions about their favorite activities, hometown, what made them join Greek life, etc. are really good conversation enhancers.

You don’t want the conversation to be one-sided. So make sure the conversation is mutually engaging.

Dress To Impress

First impressions are everything! Now is not the time to wear the “party in Vegas” outfits this week. There will be plenty of moments in your college career to wear the deep plunge dress you bought last weekend.

UNiDAYS has discounts from multiple fashion retailers including ASOS, Express, H&M, Kate Spade, BCBG, Tobi, and many more! You will be able to find an appropriate dress that will catch everyone’s eye.

If you make it to pref night, you will have to wear a nice, formal dress. So make sure you head to one of these retailers to dress to impress without breaking the bank. You will find everything you need.

Img source

Keep An Open Mind

When I was a rho gamma counselor, I made it clear to my group to not follow their friends and listen to other’s opinions. There are websites that “rank” sororities on superficial qualities such as looks, best parties, popularity etc. You’ll hear gossip from many people about different sororities. What is certainly important is how you feel. Do not let others’ opinions dictate which sorority to choose. Their opinions are their opinions, but it should not reflect your choice.

Also, during the recruitment process, each night you will have to rank each sorority on your preference. For example: If you are passionate about Sorority House A, feel neutral about Sorority House B, but do not feel connected to Sorority House C; You would rank Sorority House A as number one, rank Sorority House B as number two, and rank Sorority House C as number three. If your top choice drops you, do not panic. I repeat do not panic! As the cliche goes, things happen for a reason! Keep an open mind and still continue to visit the other sorority houses. You may find that another sorority will be a better fit for you!

No Partying During Recruitment!

Stay in your dorm! Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but do not go out partying. There are rules about partying during Panhel sorority recruitment. Trust me, there will plenty of times you will be able to go out. Sororities and PNM’s are under close watch during recruitment. Save the Snapchat, binge-drinking nights for another time. Actually, this is the time to lay low and stay out of the mix. Because if word gets back that you were out raging at the fraternity on frat row, you could run the risk of presenting a negative reputation.

Img source

Stay On Top of Your Schoolwork

Recruitment is a time-consuming event that can get chaotic. I would bring homework to look over/study in-between rounds and organize yourself for the next day. Make use of your spare time because you’re going to need it! You don’t want to fall behind on you work and have added stress. I strongly recommend taking a close look at your syllabus so you can work ahead on your assignments. That way, when you are finished with classes, you can focus solely on preparing for recruitment. Overall, if you do get into a sorority, you will quickly learn that time management is everything!

Get A Full Night’s Rest

I cannot stress enough how tiring recruitment can be. Save the late nights for the following week. You need to get a full night’s rest. You don’t want to walk into a recruitment room looking lethargic or uninterested due to lack of sleep. It is in your best interest to feel refreshed. Your body will thank you for it.

Img source

Be Yourself

Your parents tells you this. Your best friend tells you this. Your rho gamma will probably tell you this. Be yourself. I guarantee you will end up in the sorority you belong to if you stay true to who you are. Don’t feed into a stereotype of a particular sorority just so you can fit in and hope to get a bid. The girls in the sorority will be able to pick up on the inauthenticity. As a result, you can risk missing out on a bid from seeming as fake. If you act like yourself, you will have a clearer idea of which sorority house you belong in. All in all, it will make the recruitment journey more enjoyable when you can be yourself.

Good luck! Get ready to find your new home.

Img source