It's the most wonderful time of the year again — it's sorority recruitment season! While recruitment can be a fun and memorable experience, it can also take a toll on your mental health, especially this year, considering the special circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are a few reminders to keep in your mental health toolkit during recruitment week to help keep your mental health at bay during this unique experience.
1. Be your true and authentic self
One of the biggest pieces of advice that I could give to a potential new member (PNM) is to be yourself. Don't try to change yourself to try and "fit" with a specific house, it just isn't worth it. You don't want to try and be someone you aren't and ultimately end up in a house that is wrong for you or that you don't fit in. You are trying to find your home away from home while at college. Why would you want your "home" to be a place where you have to pretend that you are someone you're not?
2. Your worth is not determined by who you get a bid from
I remember when I through recruitment as a PNM this time last year. I thought that getting a bid from a top house was the most important thing in the entire world. But believe it or not, it doesn't really matter that much. The sorority women are all working their hardest to find the best fit for you. Don't worry about which sorority has the most extravagant house or the prettiest sisters. I can promise you that your worth and reputation in college are not solely determined by which sorority you receive a bid from.
3. Keep an open mind
Recruitment week tends to be full of surprises which can be good or bad. You may be surprised to find that you were dropped by one of your top houses when you may have thought that you had a great connection with the women there. The best thing you can do for yourself is to try and keep an open mind. As I stated earlier, the sorority women are working their absolute hardest to help you find the best sorority for you. They just may not think they are the best fit for you and will do their best to direct you elsewhere. You may end up getting a bid from your bottom house and end up finding the perfect fit there.
4. You will find the place where you belong
Sorority recruitment will help you find somewhere you belong. That place may be your dream sorority, your bottom house, or even a club that a sorority woman mentions she is involved in. Even if you don't end up going all the way through with recruitment or get dropped for some reason, it is still a great way to meet new people and see different parts of campus during your first few weeks of college.
5. It's OK to be nervous
It is totally OK and normal to be nervous about recruitment. Any way that you feel about recruitment is totally valid and sorority women can understand because they have been exactly where you are.
6. The sorority women are likely just as nervous as you are
Recruitment week is stressful for everyone involved. Sorority women go though weeks (sometimes even months!) of intense training in order to properly prepare to help you find where you belong. They are likely just as nervous to talk to you as you are to them. We are truly all in the same boat and we need to embrace the nerves.
7. Try and enjoy this unique opportunity
Many colleges are opting to move recruitment to a virtual setting which is something that nobody has ever experienced before. This experience is going to be unique and memorable. Try your best to enjoy this unique chaos.
8. Embrace the uncertainty
There are so many things in the world right now that is unknown and uncertain. The best thing we can do is just try and embrace and enjoy the uncertainty in order to avoid stressing ourselves out any further.
9. These women have your best interest at heart
Sorority women have been working tirelessly all summer to try and adapt fall recruitment around our current circumstances. They're not only working to help you find your new home but show Panhellenic love by doing everything in their power to keep PNMs safe and healthy during the pandemic.
10. Go with the flow
As I have said before, these are unprecedented times and plans could potentially change at the drop of the hat. Understand that things could change and that it is alright.
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