For many, Panhellenic recruitment is right around the corner. This means that you must be googling every sororities' chapter Tumblr and Instagram pages, asking upperclassmen on their experiences, and feeling the jitters and worries about not getting into your top choice of houses. Well, stop all that. Stop it right now. You know why? Here are five crucial tips that you need to pay attention to before you enter in the hectic world of recruitment:
1. Do not go into recruitment with your heart set on one sorority. Just don't do it. Unfortunately, I did this with a specific sorority and I got dropped by them after the first day. This sets your mind up for failure and disappointment, and it detracts from the experience of all the other sororities you might be visiting during that amazing, thrilling week.
2. Your Rho Gamma/Pi Phi's are your best friends. There's a reason behind why these group of women decided to take off their letters and mask one of their true loves. They take off their letters to help you find yours. I can't tell you how many people I know would call their Rho Gamma's up in the middle of the night just to cry to them, saying that they don't know which sorority to drop and which one to keep. The whole recruitment experience isn't meant to be done alone.
3. Don't pretend to be somebody who you aren't just to impress people. What many people don't understand is that recruitment is a mutual agreement based on both parties. Even I was guilty of going to some houses and having a specific "persona" while talking to some girls. Newsflash: that doesn't work. Think about it. Four months down the line when you're in a room full of girls who don't share the same values and interests as you, but you acted like you did that one week of recruitment, you'll be wishing you chose a different path.
4. Trust the system. Though you might get dropped from a house you absolutely loved, or was invited back to a sorority that you didn't exactly bond with, trust that everything will be alright. Remember, being dead-set on a specific sorority may not get you anywhere. Keep your eyes open to the possibility that theres a reason to why the sorority you kept dropping keeps inviting you back to chat some more.
and finally...
5. This week is not all about you. Remember to make friends during this week. Believe it or not, the hundreds of women who are dressing up every morning for rounds are just as nervous as you are, especially those getting ready behind the scenes of recruitment. I've met some of the nicest women so far in college during that specific week, even though we might not have gotten bids from the same sorority. This experience whole-heartedly transforms your belief that a small community can be made from a big college.
So, when it comes time for recruitment season, don't be afraid. Trust the way things pan out for you. Relish every moment of every day of the week. Don't be afraid to voice who you really are and show these houses your true colors.