Sorority recruitment. It seems like one of the scariest phrases a girl can hear her freshman year of college, besides "attendance is required" and "the final will be cumulative." Take it from someone who has gone through recruitment before and after joining a Greek organization, recruitment is not meant to be scary. It is meant to be an exciting process that helps young women potentially find their homes on campus. Here are 7 tips to help you have the best recruitment experience:
1. Attend any pre-recruitment events
If your school's Greek community has any events before the start of recruitment, it would be really beneficial to attend at least one of those events. Typically, they are not mandatory but are a fantastic way to meet different people you'll see during recruitment, such as women from each organization, recruitment counselors, other girls going through recruitment, and any Greek life/student involvement staff. You probably won't walk into recruitment fully knowing which sorority you want, but you'll see plenty of familiar faces to put your nerves at ease.
2. Be a little early to all the rounds
Being early is a good habit to have, and it never hurts to be early to recruitment rounds. Show up about 10 minutes early to each round, if applicable. It shows you're reliable and eager. Also, you'll have a couple extra minutes to chill out. Recruitment rounds can be pretty overwhelming, so having a minute to organize your thoughts never hurts.
3. Talk to your recruitment counselors
Recruitment counselors are some of the best people you can meet. They disaffiliated from their organizations to help women through the recruitment process. They serve as unbiased opinion if you're struggling between which organization to choose or any other issues you have during recruitment. These ladies have been in your shoes before, so they're the perfect people to talk to about anything recruitment and get great advice. Plus, when you get to know your counselors it makes finding out which organization they're affiliated with so much more exciting.
4. Befriend the other girls in your group
Typically, you'll be placed in groups for recruitment due to the high number of women that go through sorority recruitment. While the focus of recruitment is getting to know women in each organization, try to get to know the other girls in your group regardless if you're going through recruitment alone or with a couple friends. The girls in your group know exactly what you're going through right at that moment. You can talk about how the rounds go and bond over your excitement or nerves. Plus, these girls could be your new sisters. If you end up joining different sororities, you're still Panhellenic sisters and having friends in multiple organizations is always a good thing!
5. Be engaging
One of the most important parts of recruitment is interacting with other people. That is how sororities get to know you, so if you just sit there and are not present then it comes off as you do not care about where you are or what you're doing. There are different ways to be engaging. Of course, having a good conversation is the most common form of engagement. If you're not very talkative try having engaging body language such as eye contact, smiling, and active listening. People notice little details like that.
6. Stay positive
Recruitment can be a lot. You're surrounded by a bunch of people you barely know while trying to figure out which organization is your perfect home in a matter of days. It can be stressful and overwhelming. Sometimes things don't work out the way you originally want. Maybe you had an awkward conversation with one of the girls, or you're second guessing the outfit you picked out. Cast away those doubts and remember to keep a positive mindset. Just remember that nothing is perfect and try to stay as positive as possible.
7. Be yourself
This is the most important tip. Despite what people may say about Greek life, sororities are not looking for carbon copies as new members. They want unique individuals Compatibility is very important, but being your person is just as important (if not more). Just be honest with all the women you meet throughout the week and everything should fall into place.
Recruitment is the start of your Greek life journey, so don't forget to have some fun during this process. Every woman in each sorority is just as excited and nervous to meet you as you are to meet them! Being a part of Greek life is an amazing experience and these women are thrilled that you, and every other young woman going through recruitment, want to become a part of it. Go Greek!
