I had been wanting to go through sorority rush for a few years and finally decided to do it this year as a sophomore. I was so excited to go through it and find my forever home, and then, COVID-19 hit. I did not think this pandemic would last as long as it has, and certainly did not think it would affect the fall semester in any way.

Nobody knew what to expect when they announced we were having a virtual recruitment week; not the actives nor the potential new members had a clear understanding of how the week would go down. It really was a learning experience for everyone, so that was comforting!

If anything, it was more of a raw recruitment week than ever before. The potential new members were not overwhelmed by the songs or extravagantly decorated houses (which are still fun though), but got to have honest conversations with actives over zoom.

For philanthropy, sisterhood, and preference rounds, we would join a large Zoom chat room to learn about the chapters. Then, we were split into breakout rooms with one or two actives to have deeper conversations. If re-invited to a chapter, we would talk to the same girls we talked to from an earlier round. It was nice to see some familiar faces as the week progressed.

I did not feel like I missed out on my "real" recruitment experience. It was only a week of what was to come over the next few years. The emotions were still there. The love for the Panhellenic community was stronger than I had ever seen. Panhellenic Exec and the actives were trained very well to take on this challenge.

In conclusion, virtual recruitment was still a great recruitment! In the end, I found my home along with hundreds of other girls!