Fall at any college means a lot of things: end-of-summer blues, a new dorm, classes starting up again, and crisp, beautiful weather on campus. One thing that fall doesn't bring to all campuses? Formal Fraternity and Sorority Recruitment.
While many other colleges spend the first weeks or month preparing for Recruitment and then getting the opportunity to add new members to their chapters so early in the semester, schools like Millikin University , Valparaiso University, and many more wait the semester to join in on this madness. For those who recruit first semester, this wait seems crazy and much too long, but in the end, there are many perks to holding a second semester formal recruitment!
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1. Settle Into College Life
College is a chaotic time for everyone. It brings just about the biggest change in an individual's first 18 years of his or her life. Students are no longer dependent on their parents, are away from home town friends, are preparing for harder classes, are meeting countless numbers of new people, are finding their way around campus, and so much more. Add recruitment to their plates, and it all could be much too overwhelming. By pushing recruitment back to second semester, freshmen are given the chance to get used to all these changes before jumping into something so new to them such as the Greek system.
As freshman or transfer students, they may not have everything figured out just yet. College is the perfect time for individuals to find themselves and what they what to do with their lives. After an entire semester, college students will gain more confidence in themselves, and, most likely, won't be as nervous heading into the first recruitment night as they were on move in day.
2. Make Friends First, Then Greek Friends
In high school you may have been stuck with the same people since grade school. College provides a vast array of different people to become friends with. Students are given the opportunity to find friends that are just like them and have the same aspirations or similar qualities. When a woman joins a sorority, she may be overwhelmed or humbled by the dozens of women there to love and support her while forgetting about the hundreds of others on campus that she could become friends with.
Plus, having the semester gives potential new members (PNMs) time to meet other PNMs so they are more comfortable experiencing recruitment with people who know exactly what they are going through. And if you're lucky, your friends may become your sisters! On the other hand, if you join different fraternities or sororities than your friends, you get me to meet all of their new friends too!
3. Concentrate On Grades
Something else that college brings is a much harder course load. The transition from high school to college school work can be hard for many students. So first semester can be a sort of test run to see if they are ready to devote time to a Greek organization while also being able to maintain the GPA they want or need for their majors.
Having the extra semester also emphasizes a very important aspect to Greek life: scholarship. Greek organizations want students to always put their school work first. Fraternities and Sororities also want men and women who are succeeding. Some chapters may have certain GPA requirements to join. So having first semester under your belt helps chapters compare first semester grades rather than just grades from high school or ACT scores.
4. Showcase Of The Chapters By Attending Events
At schools that hold fall recruitment, PNMs are only given the short amount of time to know each chapter during each recruitment night. When chapters are given the extra semester, they are also given a whole semester to impress the potential new members and get to know them. Sororities may hold philanthropy events or get-to-know-you events for ladies to attend before recruitment. This also gives freshmen the opportunity to spontaneously get to know Greeks on campus through classes, sports, and clubs.
Women and men get a better grasp of what chapter is their best fit and if Greek life is even for them. Rather than blindly jumping into the Greek system, individuals can feel more confident in their decisions after everything learned first semester.
