You walk into a big room, filled with your fellow Potential New Members (PNMs) and leaders of sorority chapters on your campus. Recruitment Kick-Off, the event you're 15 minutes early for (just in case), is about to begin. You sit next to a stranger, another freshman PNM, and notice her perfectly manicured nails and realize you probably should've done that, too. You also should've gotten your hair bleached like she did, or worked out an extra week like she so obviously did. You sigh. Off to a great start, you think.

BOOM.

You switch bodies. You are now the girl with the bleach-blonde hair and the perfectly manicured nails, but you're too busy paying attention to the girl next to you with gorgeous red curls and super ~trendy~ booties. You're jealous, because you're usually on top of things but this time it seems you've failed with your plain straight hair and last season Sperry's. You slink in your seat, embarrassed.

Let's stop there.

Recruitment hasn't even begun, but odds are you've been looking around, scoping out your "competition," trying new makeup styles and convincing your parents you "need" new clothes for every round. You've maybe been going tanning, and working out far more than is healthy nor necessary - and you haven't slept much because you're so nervous/excited/antsy about recruitment.

I've been there. I've done it all. I'm not going to tell you not to be prepared - for me personally I had to lay out every outfit months in advance for the sake of my sanity. I'm also not going to tell you recruitment is going to go perfectly because odds are, it'll be nerve-wracking at times. What I am telling you is to remember these six things, and I promise you'll be fine.

1. You're perfect. You were made by a grand designer with the most beautiful picture in mind, and as soon as you were born that picture came true. Your personality, your eye color, hair color, freckles, your tendency to sleep in, your dry skin, your awkward limbs, the way you can never be on time, your short nails and every other flaw and trait all makes you beautiful.

2.You will get cut. When (and I say when because this is unavoidable) you get "cut" or "eliminated" from a sorority you like (or don't like), remember this one point: everything, yes everything happens for a reason - and those girls were great, they just weren't your sisters. That doesn't mean they're not amazing, because they probably are, but it means you can be amazing elsewhere. I can say this because I am on the other side of recruitment this year, the recruiter, and most cuts are for logistic purposes and are completely impersonal. That being said, it can still hurt pretty bad, and I get that.

3. The tier system is a load of crap. It changes yearly, no one knows what they're talking about 100 percent of the time, and at the end of the day no one is going to care if your irrelevant sorority was No. 1 after you graduate. Do not let the "tier system" influence your choice.

4.Look for your sisters. Yes, at first glance you're going to notice the awesome recruitment video, the catchy songs, and the trendy outfits - but these things are temporary. My best friend went through recruitment just before I did, and right before I went into preference round she gave me the greatest advice that I could pass on to you: "Imagine yourself at your absolute worst - depressed, sick, broken down, stressed, in sweatpants and an old t-shirt, probably crying and eating two day-old Chick-fil-a. Now, who do you want to be surrounded by? Those are your sisters." What seemingly was a hard choice suddenly turned into a sigh of relief. I knew exactly where I belonged.

5. It's okay to drop out of recruitment. Yes, if you find yourself unhappy, losing confidence, and just downtrodden with each round progressively getting worse, it is okay to drop. That being said, use it as an absolute last resort. It is true that you will end up where you are meant to be, yet sometimes you may decide Greek Life isn't for you. And that's okay.

6.However, it's also okay to have a blast. Recruitment for me was stressful and scary at times, but for the most part it was fun! I found it hard to be so positive in the sometimes negative environments that came from girls receiving their new schedules, but there will always be girls around who refuse to buy into the negativity and instead get excited for what's to come. Stick with those girls. In fact, be one of them.

Good luck, trust the process, and we'll see you on the other side.

Sincerely,

a PNS (potential new sister)