I am just going to start off by saying recruitment is one of the most stressful weeks a female student can go through. I thought I had watched enough videos about recruitment to mentally prepare my self for it. But, lemme tell ya the videos did not make recruitment any easier and stressed me and many girls out to the core. I didn't really know what to expect because I didn't have any family members go through this process when they were in college. So, I went into the whole week with a blind eye. I didn't know what I was walking into when I was going to each house. Which by the way are all so very different from each other. There isn't one house that is the same. Each one has their own philanthropy and all do things differently. It was just a matter of finding the one you clicked with the most.

They tell you not to talk to the other girls about what you thought about the house but they won't kick you out of recruitment if they hear you talking about it unlike some other schools around the United States and even Kansas. I went into recruitment with one of my four roommates who also happened to be my best friend. So it was nice to come back to our room after all the events were over and being able to talk to someone about it who understood what was going on.

So the moment you've been waiting for: the breakdown of recruitment week. The first two days you spend going to every single sorority and just getting to know each other. It's just a bunch of simple get to know you conversations. You have to show them why they should be interested in you. It is an exhausting two days though because you talk about the same thing all day and hear the same questions in every house so, it's basically two days of talking about the same thing over and over again.

Then the second day which is Tuesday you have to eliminate some houses until you only have nine on your list but that doesn't necessarily mean you will have nine on your schedule the next day it just depends on whether or not they wanted you back. The next stage is sisterhood so, you go to those nine houses and learn about events they do together and how they connect. Again you eliminate some more houses until you are down to 4 houses.

Thursday is Philanthropy Day!!! You get to go to those four houses and learn what their philanthropy means to them and why it's so important to them. They will also typically tell you about events they do to earn money for their philanthropy. Those two days you will also be getting to know other girls and having some of the same conversations you were having on the first two day. After you're done with those 4 houses you have to eliminate two so you're left with two.

The next day is the most sentimental and exciting day.

PREFERENCE/BID DAY!!!

You go to the last two houses and get really deep with the girls this is where you really need to get to know them and see if it's really the house you want to be in. You go home and sit around for hours. Then when the clock strikes 6:30 all the girls walked to Dean Boscoe Plaza to receive our bid cards. Your recruitment leader hands you a purple envelop to sit on while you listen to announcements. I was so nervous I didn't even pay attention I was just ready to rip open my letter. Next thing you know they were counting down from 10 and girls were screaming and jumping and running to their sisters. In a matter of seconds you gain at least 100 sisters depending on the house you made it in.

An important thing to remember when accepting a Bid is that keep your mind open. Not everyone will receive the house the picked. Whether you see it in that moment or later down the road just remember there is a reason that you are in the sorority that you are in. If you don't receive the sorority you wanted still participate in all the activities with the sorority that gave you a Bid. If you're still not feeling it before initiation stuff starts then talk to someone about how you are feeling and either decide if you're going to drop out or try a little longer. Just remember always, always keep an open mind.

After meeting up with the girls you finally get to go home and celebrate with all of your new sisters. Each house has a different way of celebrating Bid day. BUT... on Saturday....

SERENADES

The way I look at serenades is that they are our reward for making it through recruitment week and you made it in the sorority that was meant for you. It starts in the afternoon and lasts for a few hours. Each frat comes to your sorority and basically serenade you... they sing and dance. Sometimes they will even grab a girl from the audience typically a new member and personally serenades them. Then at the end of their performance they will either ask for your number or hand you a slip with party details on it. Because that night is shark night.

I'll let you experience shark night for yourself ;)

Have fun!