Your Complete Guide To Sorority Recruitment, From A Girl Who Rushed Twice

As the heat of summer prevails, Greek life organizations across America are beginning to prepare for sorority recruitment. While some universities conduct their formal recruitment processes during other times throughout the year, the majority of schools host their formal recruitments in the fall semester. Potential new members are packing their bags and getting ready to enter the foreign land of college life, hoping to find a sense of belonging in a sorority. 

My experience with sorority recruitment began as one of trial and ended as one of triumph. I have walked through the process as a potential new member (PNM) twice. One time I made it to bid day without a bid from a house I wanted, and the next time I made it to bid day with a bid from the house I loved.

My Recruitment Experiences

My first experience as a potential new member was my freshman year at a large Southern university. I moved into my dorm early to begin the recruitment process that would span over the next two weeks. I was incredibly excited to rush because my mom had a wonderful experience in her sorority, and I hoped that this would be the primary way for me to make friends as an out of state student. 

The next days were long, exhausting, and a bit overwhelming. At this school, there were 13 chapters. So, there were a lot of houses to visit and many decisions to be made. Throughout the process, I could see myself in quite a few of the sororities. However, there was one in particular that I absolutely loved. As I went through the rounds, other chapters would fall away and the one I loved stayed on my list of houses that I was invited back to. Before I knew it, we were in the final round where I had two houses left: my favorite house and my least favorite house. In my favorite house, I felt like I clicked with the women in their chapter and I could see myself contributing to them. The women in my least favorite were kind, but I didn’t see myself fitting into their chapter’s culture. 

After a grueling two weeks, it was time for bid day. The school’s basketball arena was filled with thousands of women from all the sororities. Our rush leaders (“pi chis”) made us turn around, close our eyes, and put our hands behind our backs. They placed t-shirts in each of our hands, and on the count of three, we opened the t-shirts. After all the anticipation, I opened a t-shirt from my least favorite sorority. Tears began to run down my cheeks, and I left bid day. I sat in my new dorm room by myself and scrolled through Instagram to see all the photos of the PNMs in their new sorority shirts celebrating bid day. This may sound dramatic to someone who has not been through sorority recruitment. But when you’re 18 years old and going through a major transition where there is no sense of familiarity, you want to find belonging. In this moment, it felt like rejection from the belonging I craved. 

Even though sorority recruitment is an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life, it isn’t the most important decision of your life nor are you defined by your experience. 

I share this experience with you not to be negative or scare any potential new members reading this, but rather to provide perspective and an adjustment of expectations. My story with sororities ends well, but at this moment, I felt incredible disappointment. As the weeks went on, I realized that being in a sorority didn’t define me as a college student. There are other ways to make friends in college. So, as you begin your journey with recruitment, keep a healthy perspective of your identity.

My second experience as a potential new member was at a different school. I realized the large university I attended my freshman year was not the right fit for me, so I transferred to a slightly smaller school. I was hopeful heading into this recruitment process, but I also entered with a bit more caution after my previous experience. There were eight chapters at this school, which suited the ratio to the school’s population. Similar to my first experience, I could see myself in a few of the chapters, but one chapter stood out to me. I would get goosebumps as I stood in line to enter this house. I was in love. I kept getting asked back to this amazing chapter, as well as a few others that I liked. When we got to the final round, I was asked back to my favorite house and another one I really liked. Going into this preference round, I was a little more at ease as I liked both of the chapters left on my list. 

Bid day came, and I received a bid from my favorite chapter! After joining my chapter, I went on to make wonderful friends and serve on the executive council. Being a member of this chapter was a major pillar of my college experience. 

Now, what does this mean for the PNM reading? Having gone through recruitment as a PNM twice and hosted recruitment on the other side, there are a few key insights I want to share that I wish I had known going into the experience.

How Recruitment Works 

At the beginning of recruitment, you will be assigned to a group of PNMs with a leader most often called a “pi-chi.” A pi-chi is a woman who is a member of one of the chapters on campus. You don’t find out which chapter she belongs to until bid day because she is there to guide you through the recruitment process as an unbiased mentor. The process consists of rounds that are narrowed down by a concept called “mutual selection.” In each visit to a house, you will speak to one or more of the women in the chapter. After each round, the sororities and the PNMs narrow down by choosing the women/chapters that they still see as a fit by a voting and ranking process. Before another round begins, your pi-chi will give you a schedule that also serves as a notification of what chapters you have been invited back to. 

The rounds usually consist of open house, sisterhood, philanthropy, and preference. Open house is where PNMs are able to see all the chapters on that campus. Sisterhood is where the chapter demonstrates the bond and culture of their sisters. Every sorority has a designated philanthropy for which they raise funds and awareness, so during the philanthropy round, they share their passion for the cause. Preference round is where you have narrowed down to two sororities. After this round, you will rank your two chapters left. Because of panhellenic rules, you are promised a bid from one of the chapters. In other words, if you rank two chapters after preference, then you will receive a bid from a sorority. 

Take Notes During Open House Round 

Open house round is the first round of recruitment, where you visit all the sororities. It can be a long, exhausting part of recruitment. Taking notes is essential so you can remember what stood out to you about each chapter. Who did you talk to? What did you talk about? What did you like?  This will make the voting process much easier for you. 

Don’t Enter Recruitment with Preconceived Ideas

You may hear rumors about what the supposedly best sororities are on your campus. Maybe your mom or sister was a member of a sorority at another university that has a chapter on your campus. Whatever you hear or assume should not influence how you vote during recruitment. Chapters evolve over time, and organizations differ from campus to campus. Let your instincts and experiences with the women in the chapters influence your decisions. 

Dress Appropriately and Unique to Your Style

For the first rounds of recruitment, many schools provide t-shirts for PNMs to wear. This is nice for outfit planning because all you need to do is style it with a pair of shorts or pants, shoes, and jewelry. You could take this as an opportunity to be simple, or you could take this as an opportunity to style the t-shirt. If it’s a solid color t-shirt, many girls will wear patterned or white bottoms. My advice would be to focus on style without distraction. For later rounds of recruitment, you wear an outfit of your choosing. Most girls wear dresses. 

Have Something Interesting To Share About Yourself

Having rushed many PNMs myself, I can tell you the conversations frequently become a bit dry. I went to a school in the southeast on the coast, and I lost count of how many times a girl told me she had chosen the school because of the weather and the beach. If you’re going to share that as a reason for choosing a school, accompany it with a great story of a family trip you took to that city or tack on a unique reason in addition to the weather. I’m not saying you need to regurgitate an outstanding resume, but instead have anecdotes or interesting facts that will make you memorable to the sorority sister to whom you are speaking. When someone says “tell me about yourself,” what can you say that’s more interesting than a list of basic information?

Don’t Speak Negatively of Any Sorority 

There are typically many hidden ears on campus around the time of sorority recruitment. So, be mindful of what you say about the sororities. If someone overhears you saying something negative about a chapter, it could get reported and you could be reprimanded or even released from the recruitment process. Additionally, be mindful of what you write in a text message, as that can be screenshotted. 

Bring Beauty Supplies and a Small Fan 

Because most sorority recruitments take place in the heat, be mindful of the potentially long days walking between houses in the hot sun. Bring hair spray and a hair band, wipes, deodorant, concealer, lip gloss, powder, and mascara. Some girls even carry around small hand held fans; I wish I had done so. 

Consider What Leadership and Service Opportunities Each Chapter Offers

One of the major benefits of being in a sorority is the leadership and service opportunities it provides. It’s important to remember while going through recruitment that sororities aren’t solely social clubs. Yes, they are a wonderful way to make friends and bond with other women. However, membership comes with responsibilities. Could you see yourself being involved with this chapter’s philanthropy? Would you be interested in one of their appointed officer or executive roles?

Make Friends with Other Potential New Members 

In the lead up to bid day, you will be spending a lot of time with other PNMs. Get to know them. Maybe you will end up in the same chapter or maybe you will make friends across Greek life. Your friends don’t have to be exclusive to the chapter you join. 

Don’t Be Discouraged by Bid Day 

Per social media, bid day looks like it may be the best day of your life. But this isn’t always the case. Bid day can be exciting after many days of the uncertainty that can accompany recruitment. You have finally put on the letters of your chapter and run to your group of women. However, behind the beautifully aesthetic Instagram photos can be some awkwardness and unfamiliarity. You likely do not know most or all of the women with whom you are celebrating. So, as bid day progresses you might feel a little out of place as people section off into groups to socialize. This is normal. I felt a bit of this myself, and I’ve spoken to many women who felt the same way. Don’t let this discourage you. 

Sorority recruitment will likely be an experience you remember for the rest of your life. However, it isn’t the most important decision of your life, nor are you defined by your experience. Look at sorority recruitment as an opportunity for growth as a networker and a conversationalist. Be a memorable version of yourself, and you will be successful. Joining a sorority will supplement your life, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to fully maximize. 

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