Sorority Recruitment Tips
Greek life is definitely something special. I was a member of my sorority all four years of college, served as a Rho Gamma/Gamma Chi/Recruitment counselor my Junior year & was my sorority’s representative on the Panhellenic Council my Senior year where I had the chance to help run sorority recruitment. For incoming freshman, recruitment can be extremely overwhelming so I wanted to give a few tips I learned during my time as an active sorority woman to help ease those nerves just a tiny bit.
Recruitment is supposed to be fun! You are entering the whole new world of college and your first step is finding 100+ new best friends in your new sorority. How is that now a perfect start?
Recruitment is how sororities uphold their traditions and legacies of amazing women each year. They are looking for the perfect girls to become members and carry on those traditions just as you are looking for the perfect house to become part of their traditions. Everything comes together in the end and recruitment is all what you make of it.
So here are a few tips & tricks:
Know what makes you unique & memorable
The sorority women in the houses are just as nervous as you are during this week. They are talking to so many women throughout the day and the conversations are short. You want to make sure to know what makes you special and unique! Sharing who you are with the sorority women is crucial. You want to stand out and have a conversation that the sorority women will remember!
Keep an open mind
Recruitment is emotionally exhausting and sometimes you might think you know EXACTLY what house you want and you focus all your energy on that one house…this is not the best way to do it! Remember…there are so many amazing women in each sorority and you only get to meet a few during the week of recruitment. So don’t base your decisions off the ONE girl you talked to. Keep an open mind and go into each house, each day thinking this could be your new home away from home. Having this mindset will allow you to thoroughly enjoy your time in the houses instead of only thinking about one house and missing all the things that the other houses have to offer.
Be yourself!
DO NOT go into the sorority houses with a script of what you have been told to say. You need to be yourself and you need to have your own genuine conversations with the sorority members. You are looking for the sorority that you want to be apart of…so you need to show them who you are. Being yourself is the best way to find the perfect house for you.
Research the sorority chapters at your school
Before going into recruitment it is a good idea to research the different sororities at your school. Knowledge is power! Knowing a lot about each sorority will help conversations flow better and will help you think of quick questions to ask when needed. Looking into their philanthropies is a great place to start. Sorority women have pride in their philanthropic work and love to share that with new members!
Don’t listen to reputation rumors
During recruitment it is very important to make your OWN decisions and not listen to reputation rumors you might hear. Sororities change year to year with new members and every four years the sororities have completely changed members. Do not listen to old rumors and stereotypes. This is a good way to lose sight of what really matters when going through recruitment…and that is finding the right house for YOU.
Bring necessities with you
The week of recruitment is long and the days are exhausting. Make sure to bring a bag with some goodies. Some things to consider bringing are:
Flats (especially if the houses aren’t close together)
Water
Snacks
Lip Stick/Gloss to reapply between houses
Perfume
Compact Mirror
Brush
Make-up for quick touch ups if needed
Mini hair spray
Pen or Pencil & notepad
Make Notes
After you finish inside a house…come outside and make some quick notes about that house. You can write down the girl(s)’ names you talked to that day, what you talked about, what you liked, what you disliked, etc. This is VERY helpful at the end of the day when you go to make your decisions…It can jog your memory and help you make those really tough decisions.
Talk to your Rho Gammas/Gamma Chis/Recruitment Counselors
They are here to help you with recruitment. They are completely disaffiliated with their sorority and have NO contact with ANYONE inside of the houses. They have given up their letters for the week in order to help you during the process in an unbiased way. They have been in your shoes before so utilize their knowledge and information during the week.
Lastly…have fun!
This is something you will only do ONCE in your life and it will shape your college experience… so be yourself, don’t get discouraged, always find the silver lining, and always remember that you will end up where you are suppose to!
Being Greek is a privilege and will open up so many doors for you during your college time. Utilize everything your sorority offers, be involved, and be proud to not only be apart of your own sorority…but also to be apart of the Greek community!
The 26 National Panhellenic Sororities include: (not all of them will be represented at each school)
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Delta Pi
Alpha Epsilon Phi
Alpha Gamma Delta
Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Sigma Alpha
Alpha Sigma Tau
Alpha Xi Delta
Chi Omega
Delta Delta Delta
Delta Gamma
Delta Phi Epsilon
Delta Zeta
Gamma Phi Beta
Kappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Delta
Kappa Kappa Gamma
Phi Mu
Phi Sigma Sigma
Pi Beta Phi
Sigma Delta Tau
Sigma Kappa
Sigma Sigma Sigma
Theta Phi Alpha
Zeta Tau Alpha
KEEP CALM & GO GREEK!