The Sorority Way

To some people the idea of sorority recruitment looks like this:

(maybe)

Or maybe you think it will look like this:

(probably not)

You may even have heard horror stories of girls leaving like this:

(sometimes)

Yes, during recruitment there will probably be clapping, and yes, there will be the occasional set of tears, however sorority recruitment is way more than either of these things, it is a life changing experience that allows you to meet a whole community of people. 

In last week's blog we discussed IFC recruitment, and while you may think that the two are probably similar, really they are very different sororities. Sorority recruitment is a multiple day event (usually 3 or 4) that follows a strict schedule allowing both potential members and sororities the chance to show who they are and what they are truly about. It is hosted by the school's Panhellenic executive board

While some schools have sorority recruitment at the beginning of the school year in the Fall, other schools, like Longwood have something called deferred recruitment. Deferred recruitment means that students cannot go through recruitment until they have completed at least one full semester of classes and received at least a 2.5 grade point average, although some individual chapters may require higher. If a school has recruitment in the fall, perspective members are required to have received a certain GPA in high school. Members almost sign up for recruitment online and pay a fee that usually covers a t-shirt that potential members wear on the first day of the recruitment.

Me as a recruitment counselor with my group of potential members

A big difference in sorority recruitment and fraternity recruitment, is the addition of recruitment counselors, which is sometimes called a rho chi or rho gamma. Recruitment counselors are sisters of different organizations who are there to help potential members. All potential members are divided in to groups, and each group has their own recruitment counselor. Potential members will not know  Recruitment counselors will guide them throughout the weekend and answer any questions the potential members may have. 
what organization their recruitment counselor is in, as it is important for their to not be any biases towards specific chapters.

Each day of recruitment has a different purpose. Some of these include, sisterhood day, philanthropy day, values day, and preference day. Sisterhood day and values day are sometimes combined depending on how many days of recruitment there are at your school. All of these different days or "rounds" are there for you to learn different aspects of the sorority. Sisterhood and values day are typically meant for members to learn what makes each chapter special and unique. Philanthropy day focuses on service and each chapter has the opportunity to tell members about their own specific philanthropy. Preference day is the most serious day of the weekend and allows chapters to learn what being a member of the organization is all about. It may contain different ceremonies or moments that are personal to each chapter. To see an example of what a recruitment weekend may look like you can click here. 

Another factor in the different days is the different required attire. Generally, the weekend tends to get more formal as it goes on. Your school will more than likely give you a breakdown of what to wear each day. As mentioned earlier, some schools will provide you with a t-shirt to wear on the first day. However if you would like to learn more about outfit recommendations and which day to wear them, check out this article!

The key to recruitment is mutual selection. At the end of each day, both potential members and chapters will preference who they liked and would like to see the next day, and the following day chapters will see less women, and the women will visit less chapters. The amount of chapters they visit depends on both how many their recruitment schedule allows, (you can figure it out here!) and how many chapters ask them back. The first day of recruitment is typically sisterhood and or values day. On this day potential members will visit all chapters. Throughout the weekend you will visit fewer chapters, until preference day where you will typically only visit 2 or 3.

An example of a bid card that new members receive on preference day

After visiting on chapters on preference day,  potential members will put in order which sorority they would like to join, and sign a MRABA, which you can view here. A big difference from fraternity recruitment is that women will only receive one bid or none at all. The MRABA will bind you to any of the sororities that you list if you are to receive a bid, and potential members will be tied to the bid for a year whether they choose to join the organization or not, meaning they are unable to join another sorority for a year. Because of this, some girls may choose to only put down one organization, which can be referred to as "suiciding". While this is an option, it is not recommended. 

Recruitment is an exhausting weekend, both physically and emotionally, but it all culminates with bid day. At some schools bid day is following the preference round of recruitment, and at others it is own day. However, if you ask any sorority member, they will probably tell you that bid day is the most exciting day of the year. It is a celebration amongst the entire Panhellenic community of welcoming new members . Once a women open and accepts her bid card, she has the opportunity to run home to her new sisters, and is often met with cheers and tons of hugs. 

Get an idea of what bid day looks like by watching this video!

After the long weekend of recruitment is over, the journey of being a new member of a sorority begins. While you may feel relieved that you will never have to go through recruitment as a new member again, just remember it will come around again next year, but this time you'll experience it as a sister of your organization!