Hi gals!
I am so excited for you all to begin recruitment over these next couple of months! I know you are all a bundle of nerves, but please rest assured, you are really well-prepared to knock the socks off the sisters you meet! After all, you have been Greek-Chatting all summer, benefitting from the wisdom of us old fogies, er alum; securing recommendations, and PM'ing, IM'ing, emailing and posting all your questions and getting the answers you need.
My advice as you go into recruitment:
1) Be yourself. Look your personal best. If you feel weight-conscious, work out. If you don't like your hair, go to the salon. It doesn't matter-- just feel your best!!!! When you feel good, you project an air of confidence, so if it takes new clothes, a pedicure, a day at the spa or working up a sweat at the gym-- do what you need to do to make you feel good!
Being yourself also means being honest with yourself. If you are at a sorority house and really reaching to try to fit in, do yourself a favor and cut that house from your wish list. It's not worth it if you can't be you.
2) Clothes-- dress modestly, but in a way that suits you. Look classy and dress for the occasion (and yes, it is okay to be a step or two dressier than the rest—why wear jeans if everyone else is? Wear khaki). If you think you have a problem area, camoflage it in a way that suits you. Why? Because you will feel better, not because anyone else sees anything. Wear shoes that you can stand in/walk in all day. As other sisters have recommended, a piece of unique tasteful jewelry is a super conversation piece.
3) Recs and Legacies. Are you a legacy? Make sure the sorority sister you are related to gets on the ball and sends in a letter to the local chapter. RECS-- while a recommendation doesn't guarantee a bid, it will get you through Round 1 of cuts at most sororities. Recs also are a little like a trumpet announcing your entry-- they know you are coming and they are going to make a little more effort to meet you. Expect to meet the chapter president or recruitment chair. If you need recs, check out the Alumnae pages here at GC. Lots of alum willing to write you a rec or put you in touch with an alum.
4) Do your homework. Have an idea of who the sororities are. Check out local and national Web site, have an idea of their philanthropy, or any signature projects (ie: DG’s Anchor Splash) they do annually. Ask questions about their philanthropy projects. Ask questions about time commitments. Ask questions about their academic monitoring programs and how school obligations are regarded. Ask about dues and how much this is going to cost you. If there is chapter house, is it a requirement to live-in at some point? If it’s a very large chapter, how do people get to know each other? If your grades are an issue, make sure that the person rushing you knows that even though you have a less than stellar cumulative GPA, you had challenges in your first year and you’ve had 3.5’s the past two semesters! If you're an older student, tell them how much you have accomplished thus far in school, or if you are senior and have 3.5 more years b/c you studied abroad, that's important! Sororities want continutity-- hence the emphasis usually on first year students. But an upperclassman is a valuble potential sister!
5) TALK! Talk to as many sisters at the parties as you can. The more women you meet, the more influence you have exhibited and they can tell their other sisters about you. Share what you have to offer, ask your questions and go in there intending to make a new friend. Make it your goal to find something in common with everyone you meet—or at least try. So talk, talk, talk! If you have an interest in the sorority, tell the sisters that! If you can already envision someone being your "big," tell her!
DO Keep any negative opinions of the other sororities to yourself so you don’t influence another PNM. But if something inappropriate happens, tell your Recruitment Counselor immediately!
6) Smile! When you smile, you use less muscles than you would frowning. You also look interested.
7) Drink lots of water and eat smart. Get a good night’s sleep.
8) Post blow-by-blow updates on Greek Chat!!!!
We need to get our vicarious thrills somehow.
You are being evaluated on how you present yourself, your ability to click with the sisters and your past achievements, just as you are evaluating the sorority on how it presents itself, how you click with them and its acheivements. You're nervous about making a good impression? And guess what? So are the sororities!
What are sororities looking for? Someone who is kind, beautiful “inside” and presents herself as a classy lady, someone who is involved on campus, perhaps a leader who will one day direct the chapter operations, perhaps a follower who always helps out and has a smile on her face, someone who believes in service to mankind, someone who works hard in school, someone who believes in true friendship, who knows that sorority life is more than a college experience. It is for a lifetime.
Good luck, future sisters! We’re all rooting for you!
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