10 Things To Do Before Sorority Recruitment
Sorority Recruitment can be stressful, especially if you are rushing your freshman year. Recruitment can seem overwhelming, but here are 10 things to do before sorority recruitment to help you feel prepared.
1 . Look up the sororities at your school
Every university has different sororities that you will be rushing, and a great way to feel prepared is to find the list of houses on your campus. You can also research the chapters values by doing a search of their national chapter’s website. Joining a sorority is a great way to join a large national organization full of women from various universities, and it is a good idea to get a feel for each chapter’s national organizations values.
2. Research specific chapters
After you have looked into what each organizations national presence is, you should look into your schools chapters and see what their values are and if you agree with them. Looking through a chapter’s facebook and instagram is a good way to see what their members are involved in, and what they value as a chapter. A quick google search can also be very informative, as unfortunately some sororities have controversies that you want to know about before recruitment.
3. Research dues
Unfortunately, dues are a part of being in a sorority. Each chapter’s dues can vary depending on your university, if you live in the house, and your specific chapter. You should look into how much dues are, for the chapters at your school before going through the rush process. Many sororities offer scholarships to members, and if you would like to go through recruitment but are unsure of the financial feasibility, it is a good idea to research what your options are beforehand.
4. Find the schedule
Every university is going to have a different recruitment schedule, and sometimes it can be a little overwhelming. A great way to feel prepared is to find the recruitment schedule beforehand and put it in your calendar. This way you don’t have to stress about timing, and can just focus on enjoying the process. Having a general feel for how each day is planned will help you feel more prepared, and relieve a lot of stress once you start recruitment.
5. Plan your outfits
This is another really easy way to feel prepared and relieve some stress. Plan all your outfits ahead of time, so you don’t have to stress the day of when deciding what to wear. If you love the outfits you picked out, and are excited about wearing them, it will help you feel confident as you go into recruitment. Depending on your school, some days require casual outfits and other more formal ones, if you have every thing planned and look forward to what you are wearing, it will help you feel confident at the start of each day. This is also a good way to express yourself and present your best self during recruitment.
6. Reach out to other potential new members
If you know anyone else going through recruitment, it is a great idea to reach out to other potential new members. This can make it less intimidating to know someone as you go into recruitment, and you can have someone to talk about your specific recruitment with. Recruitment can be stressful and full of decisions, so it is a good idea to have someone to discuss you experience with who can empathize. This is also a great way to start connecting with new people, which is a major component to rush and being in a sorority in general.
7. Reach out to alumni or current members
If you happen to know an alumni or a current member of a chapter at your university, it can be super beneficial to reach out with questions. People who have gone through recruitment at your university will specific advice, and will great insight for you before the start of recruitment. At some schools, alumni can write recommendations for potential new members as they go through rush, so if you know anyone it is definitely worth reaching out. A recommendation doesn’t guarantee a bid, but it never hurts to have one.
8. Follow Chapters and the Panhellenic council on Social media
Social media is a great way to get a sense of the chapters and their members before going into recruitment. Most chapters are active on social media, and will showcase their members, philanthropy, and some sisterhood events. This lets you get a feel for the chapters before you even start rush, and you will also get updates about recruitment before and during the process. Following chapters on social media will help you feel updated on everything to do with recruitment.
9. Think of Questions
During recruitment you are going to get the chance to ask the members questions about their experience in a sorority. This is a great way to understand what the chapters values, and what the members are like. Before recruitment you should think of a few things that are really important to you, so you can pick the best chapter for you. Sometimes it can be hard in the moment to think of things that are important to you, so having some prepared questions will help you get the most out of recruitment.
10. Clean up Social Media
If you are following chapters on rush, and any of. your accounts are public it is a good idea to look through your account and and delete anything you that may not depict your best self. There is no need to have a steady social media presence, but many sororities have some simple guidelines about what they want members posting. Mostly this falls under not posting anything illegal like underage drinking, and is meant to help you present yourself professionally.
