The Difference Between Formal And Informal Recruitment

Recruitment. No matter what side you are on, be it an active sister or a PNM (potential new member) it is a stressful time for anyone who is going through the sorority recruitment process. At this point you have either scavenged sorority boards on Pinterest or you either want to go into recruitment not knowing what to expect. Even if you want to go into recruitment completely blind there is one thing you should be familiar with and that is the two types,  formal and informal. Each type of recruitment comes with it’s own pros and cons.

Formal Recruitment

Formal recruitment is most widely known at the majority of campuses. Formal  usually takes place in the Fall semester (or in Spring for those that don’t do informal). Formal recruitment, like its title, is more formal and structured. Day 1 of recruitment/rush week  you will meet you RC (Recruitment Counselor) and meet the other girls in your group. As a general rule you are not allowed to know which organization your RC is apart of so there is no bias when it comes to choosing a sorority that is right for you. Also, during this day you will listen as you are presented the rules and layout of the oncoming days. They usually explain what is appropriate to wear and talk about.

You spend usually spend the next 3-6 days, depending on the size of your university, meeting all the sororities on your campus. Every sorority’s event you visit ids called a “party”. At the end of every day you will make a decision about what sororities you would like to go back to, and they also make the decision about if they want to see you back. Every day your list of houses you will visit will get shorter and the parties will become longer. The process happens until the last “official” night of recruitment, called Preference Night,  when you make the final choice about which sorority you want to “pledge”.

The day after Pref night is “Bid Day” where you receive a bid to hopefully a sorority you can see yourself being apart of. It is the less stressful and most fun. Bid Day usually starts with everyone getting in their recruitment groups. After the RC’s let you see what organization they are apart of they go to join their sorority. During this time you are told to “run home” and your new sisters are there to welcome you with open arms.

As someone who went though Formal I can honestly tell you that the stress is way more than going through informal recruitment. There are certain outfits you have to wear to ordinate with certain days and the days are long. But, even if you have your mind set on one sorority it is a great to meet all the other organization and learn some about all of them. I recommend this for those, who even if you have a idea of who you want, to go and get know all of these organizations.

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Informal Recruitment

Informal recruitment usually takes place during the spring semester. It is usually if an organization does not meet the maximum number that they can have. Informal recruitment requires a little more effort. Usually, since it is “informal” most campuses don’t usually make it known. I recommend following all the sorority’s social media accounts as a way the be informed when they are having “interest parties”. Informal also takes place at different times for different sororities, as opposed to having all the “parties” in one week. Some sororities might not even have interest parties for informal if they have reached quota.

You also do not get an RC during informal. It is up to you to decide which interest parties you would like to attend. This option is great for those who have their mind set on one or two sororities and there is no changing their mind. Unfortunately, there is no official cutting process.  You are left waiting after all the interest parties to see if you got a bid. Informal is definitely less stressful than formal, but the process isn’t so clear-cut.

Are you ready for your school’s recruitment? Let us know in the comment section below!

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