What Exactly Happens During Sorority Recruitment At Oregon State University

Ah, sorority recruitment at Oregon State University. For many girls, myself included, it’s an exhausting process filled with cute outfits, forced conversation, and an unnatural amount of makeup. I’m not going to lie, the process is intimidating, uncomfortable at times, and definitely frustrating. It’s also a process that could lead to making the best friends you’ll make in your entire college career. I’m here to explain the whole process, and give you some tips to make it all go a little smoother.

The first day, Go Greek Day, is wild. Truly wild.

This is your chance to meet at least one girl from all 11 houses at Oregon State. The conversation will last all of 10 minutes, but will feel more like 2. After this day, you will never want to tell another soul where you’re from, what your major is, and why you decided to go through recruitment, because that is all you are going to talk about. All. Day. Long. That being said, DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE NOTES ABOUT EACH HOUSE! This is, most likely, the first and only day you will get to meet with each house, so after each party write down what you liked, and didn’t like, about the vibe the girls gave off.

After you’ve waded through the craziness that is Go Greek Day, you’re onto Philanthropy Day.

You’ll get invited back to a number of different houses, and this time you will actually get to see the house! You’ll wait outside the door and be greeted by a very cheery sorority girl as you walk in, and she’ll tell you all about the philanthropy her house supports and raises money for throughout the year. This is my absolute favorite day during recruitment because you get to see what the sorority is really passionate about, and this can be a big factor in joining a house.

Chapter days are next.

You will get invited back to even fewer houses than you did on philanthropy day, but don’t panic, because which houses you get asked back to depends on which ones you vote on, so the choice isn’t entirely outside of your control. Chapter days are when the conversations get more intimate, you will likely talk to a girl you’ve talked to before so you feel more comfortable, and you’ll get a house tour!

Finally, there’s Preference Night.

This is a very special night. You will only visit 2 houses, and spend an hour at each house. It’s highly probable you’ll talk with girls you talked with before, and each house will have a special ceremony where some of the members talk about their experiences in the house. Some girls will definitely get emotional, but there is absolutely no pressure to make the conversation really deep and intimate if that’s not what you’re feeling. This is the time where the house is going to try as hard as they can to make you fall in love with them, and so it’s up to you to decide which house you want to make fall in love with you, and act accordingly. After you visit with both houses, you will go vote and wait until…

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BID DAY! The day you get to join your new home.

You’ll open your bid card in front of your gamma chi’s, the girls who disaffiliate from their sororities during recruitment so they can guide potential new members through the process, and then run out into the quad where all of your new sisters will be waiting. Bid day is crazy, so it’s more than okay to feel more overwhelmed than excited. And if you’re not happy about the bid you got, it happened to me, reach out to the girls in the house you did get a bid to, because chances are they will be way more supportive than you think.

My best piece of advice? Just be yourself. No matter what, just be yourself. Say, wear, and act whatever way makes you feel the most comfortable, because that’s how you’ll find girls who like you for you. That’s what it’s all about.