Most women in sororities would agree that they have a love/hate relationship with recruitment season. The process is super fun and rewarding, you get to take cute pictures, and it’s just fun for unexplainable reasons. On the other hand, it can get super, super stressful. It’s always around the time when school is starting up–new classes, new challenges, and maybe even a new work place.
Rush season works really different for DePaul University in Chicago, IL. We do trimesters here, so everything is 10 weeks–which makes recruitment even more condensed than it should be. Granted, we always have a smaller number of girls going through recruitment, so it’s nothing like what a big ten school might deal with. Regardless of your school, recruitment season can be overwhelming (both good and bad). Here’s the ultimate guide to stay on top of your normal life, while still enjoying the experience (whether you’re going through recruitment, or are recruiting!
It sounds like a given for any guide to anything, but it’s so true! You get so dehydrated after talking to so many girls and walking or standing in a potentially hot room. Not to mention all the cheering you do when recruits come strolling through the door (yes, every sorority cheers whether you like it or not). Since you probably won’t be getting much sleep, water is the next best thing you can have to help your body. Keep one close by where you can constantly take sips in between rounds.
I cannot stress this enough. It’s always good to do your schoolwork ahead of time when you know you’ll be busy, but especially for recruitment you’ll want to. If you have homework at that point or know you will, get it and do it ahead of time. You will thank yourself later when you’ve come home after a long day and the last thing you want to do is two hours of homework.
Just like the homework, do this too! This makes everyday so much easier for when you wake up and have to get ready–it may not seem like a big deal at the moment, but make sure you plan what you’re wearing. Even if everyone has the same shirt, find what pants or jeans to wear and accessories. Besides, there’s nothing worse than not feeling confident in an outfit you just threw together.
Don’t be one of those girls who thinks she can do it all–you’re only human. If you have a job, request off. You will know months in advance when recruitment is, so make sure you plan accordingly to not work that whole week. Even if you didn’t, it would be near impossible to work and go through recruitment at the same time. Do yourself a favor and make that one less thing to worry about.
Again, it may seem like a given, but be ready before they even want you there. It gives you time for more pictures and time to relax and not stress about when you’ll be there.
I know my sorority doesn’t even allow it–a time that’s called “dry period” (we’re not allowed to go out and drink that whole week). Even if there’s no strict rule about it, just don’t do it. You’ll be so tired anyway, the last thing you’ll want to do is go out and party with your friends. You have the entire rest of the school year to do that, literally.
A simple but important one–it’s hard to do, but don’t worry about what will happen tomorrow when you’re still on today. It’s a good life lesson in general, but especially for a process that a lot of the time, you have no complete control over.
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