How To Survive Sorority Recruitment

After you are accepted into the school of your choice, it is time to explore the extracurricular ways to get involved on campus. Particularly if you are moving any distance from home for school, it is essential to make new friends to order a late night pizza with, while attempting to "study" all night for your next big exam. A great way to meet great lifelong friends is to join a sorority.

1. Research your college's recruitment process. Some schools do a formal week-long recruitment the week before school starts. Others wait until school starts and do their recruitment over a series of weekends. Either way, you will probably need to fill out a form and submit it to your Greek Life office on campus by a certain deadline. Don't wait until school starts to look into this; some deadlines are in the summer before you start the fall semester. Also remember that there is a financial component to being in a sorority. You should consider this before committing to anything. Dues can vary depending on the chapter that you join.
2. Evaluate your wardrobe. Some universities with formal recruitments require that you wear specific outfits on certain days of the recruitment process. Whether this applies or not should be determined by your research in step one for your particular school. Examples include wearing a sundress on the first day, a t-shirt provided by the recruitment team on the second day (pair this with a cute denim skirt and some unique accessories -- like a fun necklace or purse -- to make yourself stand out), followed by a black dress on the third day.
3. Be yourself. When it comes time for the recruitment process, you will most likely be visiting each of the sorority houses and talking to the girls. Though it might seem awkward at first, just talk to them as you would your best friend. This is an interview process, in a way. You are interviewing the girls as much as they are interviewing you. You want to find the right fit. Do these girls seem too stuck up for you? Are they interested in academics, sports, theater, or social functions? How do these interests fit with your plans for college? Do the personalities of the girls in the house seem similar to yours?
4. Remain calm! At first the process can be overwhelming, and it may just seem as though "everyone is so nice, I don't know how I'll ever decide!" It is a mutual selection process. Don't get too upset if a house doesn't ask you back to visit them. Do you really want to be in a sorority that doesn't think you would fit there? Likewise, don't feel bad about cutting houses off of your list if it didn't seem like the right fit. Something has to give! You and the sororities will eventually narrow down your lists and you will end up right where you belong!
5. Enjoy the ride. Many lifelong friendships are formed in sororities. You spend four years together working towards a common philanthropy (a good cause that you raise money for as a group), competing against other Greek houses in sports, studying together, as well as participating in homecoming, Greek week, and any other fun activities your campus has! Not to mention, you get to wear those really cute Greek letters plastered all over every t-shirt, tote bag, and fleece jacket you own for those four years -- talk about a status symbol!

Joining a sorority is a great way to establish a social network in college. Even after college, it is a great way to network professionally. Enjoy!