This post has been written by an insider, from the sorority side. - Enjoy~
HEY all you PNMs (Potential New Members)!! This post is for you. Take a deep breath and put on your recruitment game face as recruitment is almost here. As someone who has watched the sorority recruitment process for 19 years - as a potential new member, sorority member, and sorority advisor- I have some tips to share with you.
Sorority recruitment is a process. Take each day as it comes. Not only are sorority women attempting to get to know you better, you need to get to know and understand the “big picture” of each sorority. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. In fact, it is best to seem interested, engaged, and genuine as you ask questions. So, what do you want to know? If you want to know more about the sorority’s philanthropy, ask. If you are interested in learning more about the sorority house - perhaps how many members live in the house, ask. If you desire to know more about what campus organizations that the sorority is involved with, be sure to ask. Discuss with the sorority members why they decided that their particular sorority was the best fit for them. My advice to you here is that you don’t want your conversations with the sorority women to be completely one-sided. This is the time for you to get to know the sorority women, too. Not only are you going to be getting to know some members from each sorority, you are also going to be spending the week forming relationships with other potential new members in your recruitment group. Take the time to have true, intentional conversations with this group of girls, too.
Be open minded and go into the recruitment process with an open heart, open ears, and open eyes. You may think that you have a good idea of what sororities you are interested in before recruitment begins, but let me tell you that the week of recruitment may change your mind about what you think you may want. This is normal and this is okay! You may feel confused and persuaded, as these are normal feelings during recruitment. Take a look around the room at each sorority house that you visit, and ask yourself some questions: Do I feel a sense of sisterhood in this room? Are these sorority women genuine? Do I see myself fitting in here? Is this where I belong? Do these women have similar values as I do? You will be spending the week meeting women who come from different places and backgrounds. Step out of your comfort zone a bit and be prepared to have conversations with those that may be different than you.
Remember to take care of YOU during recruitment week. Although it is probably going to be one of the most hectic weeks of your life, remember to breathe, rest, hydrate, and eat. You have to go to class the week of recruitment. The most important thing to remember is that you are at the University of Mississippi to get an education! Taking care of you means that you need a healthy headspace. If you need a breather during one of the recruitment rounds, just simply ask to visit the ladies room. Take five minutes to gather your thoughts and perspective.
Trust the process. It is vital that you understand this. Always go back to your maximum number of invites. For example, for philanthropy round, you will be able to return to a maximum of 8 sororities that round. If you are invited to return to all 11 sororities, you will select 8 to return to. If you are invited to return to 7 of the sororities, you will select 7 to return to. You would never want to accept return invites to only 3 sororities if you were invited to return to all 11 sororities. Play the game and always return to the maximum number of sororities that you received an invitation from. Remember everyone likes an invitation, so don’t be “that girl” who does not accept her maximum invitations.
Be your authentic self and be true to yourself. Don’t pretend to be someone that you are not. If in the middle of recruitment you decide that sorority life is not for you, it is certainly okay to drop out of recruitment. Let me tell you that recruitment and sorority life is not everyone’s cup of tea. There are plenty of ways to be involved at The University of Mississippi. If you truly feel that you do not want to be a member of a sorority, please talk to your recruitment counselor as they can guide you in making a decision that works best for you.