The Do's and Don'ts of Sorority Recruitment

First things first, I need to apologize for going MIA the last few weeks. I left NYC sadly and returned to campus for RA training, and starting my first week as an RA. I'm so lucky that I have 38 of the most amazing residents, and I'm obsessed with them already. I feel like a total mom, but it's fine because it comes naturally to me - I've always been the "mom" of my friend group.

I may have spoken about it before, but I've actually temporarily disaffiliated from my sorority for this semester's formal recruitment. Yep, I'm becoming a recruitment counselor - also called a Rho Chi, Pi Chi and Rho Gamma at different schools, but basically, I disassociate - no letters, no events, no chapter - until bid day, when I get to run home after sending all the PNMs to their home too!

I'm very excited about it, because I had a RC who changed my sorority recruitment experience. I went in wanting one sorority - not openly, but definitely in the back of my mind - and when I was cut on the second day, I was crushed. I cried to a recruitment counselor saying that I wanted to drop from recruitment, and I am so so so glad she convinced me to finish out the day and re-visit the sororities that asked me back, because that's when I fell in love with my own sorority.

So I started thinking about things I wish I knew when I went through recruitment.. little tips and tricks to make it easier, and to prevent my tears. So this is a little "I wish I would have known..".

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// DO be open minded: you never know which sorority or what girls may surprise you - trust me, it's more common than you think. 

// DON'T "suicide rush": don't go in only wanting one sorority, and letting it be known to everyone because it's the easiest way for sororities to drop you. no sorority wants to pref a girl who doesn't want them, so keep your mind open and your mouth shut! 

// DO ignore rumors and stereotypes: rumors are called rumors for a reason - they're not real 9 times out of 10. don't go into recruitment with the talk that this sorority hazes and that sorority only chooses skinny girls and this sorority is full of the "weird girls", and those are the party girls on campus. ignore it, forget the stereotypes, and find where you fit in - without listening to others' opinions. 

// DON'T be too upset if you get rejected: sometimes you don't get asked back by a sorority that you really liked, or thought you wanted - don't let that get you down. every sorority has a limited number of spots they can fill, and sometimes you just weren't one of the girls to grab one of those spots. don't let that discourage you - go back to the others, give them a second chance, and you may just fall in love with one of them too! 

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// DO dress appropriately: the only thing that'll make you even more nervous for recruitment is showing up in the wrong attire. pay proper attention to the recommended dress code. you don't want to show up in jeans on pref round, in a dress on bid day and in shorts when you're supposed to be business casual. it's great to stand out, but you may not be remembered in the way you'd like..

// DON'T compare your "rush" experience to friends at another school: freaking yourself out because your friend who goes to a large state school experienced this or that during her recruitment period, or a friend who goes to a small liberal arts college experienced something completely different. every school does recruitment differently, and you shouldn't let what your friends say impact or scare you at all!

// DO avoid controversial conversations: a good rule of thumb is to avoid the 5 B's: boys, booze, Barack (politics), beliefs and bucks. no one is going to talk about crazy parties, how drunk you were last week, or that you hate this, that or the other, because you don't know what the girl you're talking to believes, enjoys or even thinks. instead, discuss things about the chapter like their sisterhood, their philanthropy and what it's like to have 100+ sisters you can lean on, and leave a positive imprint on the chapter. 

// DON'T forget to enjoy yourself: although it can be super stressful, recruitment is still meant to be fun and enjoyable, so relax, have fun and i'll see ya on the other side!

Good luck with recruitment, ladies!

Do you agree with these tips? What advice would you give to some PNMs going through formal recruitment? 

Link Up Your College Life Blog Posts!

Welcome to Destination: College - A Blog Hop! Join Caro from The Caro Diaries, Jessica from Seeking Individuality and Gina from Gina Alyse as we talk about everything college this month! Link up your college posts (past or present) and find different perspectives about college life through this blog hop. Join us every Monday throughout August to see what tips, advice and real life stories bloggers have to share! 

The linkup will stay up the whole week until the next one goes live the next Monday, so you can link up with us everyday! 

The Rules:

1. Follow your hosts below: 

Caro @ The Caro Diaries | Gina @ Gina Alyse |  Jessica @ Seeking Individuality

2. Link up your posts about college life! 

3. Click over to at least two other blogs and leave a comment to share the love and learn more about their college experiences!

4. Use the hashtag, #CollegeBlogHop to share the linkup below or grab a button below to use on your blog! 

Click to Tweet: "Join us in #CollegeBlogHop to share tips, advice + real life about college! #CollegeTips goo.gl/RNzBKF"
Click to Tweet:  "College Bloggers: Link up with #CollegeBlogHop to share everything college w/ @GinaAlyse @thecarodiaries @S_Individuality goo.gl/C938Zl"

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