Let me start off by saying Marshall’s Panhellenic Recruitment is definitely not like #BamaRush TikTok. Marshall only has four sororities on campus, Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Zeta, and Sigma Sigma Sigma. Recruitment is fun, tiring, and a little crazy at times (like running from house to house really fast on a time crunch), but I wouldn’t trade the experiences and opportunities I have had as a Panhellenic woman here at Marshall. I have traveled to national conferences, been given networking opportunities, met the women who have made me who I am today, and built my resume throughout my 3 years in this community.
I am currently unaffiliated since I am on our Panhellenic Executive Council, so I thought who would be better to give you advice about recruitment than someone who has both been through the process and has seen it being planned behind the scenes as a recruitment counselor!
Wear whatever makes YOU happy and feel comfortable.
You do a lot of walking from house to house, especially the first three nights, so it is important to wear comfortable shoes or bring some. I recommend wearing sneakers or sandals to the more casual nights, and on the more dressy nights, you can wear heels or flats or sandals. If you wear heels or any shoes that are a little uncomfortable to walk in, bring some flip flops in your bag or ask your recruitment counselor if they could hold onto them while you’re inside. All in all, wear what you feel comfortable in. Do not feel pressured to wear heels if you don’t own any or don’t like them. You don’t have to wear the most expensive and fancy clothing you own. I think the majority of stuff I wore was from Marshall’s and American Eagle. I also shopped secondhand from the Curtsy app! I am not a huge dress girl myself, so I wore jeans and rompers. The first dress I wore during the whole process was on Preference night mainly because it had been sitting in my closet collecting dust, and I figured it was the perfect opportunity to wear it. The chapters want to get to know you and expressing yourself through your style is a great way to do that, so if you are feeling adventurous, wear those wild printed pants or those cute sandals that have been sitting in your closet forever.
Talk about yourself and be you!
Okay, this is probably on every single website that you have read so far about sorority recruitment, but I cannot say this enough. Do not be afraid to talk about you and share your story and what makes you happy. You’re going to say your name, major, and hometown quite a lot, but you can talk about your hobbies, if you played a sport in high school, are part of any clubs, etc. The chapters want to hear about you, so do not be afraid to lead the conversation. Talk about your values. Find which ones are the same or different from those of the chapter. Sororities have many leadership and networking opportunities, so you can talk about any leadership positions you had in high school or college and why they are/were important to you.
Show that you are interested and ask questions!
This kind of goes hand in hand with talking about yourself, but do not be afraid to ask the chapter members questions. If you want to know more about their philanthropy or sisterhood, ask what philanthropy or chapter sisterhood events they hold. If you are interested in leadership opportunities, ask about their chairs and executive board and what they do. If you want to know more about chapter dues, they are there to help you learn more! Questions are encouraged and show that you are interested and wanting to learn more about them like they are wanting to learn more about you. This is a mutual selection process, so focus on creating or fostering those connections as well!
Talk to your Recruitment Counselors.
The recruitment counselors have given up their letters, or unaffiliated, to help you through this process in an unbiased way. This way you can ask them questions and talk about how you are feeling, like if you are having trouble deciding between which houses to rank on My Campus Director or have an issue that needs to be handled. Recruitment counselors are there for YOU. They want you to have the best time going through recruitment and helping you along the way if you get stuck.
They are just as nervous as you!
They might be a little more nervous. Like I said this is a mutual process and they want you to like them as well. The chapters’ recruitment teams try to match you up with members that share common interests with you to create a connection and help with conversation starters. I know the nervous can be scary and as someone with anxiety walking into a house not knowing anyone or knowing where you are going can seem like a daunting task. Remember that they are there to get to know you and see how you would fit into the chapter and how they would be able to help you. The nerves are completely normal and I know that it is a mutual feeling!
Make your own decisions!
I know that many of you will go through recruitment with a best friend, roommate, teammate, or classmate and may feel pressured to follow wherever they go, but you get to make your own decision. At the end of the day, rank the houses on your card without thinking about anything other than the chapters and your connections with each of them, not which house someone else you know is choosing to put first. If you ever feel pressured at all by a peer, recruitment counselor, or chapter member, go to the VP of Panhellenic Recruitment. I have friends that joined other chapters that I am still friends with today. Choosing a different chapter as a best friend or roommate doesn’t mean you’re never going to talk again or be sworn enemies. It is not at all dramatic like it is made out to be in TV and movies!
Keep an open mind.
I know that by now you have probably stalked all the chapters’ social media accounts and all of the members whose pages are public. It’s okay I did it to and that is completely fine to do, but do not let it cloud your mind with preconceived ideas about the chapter and its members. Social media is only one side of the chapters. You truly will not know that chapter until you walk through the door on open house night and start talking to members. You have probably heard about the chapters’ reputations on campus from older siblings or friends, but do not let that hurt you in the process. By keeping an open mind, you are maximizing your options and letting yourself open up and make connections with these different members!
I hope that these tips have helped ease your mind a little bit about going through recruitment or even convinced you to sign up. Have fun, keep an open mind, and ultimately in the end, do what makes you happy!