For those of you who haven’t been to the DUC or your Facebook Newsfeed in a while, Sunday was Bid Day. What does that mean? Screaming girls wearing matching sweatshirts hauling around massive (and, frankly, dangerous) Greek letters as they chant songs and make crazy shapes with their fingers and bodies. To others, it’s a rite of passage as an official college student or the start of finally feeling at home at college. For others still, it’s finding a group of girls where you belong.
I never really pictured myself as a sorority girl. I’m not necessarily bubbly or cheery and I left behind theme-altered pop songs at summer camp. Participating in Recruitment this year, however, was definitely one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences I’ve taken part in during my time at Emory.
For those of you who were on the fence about rushing a sorority and either feel as if you’ve missed your shot or still think it’s not for you, this is what I learned from my experience.
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Pros:
- You know a lot more people than you did as a Freshman. This was definitely one of my favorite things about rush. No matter what house you go to, you’re bound to know at least one sister, if not more. Whether you met her in your Game Theory class or that one time you went to a Cooking Club meeting, it’s still someone to say “Hi” to and feel a little bit more comfortable with.
- You know yourself a lot better, both as a person and as an Emory student. By sophomore year, you have a better idea of what your interests and passions are, and you’ve had plenty of time to explore clubs and organizations. Not only does this help you to network with sisters (see above!) but it gives you something to talk about! You’re going to get very bored during rush if you talk about the most recent Girls episode eighteen times in one day.
- It’s less nerve–wracking. Now, I didn’t rush as a Freshman, so this isn’t empirically-based. What I can tell you is that going into rush, I knew that I had survived at Emory without a sorority before rush, and I could survive without one after rush. Sure, disappointment is awful and you want to go into an experience like this hoping (and expecting) the best possible outcome. But it’s also important to be able to go into each house and just be yourself without so much of the fear of what that could mean come Bid Day.
- It’s excellent interview practice. For those of us who plan to pursue careers after college (*cough* everyone), Recruitment might be the best hands-on practice for interviews, without the consequence of not getting hired. Talking to dozens of girls for hours on end without fidgeting with your clothes or your hair or looking at the time, focusing on not saying “Um” every other word, and finally learning what “Business Casual” actually entails, might be one of the biggest takeaways for most girls after Recruitment. You also get really good at eating crumbly food in the middle of a conversation, which is always a helpful interview skill. Whether you talk about your Yerkes research job, or being inspired by a documentary shown by Students for a Free Tibet, you get excellent practice at talking about yourself, your interests, and your experiences in a professional and applicable manner.
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Cons:
- You get asked why you didn’t join as a Freshman a lot. I don’t know why, but I didn’t think of this before I walked in to my first sorority on the first day of Recruitment. But it was the first question out of the first sister’s mouth, and for the other seventeen girls I talked to that day, it was one of the first things that came up. Regardless of your reasoning (mine was namely sports teams and lack of time), be sure you have something thought up so that you’re not caught off guard!
- You feel a little out of place. Everyone around you in line is a Freshman and on Bid Day, the overwhelming majority of your pledge class will be Freshman. Being a sophomore doesn’t make you less of a sister to your PC or to the sisters in the Pledge Classes before you. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t hard watching the already-initiated sophomores in my sorority joke around and laugh with the older sisters, or sitting next to freshman suitemates who had rushed together and gotten bids together.
- Most important: you miss a year with fantastic sisters and friends! This is inevitable and definitely the hardest part of upper-class rush. Three years will never feel like enough time to spend with the girls in my Pledge Class or the sisters that I’ve already met and bonded with. Then again, four years wouldn’t be enough. Thankfully, sorority sisters are for life!
Whether you went through Recruitment this year and want to give it another shot as a sophomore, or your sophomore year will be your first Greek experience, definitely consider signing up for Recruitment next year. Even if you don’t end up joining a sorority, sorority recruitment is really a once (or twice!) in a lifetime experience that’s unique to college. I had my own reservations about participating, but ever since the first morning when I put on my Recruitment ’13 t-shirt, I have never regretted it.