The Misconceptions of Sorority Recruitment

Going through sorority recruitment was one of the most stressful, yet rewarding weeks of my college experience. Since I participated in formal recruitment as a sophomore, I had basically heard everything from PNM horror stories to the do’s and don’ts when chatting up the active members. With such a slew of information being thrown my way, it was hard to separate what was going to be beneficial during the process, and what was purely rumor. Being the curiously excited young lady I have always been, I decided to dive right into sorority recruitment and see for myself what the process was really like when finding my “home away from home.” If there is one thing I learned, it is that there are various misconceptions floating around about sorority recruitment that could possibly keep you from getting the most out of your experience.

If the sorority doesn’t have a house on campus, it is not a good sorority.

Some of the sororities with the best sisterhood bonds do not have the luxury of owning a house on campus. These chapters have to make more of an effort to see each other on a daily basis, which at times proves to be more rewarding.

Active members choose their new members based on the outfits they wear during the week of recruitment.

You may not know it yet, but way too much is going on during recruitment for an active member to remember every outfit that was worn by every PNM. It sounds cliché, but the ladies recruiting you are paying more attention to your personality than your Lilly Pulitzer dress. Wear whatever makes you feel the most confidant!

It is the PNM’s responsibility to keep the conversation going when talking to an active member.

It most certainly is not. Active members don’t go through a whole week of training just to make a poor, nervous, PNM aimlessly talk about the weather outside for 20 minutes.

Going to the bathroom while at a certain house means you don’t like the sorority and are avoiding conversation.

Let me just tell you, I only went to the bathroom in one house the entire week. Guess which sorority I ended up running to on bid day?

All sorority chapters will be 100% welcoming.

As much as we would all like to believe that every active member will fall in love with us and do anything humanly possible to have us run home to their sisterhood, life just doesn’t work that way. The truth of the matter is, that some girls you talk to will be genuinely interested in what you have to say, while others will refuse to make eye contact and provide nothing valuable to say during conversation.

You will know which sorority you want to run home to by pref night.

This actually couldn’t be further from the truth. For most of the girls who go through sorority recruitment, they either can’t decide between several chapters, or don’t feel like they have made a connection anywhere. Some girls do know exactly where they want to run home come pref night, but don’t be discouraged if it turns out to be a little more difficult for you. 

Don’t fall into the trap of taking these, and other misconceptions about sorority recruitment, too seriously. As you can already tell, most of the things people tell you about the experience aren’t true anyways. Take a leap of faith and try out sorority recruitment for yourself. If there is one piece of advice you should consider, it is to be confident and be yourself. If you stay true to who you are, everything else throughout the week will fall into place. I know, because it worked for me!