Hello, everyone and welcome to day one of Greek Week here on my blog! This week I will be dedicating posts on both my blog and YouTube channel to discussing all things sorority recruitment with you. Not only will I be sharing what a sorority is but we’ll be discussing what to wear, how they work, and so much more.
Today, we’re starting with the basics! I’m going to be talking through my own sorority recruitment experience as well as what to expect during each round at Kent State University where I am a sophom*ore Fashion Merchandising student and Alpha Phi.
Sometimes it’s easier to understand by listening to me talk everything through so if you fall under that category, make sure to check out today’s video. I am talking through everything mentioned in today’s blog post and more! Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss tomorrow’s video. I will be sitting down to answer some of your top sorority related questions including how expensive sororities are, if there is hazing, what to talk about, and more!
WHAT IS A SORORITY?
So first and foremost, what is a sorority? I’m sure there are some of you who aren’t sure so let me read you the definition. A sorority is defined as “a society of female students in a university or college”. In other words, a sorority is a group of like-minded girls who raise money and awareness for specific organizations while giving back to their community, getting involved on campus, and making friends.
In order to be in a sorority, you must first go through a process called sorority recruitment (also known as “rushing”) where you meet with every chapter. Through a mutual selection process, you will find the chapter you are best suited for. After receiving a bid you will become a new member and then go through the initiation process.
SORORITIES AT KENT
It’s important to note that every school’s sorority recruitment process is different. Some schools go through before the school year even begins, some have incidents of hazing, and some cost up to $8,000 a year. However, like Kent, some schools do none of those things. We go through recruitment during the school year, have a zero-tolerance hazing policy, and no sororities dues exceed $2,000 for the year. Although every school is different, I am not here to speak of other universities but rather my experience going through sorority recruitment at Kent State specifically.
At Kent, we have eight chapters: Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma, Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Zeta, Phi Mu, Chi Omega, Sigma Delta Tau, and Sigma Sigma Sigma. Each one has a different philanthropy meaning each is raising money and awareness for a different organization throughout the year.
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PRE-RECRUITMENT EVENTS
Prior to the start of sorority recruitment, there will be a few different events for freshman and upperclassman to attend. One of the most popular being called “Blast Off”. These events will take place right near the Student Center and will have every sorority and fraternity, intermural sport, club, and student organization lined up to talk with. Most will have some sort of booth, poster, or flyer to give out to you/attract your attention.
This is a very laid back event and is one of the first ways to get exposed to Greek Life. You are free to roam around and talk to any sorority (or other club). These conversations usually last 5-15 minutes and it’s usually pretty basic conversation asking where you are from, why you chose Kent, if you’re interested in being in a sorority, etc.
Wear something casual, shorts and a tank are just fine and I encourage all freshmen to participate in these events regardless if they are going through recruitment or not. This is such an easy way to get involved and meet new people.
REGISTRATION
Registration for sorority recruitment at Kent State will be open next week; you can stay up to date on how and when to register by following Kent’s Panhellenic Council Instagram here. Registration typically costs $50 (although this subject to change) and is open for quite some time so if you’re unsure if you want to go through, you have the first few weeks of school to decide!
PNM MEETING
Once you have registered, all PNM’s (potential new members) will be required to meet on campus for a meeting. This meeting will last around two hours and they will be covering what to expect throughout each round of recruitment, what to wear, and answering any questions you may have. Basically, they are going to be telling you everything I am covering this week. This meeting usually happens a few weeks before the first round of recruitment.
While at this meeting you will also get put into an SRC group. This group is randomly selected and will be who you travel to each round of recruitment with. The number of groups depends on how many girls sign up for recruitment that year and there are typically 20-30 girls in each group.
These groups are also lead by a handful of SRCs which are sorority recruitment counselors. These “counselors” are girls from various different chapters that are there to keep things organized and guide you in your sorority recruitment experience. They are incredibly friendly and are there to help you in every way possible. You will not know which sorority they are in until Bid Day.
OPEN HOUSE ROUND
So at Kent, recruitment is spread over two different weekends. There will be two days for the first round, also known as Open House and the following weekend will be Sisterhood, Preference, and Bid Day. They do it this way so that you aren’t super overwhelmed and because school is in session during the recruitment process.
On the first day, you and your SRC group will be visiting 4 of the 8 chapters. Each “round” will last 40 minutes with a 20-minute break in between. You will have 5-10 minute conversations with around five girls during this round. Similar to the pre-recruitment events, you will be asked very basic questions: where you’re from, why you chose Kent, what made you go through recruitment, your highschool experience, etc.
The following day you will visit the remaining four chapters with your SRC group. During each 20-minute break, I would recommend jotting a few notes down on your phone. Write down if the conversation flowed well, what you talked about, the girl’s name if you remembered. This will help jog your memory and make the ranking experience a bit easier.
After the second day of Open House, you will be taken to a computer where you will rank the eight chapters you saw in order of how you liked them 1-8.
- recruitment day one!
- me and lo <3
As for outfits, this round is on the more casual side; think flowy pants, skirts, and flat sandals. Here is what I wore throughout the first two days. I scored tons of compliments on these pants!
SISTERHOOD ROUND
The following weekend you will come back and you will receive a schedule. For this round, you can see up to five sororities back. Recruitment is a mutual selection process so who you see back is based off of which chapters you want to see back and which chapters want to see you back. It may seem confusing at first, but jut trust the process!
Some girls will only see three chapters, some will see five! I ended up seeing five. I saw my 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. The reason I did not see my 5 is because they didn’t want to see me back; however, my 6 did so I went back and saw them for a second time. Keep an open mind even if you don’t get called back to your top choices; oftentimes, you may have just not liked the few girls you spoke with the first day and the second round will be better!
Each “round” will last 45 minutes with a 15-minute break in between each. Throughout this round, you will be bused to that chapter’s house and you will get a glimpse into what their house is like. You will meet with fewer girls for longer amounts of time where you will touch on deeper questions. They will share more about their philanthropy and now is the time to ask the girls about what living in the house is like, what made them choose this sorority, and how they’ve grown throughout their time as an Alpha Phi or whatever chapter that girl may belong to.
After Sisterhood Round, you will be taken to a computer where you will rank the five (or fewer) chapters you saw in order of how you liked them 1-5.
- my girlies
As for outfits, this round is a bit dressier; think rompers, sundresses, and midi skirts. Wear, what you feel comfortable in and what accurately expresses who you are as a person. That is so important when going through the recruitment process. Here is what my roommates and I wore for Sisterhood round.
PREFERENCE ROUND
The following day you will come back and receive a new schedule. You will be seeing up to two sororities this day (hopefully your top two choices asked to see you back!). On this day each “round” will last one hour with a 25 minute break in between each.
For this round, you will be bused to the houses and you will get to see a bit more of the house. Similar to yesterday, you will meet with fewer girls and oftentimes it will be someone you have already spoken with so that you are comfortable with them and can really make that personal connection to “win you over”. You will also get a glimpse into one of their rituals so that you can connect with that sorority on a deeper level—this is when I realized Alpha Phi was the sorority for me.
After Preference Round, you will be taken to a computer where you will rank the two (or one) chapters you saw in order of how you liked them 1-2. However, some girls who saw two sororities may choose to “suicide bid”. This means that they rank only one chapter and have the “all or nothing” mindset. If you decide to suicide bid, you are saying that if you do not get a bid from that chapter, you are okay with not being in a sorority at all.
At this point, I put Alpha Phi as my 1 and Delta Gamma as my 2 stating that if I was not to receive a bid from Alpha Phi, I would be okay with joining Delta Gamma instead.
- walking on sunshine
- me and emmy!
As for outfits, this round is the dressiest; think dresses, jumpsuits, and heels. Again, wear what you feel comfortable and confident in—put that best foot forward! Here is what I wore for Pref day.
BID DAY
The following morning you will meet with your SRC group and you will be taken into a smaller room. One by one they will call you out into the hallway and give you an envelope. This envelope has your bid in it and you will open it in private to see which sorority you are in.
If you do not receive a bid (which doesn’t happen often but it is possible) they will call you the morning of and tell you to stay home, you did not receive a bid.
Once all of the SRC groups have opened their bids you will move out to the lawn where every sorority will be lined up cheering and chanting in their “theme” with props, glitter, and all that jazz. It is then, that you will “run home” to your sisters with the other new members. Watch today’s video if you are confused about this part because it really is something you have to see to fully understand!
From there you will go to your chapters house and you will get your tee shirt, listen to music, eat food, take pictures, and have a fun-filled afternoon with your new sisters.
And, that my friends is how sorority recruitment at Kent State works. Like I said, every school is different however most follow pretty similar guidelines. I know my sister who is a Delta Zeta at Marshall University has a pretty similar recruitment process with one additional round called “Philanthropy Round”.
I hope this post gave you a better understanding of what to expect when going through recruitment. It’s so important to trust your gut and the process because it truly will work out. Even if you do not receive a bid, or decide mid-way through that you want to “drop” out of recruitment, it is still an awesome way to meet new people and get exposed to all kinds of girls on campus.
With all of that being said, if you have any additional questions please do not hesitate to leave them below. I will do my best to answer them. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s video because it’s going to cover a lot more topics! AOE, sisters.
With love, McKenz
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