Getting Ready for Sorority Recruitment

Sorority life can be fun, no doubt about it.  But before you jump at the sorority recruitment opportunity, take a few minutes to make sure you are prepared for the decisions that lay in front of you.

Remember, sorority recruitment is a mutual selection process. You are also choosing what chapter you feel will be the best fit for you. Be sure to know what is expected of you and how each sorority will enhance your college experience.

Here are two lists of questions you must ask yourself to help you get ready for making the big decision. Read the rest of this entry »

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Timing is everything, and sororities know it.  That’s why they offer chances throughout the school year for students to join their sisterhoods.  Though formal recruitment only comes around once a year, there is often times a second opportunity to join a sorority in activities referred to as “Continuous Open Bidding,” “Continuous Open Recruitment” or “Informal Recruitment.” Panhellenic Informal Recruitment is less rigidly scheduled than formal recruitment but more so than Continuous Open Bidding/Recruitment.  Here is some information to help make your decision regarding this chance at lifelong sisterhood. Read the rest of this entry »

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Frenemies. You know what they are.  You know who yours are.  But, will you find them in a sorority?

When working with a diverse group of women, you are likely to find at least one woman with whom you are unable to see eye-to-eye.  In fact, you may meet a woman during recruitment like this.  When you have no choice other than to engage her, these four tips will help keep matters civil and avoid social damage. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tomorrow I’m going to an Ice Cream Social at the local Sigma Kappa Sorority chapter. I will be meeting the new member I have volunteered to mentor as an “Alum Chum.” She joined this sorority following the most recent recruitment week at the University of Washington.

It has been a long time since I was part of sorority recruitment, but in some ways that experience helped prepare me for my technical recruiter career.  My job entails work with senior level hiring managers and teams at a Fortune 100 company in the Seattle area.

A while ago, I realized something about the Greek alumnae who are interviewing or making important hiring decisions. Read the rest of this entry »

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It may seem like you are playing a part in a circus as you juggle school, extra curricular activities, a job, church, and a social life among many other commitments. Adding independence from parents and a new sisterhood can make your collegiate experience challenging.

Here are four pieces of advice to help relieve your stress so these can be the “best years of your life” instead of a multi-year circus act. Read the rest of this entry »

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A 2010 study by Pew Research has revealed teens are increasingly using cell phones and texting. The results are not especially surprising.  However the implications for Panhellenic formal recruitment may be concerning.

To summarize key points from the study:

✔  Cell-phone texting has become the preferred channel of basic communication between teens and their friends, and cell calling is a close second.
✔  Some 75% of 12-17 year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45% in 2004.
✔  Fully 72% of all teens – or 88% of teen cell phone users – are text–messagers. Read the rest of this entry »

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Does your roommate like to be naked?  While this preference may present a big problem, it is only one of the potential “personal preferences” you and your roommate may not agree upon.

For many college students, living in university housing will be their first experience not only living on their own but also sharing space with another individual.  In the game of roommate roulette, you never know who you’re going to get. Sometimes roommates have different values and beliefs, which may include divergent views on fraternity/sorority life.

What if your roommate has a negative attitude about the fraternal experience?  Here are six tips on how to handle a skeptical roommate. Read the rest of this entry »

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In the dark ages, people in tribes would make choices by voting with fundamental communications like grunts and rock tossing.  As communities became larger, systems became the method of choice for pleasing the villagers, citizens, employees, or stakeholders.

Today, many organizations use Preferential Bidding Systems (PBSs) to satisfy the preferences of their constituents.  You may be familiar with some of them.

★ Airline employees use their company’s PBS to bid on their preferred schedules each month.
★ Professional sports leagues use their PBS to determine which rookies will be invited to join which professional teams.
★ College administrators use a PBS to determine which students will be allowed into popular classes.

Similarly, students wishing to join collegiate sororities participate in a mutual selection process, which is a PBS just like those mentioned above.  The PBS ensures a prospective member is matched with the sorority chapters that are most interested in her, and vice versa.

Here is a simple explanation of how a matching mechanism like this works using three student examples during sorority recruitment.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Numerous television shows and movies portray Fraternity and Sorority Life as an elite party scene, escape from reality, or horror scene.

How accurate are these depictions?

TRUE or FALSE: Through joining a fraternity or sorority students become part of a social network where drinking, pranks, and partying become important everyday occurrences.

♥ FALSE.  Greek-letter organizations became popular in films during the late 1970s with the release of “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978). The film takes college traditions like homecoming, fraternity rush, and house parties and mocks them by presenting the most extreme cases or mishaps that could occur.  For example, the chapter meetings in this film show alcohol consumption.  In reality chapter meetings are alcohol free and run as any professional organization would with procedures and standards. Read the rest of this entry »

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It’s done.  You’ve registered with your Panhellenic Council and tried not to over think it.  But as the date of that first sorority recruitment event draws closer, you’re realizing you’ll need to make both good impressions and educated decisions.

Here are eight great tips to prepare you for the big events.

♥  KNOW what you are looking for in your experience. This way, you can be sure to ask thoughtful questions of the women you meet. Ask yourself, why do you want to join a sorority? Are you looking for women who share your passion for community service? Are you looking to become involved in athletic programs like intramurals?

♥  LEARN. Be sure you are learning all you can about each organization. Most chapters maintain a website about their organization. You can also find more information through your campus Panhellenic, Greek Life or Student Activities Office.

♥  PREPARE.  Discover your strengths by writing down your skills, talents and experiences. Think back to your activities, jobs and the interests you are passionate about. What lead you to being in important positions or earning awards? You will want to share what is special about you and these will be great conversation pieces. Read the rest of this entry »