Hey, high school grads! Summer may have just started, but fall is approaching quickly. For some colleges, that means sorority recruitment time. Recruitment is an incredibly stressful time, as I’m sure you’ve all heard, but it is an incredibly rewarding experience. Some of you may be wondering if sorority life is right for you, and I’m here to help you out by letting you in on my experience.
My freshman year of college was a whirlwind of experiences and memories. I was homesick, but schoolwork had me busy. I began my first year of college cheerleading, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I had time for a sorority. I attend Miami University, a school where Greek life is incredibly prominent. If you walk through the center of campus without seeing a set of Greek letters, then you must be dreaming. I always thought that sorority life wasn’t for me, until the end of my first semester came around.
At Miami, sorority recruitment begins the weekend after winter break, so students have a chance to get used to college life for a semester before dedicating themselves to something as big as a sorority. So, about a week before the deadline closed, I made a spontaneous decision to sign up for recruitment. I went through three out of four rounds, had narrowed my choices down from eighteen to five, and was not feeling into the process anymore. I just didn’t feel like I fit into any of the last sororities I was considering, and the process was very emotional and stressful. So I dropped the rush process and spent the rest of my freshman year focusing on school and cheerleading. However, this was a decision I came to regret on my should have-been bid day, as I watched all my friends get their top picks and have a really exciting experience. I was homesick, and all my friends were hanging out with their new sisters.
Flash-forward to February of my sophomore year. Recruitment had come and gone again, and I was still feeling left out. My incredibly wonderful roommate mentioned to me that her sorority was doing Continuous Open Bidding, and that they still had some spots left. I jumped at the opportunity and went to meet the recruitment chair and three other girls. After meeting with them twice, they gave me a bid, and I attended my first chapter meeting the following Sunday. I met some of my new sisters, and I immediately felt at home. Since I’ve joined, I’ve been initiated and gotten the best big and grand-big (who were actually the first people I met at the meetings) in the entire world, and it all makes sense why it didn’t work with any of the other sororities the first time.
So if you’re still wondering whether you should rush, my advice to you is to at least try recruitment. If you end up not liking the formal process like I did, that’s totally fine, and you should do whatever you’re comfortable with. There just might be something special at the end of it!
Are you in a sorority? Let me know which one and why you love it in the comments below!
