You made it to campus. You fit your life into a sixteen by eleven foot rectangle. You registered for classes. And maybe, you even hit the gym a few times.
Then you start seeing them: the Greek letters. Suddenly, they’re everywhere—on bags, on tee shirts, even cover photos on Facebook. And it’s likely the only Greek letter you can recognize at this point is Pi (thanks calculus!). Freshmen recruitment doesn’t begin until spring semester, but that doesn’t mean the anxiety holds off until then! Here are the DO’s and DON’Ts of freshmen recruitment.
DO meet your Pi Chi’s and attend all meetings they set up for your group. Panhellenic Counselors, otherwise known as Pi Chis, are Greek neutral upperclassmen selected to help guide potential new members (you!) throughout the entire recruitment process, even before it begins. Once you meet your Pi Chis in the fall, you’ll stay in contact with them until recruitment is over. They’re your source of information for everything recruitment related, and it’s vital you attend every meeting.
DON’T fall behind on your schoolwork this semester. In order to participate in recruitment, you’ll need a GPA of at least a 2.50.
DO consider participating in Novemberfest! Novemberfest essentially is a preview of what happens during real recruitment in January. If you participate, on November 15th you’ll be able to enter each house, chat with sorority women, and see if the recruitment process is for you. It will be early in the morning, and it may be cold outside, but the one sacrificed Saturday in return for extra confidence during formal recruitment is entirely worth it.
DON’T mentally commit yourself to anything. Today, Sorority A may be the one you want. Tomorrow, it could be Sorority B. By keeping your mind and options open, you’ll start the process much more relaxed and optimistic.
DO be social! Over the course of recruitment, you’ll converse with nearly hundreds of interesting sorority women. Sharpen your conversation skills now. Get chatty on the DUC line, after class, and in your residence halls. You may even make a friend you’ll see again during recruitment!
DON’T worry. The best thing to do right now is to relax- and enjoy your first semester at Emory!