Across the country, college students get excited to go through Panhellenic sorority recruitment — otherwise known as rush —when potential new members (PNMs) visit all of the school’s chapters in hopes of finding their new “home” on campus. And at an SEC school like Vanderbilt University, rush isn’t just a process — it’s a tradition. As such, Bid Day is more than just a celebration — it’s when weeks of preparation, late-night crafts, and hours upon hours of conversations all pay off in the crowning moment of sorority recruitment.Â
Unlike most other SEC schools, Vanderbilt holds its sorority recruitment exclusively in the spring semester rather than in the fall. Honestly, I appreciate this because it allows the PNMs to settle into college life during the first semester, giving them the opportunity to explore campus and make other connections before deciding to join a sorority — plus, it gives students who want to rush the opportunity to get to know the sororities a bit beforehand. Although spring rush doesn’t get as much hype as fall rush (thanks #RushTok!), spring rush at Vanderbilt is still very exciting and highly anticipated among our student body.
As the incoming Vice President of Recruitment for my school’s chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha, this wasn’t just another Bid Day for me; it was my first opportunity to step into a leadership role on the executive board and help welcome 50 incredible women into our chapter. Though I wasn’t technically this year’s recruitment chair, I took this time to learn the ropes of recruitment so that I can spearhead next year’s recruitment successfully.
Come along as I take you through every step of an unforgettable Bid Day, from the nerve-wracking wait for the bid list to the celebration with our new members in true ZTA style.
9:00-11:30 a.m.: ClassÂ
Due to the Vanderbilt version of a “snowstorm” (which was only, like, three inches of snow), our Bid Day was postponed Sunday, Jan. 12, to Monday, Jan. 13, meaning our Bid Day activities had to be pushed to the evening so that everyone could attend their classes. I honestly wasn’t super happy about this, because I love the typical Sunday Bid Day — meeting all the PNMs in the daytime and then going out to dinner with them after. However, the show must go on!
This morning, I had my Fundamentals of Public Speaking class, followed by a lab meeting. I was super antsy in my seat all morning awaiting the bid list, and found myself texting my chapter’s President, Naya, all morning, unable to focus as the teacher went on and on for what felt like an eternity.
11:40 a.m.: Pick Up Blank Bid Day Cards
Finally, the time came for me to go to the Office of Greek Life to pick up our blank Bid Day cards to fill out later in the day. I felt so official, and so Vice Presidential.
12:00 p.m.: Panhellenic Bid Day Zoom Meeting
At noon, the Panhellenic board held a Zoom meeting to go over Bid Day expectations and guidelines for snap bids (which is when a sorority doesn’t meet its quota of new members during recruitment and take the opportunity to offer last-minute bids to PNMs who either withdrew from recruitment or were not matched with a chapter during the formal Bid Day process). During the call, my sorority’s outgoing VP of Recruitment, Jadyn, and I also received our finalized bid list. After a quick celebratory debrief on FaceTime, we forwarded the bid list to our VP of New Member Experience, Paige, so she could immediately get started on personalized Bid Day decorations for our new members.Â
12:15 p.m.: Personalize Name Signs
My chapter always uses crowns on our Bid Day signs, since the five-pointed crown is a cherished symbol of Zeta Tau Alpha, representing the core values and ideals of our sorority. We wrote all 50 names on 50 crowns with a fancy cursive font, which took about an hour.
1:15 p.m.: Help Decorate The House
Our Bid Day theme was “Sweet Home ZTA,” so we included a lot of American and country-themed elements like Western wear and gingham tablecloths. We also had a root beer float station and so much pie, as well as huge red balloon letters that spelled out “ZETA” and a banner decorated with cowboy boots.Â
5:30 p.m.: Bid Day Reveal
Six of my sisters and I donned our Bid Day shirts and cowboy boots to go to the Bid Day reveal at the Student Life Center, which is a building near Greek Row with a lot of conference rooms. There were so many PNMs in the ballroom — a whopping 390 girls, which is highly unusual for Vanderbilt, since our pledge classes are usually about 30 new members for each of the nine sororities. After everyone opened their cards, 50 new Zeta pledges ran over to us and gave us so many hugs — it was so exciting to be the first to welcome them to our sorority.
6:00 p.m.: Run home with the PNMs
After opening their bid cards, PNMs at Vandy literally “run home” to their sorority houses, where the majority of their new sisters await them with open arms. As the VP of New Member Experience, Paige led the charge, running ahead of our 50 new members with the “Sweet Home ZTA” banner on her back as a cape. The rest of our active members waited at the Zeta house, cheering and waving signs. I was so out of breath, but smiling the whole time.
6:15-10:30 p.m.: Celebrate!
Back at the house, my Bid Day buddy — the new member who I’m assigned to guide and support on Bid Day — made ice cream sundaes, and I got to meet so many new members, it was almost overwhelming. We took so many pictures, and then some of my friends and I brought our Bid Day buddies to my friend’s apartment to continue celebrating after.
11:00 PM: Bed TimeÂ
I have to say, I didn’t think a Monday night Bid Night was going to be for me, but I had a great time. That said, by the end of the night, I was exhausted — not just from the day, but from the past two weeks of rush — so I was ecstatic to go to sleep. I closed my eyes, satisfied with the experience: I learned this year that recruitment isn’t just about growing our chapter — it’s about creating a space where every new member feels seen, valued, and excited to call ZTA home. It’s about wanting members who also want us. Watching the sisterhood grow and being part of such a special journey has been amazing, and I am so ecstatic to lead the way this time next year.