The start of second semester offers a new beginning for everyone like new classes and new professors. For some girls, that new beginning is joining a sorority. After formal recruitment ends in the fall, chapters need to reach a certain number of young women in order to meet quota. There are numerous reasons why young women realize that Greek life may not be right for them. If this happens, sororities still need to meet their quota number, so chapters hold what is called “Spring Recruitment”, better known as informal recruitment. I found my home away from home at Illinois State by going through the informal recruitment process, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Here are some pros of going through informal recruitment here at ISU:
1. The process is more relaxed
When I went through informal recruitment, it was only for one day and lasted only one hour. There were a bunch of yummy treats, and everyone dressed in a more relaxed fashion as well. I spoke with two sisters and instead of rushed, shorter conversations, I had more time to get to know them and get a feel for what the chapter was like. At the end of the hour, I felt as if I made two new friends. This is a better option for girls who are nervous about the recruitment process or get intimidated speaking to a large amount of people.
2. You have the option of selecting which house to visit
Checking the Illinois State Panhellenic website (http://isucpc.weebly.com/) towards the beginning of second semester shows which sororities are for sure holding an informal recruitment session. Not every sorority here at ISU will be having informal recruitment, considering some sororities have met their quota and don’t need any new members. Everyone is encouraged to give each chapter a chance; with informal recruitment, collegiettes have the option of choosing which house’s informal they want to attend.
3. Waiting to go through informal gives you time to figure out if Greek life is really right for you
I went through recruitment as a junior, which may seem late in the game. I was happy that I took the time to really get into the swing of college and figure out, for myself, if I wanted to be a member of the Greek community. After my first few years, I realized that I wanted to be a part of something much bigger than I was; I wanted to have sisters and a home away from home. With this being said, the decision to go Greek can take longer for some girls. Even though I was finally ready my junior year, informal was a much smaller group and I felt like it was the perfect way for me to find my home. One of my new pledge sisters, Nicole, was also participating in informal, and she is a junior too. We both agreed that we were happy to take time for ourselves first and fully decide that Greek life was for us,; participating in informal recruitment was a more relaxed way to do so. Informal recruitment is also a good choice for freshman whom want to focus on themselves and the adjustment into college for first semester, and then go through recruitment when they are ready the next semester!
Overall, informal recruitment can be an amazing and more relaxed transition into going Greek. I am so happy to have been able to find my new sisters through this process at the time it was meant to happen for me. It is a great alternative to formal rush and should be given a try. Ladies, you will not be disappointed!