Going into college, I didn’t know how I felt about the idea of joining a sorority. Since Loyola recruits in the Spring, a lot of my friends that went to different colleges had joined sororities in the Fall. From hazing stories, to being dropped by the sorority of their choice, I was very hesitant when the signup link for sorority recruitment came out, but I decided to go for it.
Fast forward to now: I have been in my sorority for a whole year, and just spent the past weekend dedicating all of my time to recruiting new members for my chapter, talking to girls about how passionate I am about our philanthropy and the bonds I have developed with the girls in my sorority, getting emotional over my sister’s testimonies, and feeling overwhelming joy while watching 80+ amazing new members run home to each chapter. Going through recruitment was so nerve wracking but turned out to be an amazing experience, where I found an organization that has grown to mean so much to me. Many girls seem to be hesitant in going through sorority recruitment, so I wanted to spread some encouragement through sharing other people’s experiences. I wish I could give every girl the experience of having a support group and an organization that feels like home, like I have been so lucky to find.
Here are a few girls’ experience during recruitment this semester:
Jessica Lee, Sophomore, Chi Omega
“I decided to go through recruitment because as a business major, networking is huge, and being in a sorority will provide me connections and opportunities now, as well as in the future. Also, as a sophomore, a lot of my friends were already in sororities and have told me so many great things about it. I wanted that same feeling of community and group of friends that they had to always support me and be there for me.
Overall, my recruitment experience was stressful and nerve-wrecking, but definitely worth it. I liked how we got to experience a little of each sorority by meeting several sisters each day. My favorite part of rushing was being able to go into a sorority and either talk with the girls that I did know in that sorority or meet new girls that I later became friends with. I loved conversing with others and sharing about myself in addition to learning about their lives. And of course, I loved that this recruitment process ended with me joining a sorority that I can call home!”
Bekah Przbyl, Sophomore, Alpha Chi Omega
“I decided to go through recruitment this year because all of my friends went through recruitment during my freshman year, and I saw how much fun it was so I decided I wanted to join to meet more people and to grow as a person.
My recruitment was a very exciting experience but also a little nerve wracking because there were so many people to meet. My experience was very fun because I was able to meet a lot of great woman but also to find people that I clicked with. It also gave me an excuse to dress up and do something other than school work for a weekend. One of my favorite parts was finding out what sorority the recruitment guides were in but also running home to our sororities.”
Christina Villarreal, Junior, Kappa Kappa Gamma
“Throughout my academic career here at Loyola University of Chicago, I have been heavily involved in several organization across campus such as Residence Life’s Hall Council Association, Student Government of Loyola Chicago, and been involved in Recruiting with the Loyola Business Leadership Hub within the Quinlan School of Business. These opportunities have introduced me to many incredible women within the Loyola Sorority Community. I decided last minute to go through recruitment to find a group of women who had similar values and aspirations, were proud of who they were and comfortable in their skin, and passionate about their areas of study.
This past recruitment was actually my second time going through the recruitment process here at Loyola University Chicago. Right off the bat, I know the second time going through recruitment I had a lot more fun than I did the first time. The first thing that I found really important throughout the recruitment process was keeping a very open mind and get excited to talk to a LOT of strangers. You meet a lot of sorority women through recruitment from all six chapters the first day of recruitment and I thought it was very cool to get the opportunity to share a little bit about who you are with them.
The conversations varied from professors we had, Netflix series or movies we loved, and their favorite moments in the sorority.
Common questions I found myself answering throughout the recruitment process was my name, my major, what I want to do with that, and extracurricular activities I am involved in. After that, the conversation really flowed toward us getting to know more about each other and our experiences at Loyola. Since I was going through the process as Junior they would ask me, how come I was going through the process now. A major reason I delayed joining a sorority up until now had a lot to do with personal development. When I was a freshmen, I lacked the confidence and experience to really know who I was and what I could contribute to the sororities organization. The two years I spent independently really allowed me the opportunity to mature and explore what else Loyola had to offer. As a woman, the experiences I have now gave me more confidence in who I am, what I want to do for a career, and what I can contribute to my sorority. I have developed a passion for my major and I believe the experiences I have had up to this point helped me to relate and be more relaxed with upper classmen.
Lastly, I really enjoyed learning about the organizations philanthropies on campus. Greek Life on Campus makes an extraordinary effort to donate their time and fundraising for national and local philanthropies in the US and Chicago. It is amazing hearing the passion women have for the organizations their sororities support, in addition hear how they have positively impacted the lives of those persons in the organization. As a Jesuit Institution, the Ignatian Spirit of giving is really important to who we are. It is amazing to see students getting together to raise awareness for education, health and other causes.”
Liz Schwarting, Sophomore, Alpha Chi Omega
“I was very on the fence about going through recruitment, but in the end I decided that in order to make a fair judgement if this was something that would fit for me, I should at least go and find out. I went in with a very “eh well see” sort of attitude and honestly still am kind of in that mindset. What I ended up really appreciating was the emphasis on Loyola’s houses being down to earth and there not really being any sort of competing for “top house” per say.”
At the end of the day, joining a sorority has been the greatest highlight of my college experience. I have found a group of girls that truly feels like family to me. My advice to anyone who is considering going through recruitment is to do it, no matter how hesitant you are. Even if you end up deciding it isn’t for you, at least you put yourself out there and met new people. I never knew how greatly it could impact my college experience and life.