I’ve always known I would want to join a sorority when I got to college, it was just a matter of which one. Let me take you through my Penn State Sorority Recruitment journey, because I promise, it wasn’t as scary as it seemed.
Before recruitment even began, the Penn State Panhellenic Council Executive Board led a series of informational sessions to get us ready for the process. The first step was to create a video showcasing the basics of who you are and what you’re looking for in a sorority. I won’t lie, it took me over two hours to get a take that I didn’t hate.
Once our videos were submitted and we officially registered, there was orientation. Here, we got the basics of recruitment: schedules, rules, etc. We were also assigned our Pi Chi groups. Pi Chi is the term for our “recruitment counselors,” who are girls from all of the sororities who help all the PNMs (potential new members) through the process.
Panhellenic Preview
The first part of recruitment was Panhellenic Preview. This was reminiscent of what some colleges call an “open house round,” but these were online. Each sorority filmed a video where they shared their core values, philanthropies and what makes them special.
After watching a daunting 21 videos, we had to narrow it down to 12 that we thought fit us best and rank them. Disclaimer, it’s not easy to judge an entire sorority by a five minute video, but we all did it anyway.
Values Round
A few days after we submitted our initial rankings, we got our schedules for values round back, where we could receive a maximum of 12 sororities to visit for their “parties.” For the values round, each party lasted 20 minutes and we got to talk to anywhere from one to four chapter members about ourselves and the chapter. I was slightly disappointed I didn’t get certain chapters back, but then again, how much can you really judge from a video?
I was invited back to eight sororities and the girls at each and every one were so sweet. After this round, I wasn’t even upset I hadn’t gone to some of my original favorites. I had so many great options and I still had to narrow it down.
Then came the waiting. After narrowing it down, we still had to wait four more days to get our schedules. Can you say #anxiety?
Philanthropy Round
For the philanthropy round, we got a maximum of seven sororities back to go to for half an hour to learn more about their philanthropies and connect more with the members. Hearing about what organizations and philanthropies each chapter supports and the events they plan for these philanthropies was so amazing.
It was a long three days of talking to people, but this round gave us insight into such a vital part of being in a sorority. We were able to see how much we connected with their causes and the members that talked to us about them. After this round, we had to narrow the sororities down to only two.
Preference Round
After a night of anxiously awaiting, the schedules for the preference round came out and I immediately left five minutes later to get to my first party of the day. Everyone got a maximum of two parties back, and luckily mine were right after each other so I didn’t have to sit in my makeup all day.
During pref, we got an insight into what the chapter really looks like. Chapter members did speeches about the impact of their sorority, the friends they made and their big/little families as well as some speeches from executive board members.
We were also given extended time to get to know members better, and we were paired with someone we had already talked to during the process. Now, this round was 50 minutes, but with the people I talked to, the time flew by. That’s how at home I felt; the conversations flowed easily and I had a great time at both parties I went to. I was so conflicted when I had to make my final decision only an hour after my last party, but I trusted my gut and submitted my final ranking.
Bid Day!
The final day of the recruitment process was finally here! I was so anxious, even though I would’ve been ecstatic to get a bid from either sorority that I ranked. We joined our Pi Chi groups in the Bryce Jordan Center to open our bids together. After a few speeches from Panhellenic Executive Board members and a countdown, we were able to rip our envelopes open!
When I saw my top choice sorority’s name on the envelope, I was so incredibly happy! I joined the rest of my PC (pledge class) in the concourse and then we headed downstairs to celebrate with the rest of our new sorority! We had “Bid Day Buddies” waiting for us with signs and from there it was a blast getting to know everyone in the chapter!
Takeaway
While I am so glad that recruitment is over, it was nowhere near as nerve-racking as I thought it would be. The most anxiety-inducing part was waiting for schedules to come out for each round and waiting to open our bid cards. It was honestly so much fun to meet people in every line I stood in and at every party I went to.
Reminder, not everyone’s sorority experience is the same and recruitment is not for everyone — and that’s completely okay! If you do rush, be on the lookout for the sorority that makes you feel welcome and like you can be yourself; the one that takes all of your anxiety away. That’s exactly what I did, and I landed right where I belong!