A few weeks ago I went through the sorority recruitment process. I had honestly never considered it before. Sororities seemed too expensive and too exclusive. I judged the very concept, mostly because in my mind a sorority girl would be judging me right back even harsher. I didn’t think I fit the mold of a “sorority girl”. As of writing this I don’t have a profile picture. I’m just going to assume that whichever one I eventually choose will clearly show anyone reading this why I thought this way.
But I had some free time and I make impulsive decisions when I’m bored so I went for it. I signed up, convinced I would probably drop out at some point, but I went with the flow and showed up to my rounds. And then I was officially accepted into a sorority!
The in between was long and exhausting but so so worth it. Every night I’d tiredly drag myself into bed after hours of meeting new people and making genuine lasting connections. It didn’t help that our Rho Gammas, tasked with helping us through the process, seemed to have an endless amount of energy and enthusiasm. Even after the longest of nights, they would still be cheering us on in the halls and dancing to Lizzo.
As the process goes on the nights get longer, your clothes get nicer, and any question you could conceivably have gets answered.
The first thing you need to know about going through recruitment is that assumptions rarely work out. There’s a difference between gut instinct and needless judgment. Between fact and opinion. I had a lot of preconceptions going into the week that quickly evaporated. The girls in each chapter are just as nervous and excited as you are, they want you to like them as much as you want them to like you.
Second thing you need to know is that there is a lot of talking and it all feels a lot more natural than you think it will. There are three rounds: sisterhood, philanthropy, and preference. Without saying too much, the basics are that you will be meeting girls in each sorority and slowly narrowing down until you hopefully find your future sisters. It’s nerve wracking at first, but I got comfortable very quickly and I loved my time of just having interesting conversations with interesting people.
Throughout the week there was one phrase repeated over and over again. It was repeated until you can almost feel a short blonde calmly saying the words into your ear at all times. Until you see the words under your eyelids as you try to sleep, waking up to them written across your ceiling. “Trust the process”. And you should. You really only get the most out of the experience by trusting the process, by participating in each round and letting the process take over when each round is done. It’s a process that works. The process helps your initial gut instinct get you where you want to be, but stops your initial harsher judgements from preventing you from ending up somewhere perfect.
One sorority that I didn’t vibe with the first night became my favorite the second night. One I really liked at first, but later I found that I didn’t fit. I trusted the process and it led me to an amazing chapter that I’m very proud to be a part of.
Another thing I would like to mention is the financial part. Yes, there is money involved, but you shouldn’t let that prevent you from going through recruitment. Every sorority is different, and you might find one that you do have the means to join. Honestly, I barely have the means to join a sorority. But this isn’t some shadowy organization that just wants to trick you into joining and paying as much as they can suck out of your bank account. They want to work with you to give you a chance at this opportunity.
There are a lot of pros to just signing up, to see what it’s about and what kind of people are doing the same. You never really know. I didn’t.
Plus, my side of my door is now fully decorated with cards welcoming me home, while my roommate’s side remains sad and blank. There’s always that.