Recruitment week aka rush week is an exciting time for both sororities and potential new members! As an underclassman, you want to join a sorority whose vibe and ideals match your own. Your sorority sisters will be there with you throughout your college career and those friendships last forever! If you are new to Greek life, the recruitment voting process can feel complicated. So, let's get into it!

Looking for recruitment styles?

Rush weekis your opportunity to get to know the different sororities oncampus. This is your chance to ask questions and find which houses fits you! Sororities put alot of work into planning for their different recruitment parties. This provides both the existing sisters and potential new members toget to know each other. It's important to go to each party with an open mind. You may think youknow which sorority you want, only to find you connect better with a differenthouse!

Let’s say you are going through your first round of recruitment parties. You taketime to visit different sororities and get a feel for what their sistehood is like. You’ve asked questions and gotten a general idea of each house. After the first round, you will create a rankingof the top sororities you would like to visit again and a list of the houses you didn't connect with. For roundtwo, you will visit less houses, depending on how your campus handles itsspecific recruitment process. You would continue to present your rankings, and matching wouldbegin. The Panhellenic council willmatch you with the invites you received for the next round.

Looking for Open Round advice?

The matching process is called mutual selection. Panhellenic will use your vote and the scores provided by the sororities to create a rush-week itinerary for you. This schedule is meant to provide you with the best chances of getting invited into a sorority that is right for you. Since it is a mutual selection, it is important to try and leave the best impression possible when participating in recruitment parties. You want to be yourselfand stand out to your potential sisters! A good impression can make all the difference!

Four main situations can take place during the voting process. These situations impact whether or not you get invited back for further rounds, or ultimately receive the invite to join the sorority. These situations include:

1. You could vote to keep a sorority and you could be on the top of their list. This means that you’ll get invited back to the next round of recruitment.

2. You could vote to keep a sorority, but not be on the top of their list. In this situation, your name is dropped.

3. You could vote to drop a sorority, as in putting them on the second section of your scorecard. If your schedule is full, you won’t go back to that one. A full schedule means that you have invites for the maximum number of sororities available in that specific round. It is important to know that it is completely normal not to have a full schedule.

4. You could vote to drop a sorority, but if you don’t have a filled schedule and you’re on the top of that sororities list, you’ll get an invite back. Essentially, even sororities in your second section of rankings could still extend you an invite. This is why ranking your second half from most liked to least liked is so important.

When breaking down this process, it can seem like your vote doesn’t carry a lot of weight. At the end of the day, the sorority will have the most power in the decision to include potential new members. They get to choose who they invite back, regardless of the position they held on your list. However, it is your rankings that let the sorority know that you are interested in their values and want to be a member!

The voting process for the sororities can vary depending on the campus and the sorority. Two main methods usually take place:

Chapter Vote: A chapter vote is when everyone in the sorority has a say in potential new members. Your name will come up, and everyone will vote on whether or not to invite you back. The biggest challenge with this process is standing out from all the other candidates. This is why it is so important to make connections when attending recruitment parties. Be open and let the girls get to know you! You want to show interest in the sorority and show that you care about being a part of their sisterhood.

Delegate Voting: This option can be less of a challenge because only the members who talked to you during the party vote. After each conversation, members who spoke to you will rate their time with you. They will look for how you carry yourself, your accomplishments and other conversational wins. The chapter will then make the list on who will be invited back based on those rankings!

Rush week is a whirlwind of events. You’ll have the opportunity to meet amazing people, and learn more about the sororities on campus. A sorority is much more than just a club - most girls will stay with their sororities throughout their college careers! Many keep ties with their sorority, helping with events even into adulthood. Take the time to learn about the different sororities on campus. It is important to find where you feel at home! 

As the rush week comes to an end, and your round selections are narrowing, you’ll have a good sense of what sororities are interested in presenting you with an official invitation. Keep an open mind, even if you’re not getting invites from your initial top choices. The right sorority will find you!

Once you’ve found your place, you can show your chapter love with unique, customizableswag, such as t-shirts, long-sleeves, and hoodies. You’ll love the experience of developing long-lasting relationships with your sisters. The bonds of a sisterhood can’t be beaten.