Recruitment is scary. That is the best word to describe it. 

As a freshman girl that just wanted to make friends and be accepted, I was terrified on the first day of Open House. Was I wearing the right outfit? Was my hair going to cooperate? Is my makeup too much or too little? So many thoughts were racing through my mind as I went into recruitment, but I soon realized that it wasn't really about my looks, it was about who I am and what I value as a person. When I walked through the doors of Kappa Delta, I quite literally almost peed my pants. Not only were all of the girls beautiful, but they genuinely seemed to enjoy each other and wanted to get to know me for me. I quickly fell in love. 

Seeing Kappa Delta do so well in recruitment and joining as a freshman, I wanted to be more involved in the chapter. As a sophomore, I was able to be on recruitment team, and this past year I was our Recruitment Chair. 

This time last year I was so excited to start planning recruitment. I started to pick out themes, outfits, set dates for workshops, etc. But I soon realized...recruitment would be virtual. 

I’m not going to lie, I had moments over the summer where I wanted to quit. I thought to myself, I could just give this to someone else and not have to carry this responsibility. But then I remembered why I was doing this. I love Kappa Delta. I love what we stand for and I love all of our members, and I knew I couldn't let them down.  

It was not easy, but with the help of my recruitment dream team, shoutout Kayla, Hannah, Lindsey, Sabrina, and Selma, we were able to accomplish the impossible. 

One of the first tasks was reworking our Open House round to be a completely virtual round. This meant one thing...videos. 

Of course, one thing that I am not amazing at is editing videos, which is why I was so happy that I had Kayla Reuss by my side to help me shoot this video. While I admit, it was stressful to orchestrate and put together, I was amazed by the results. I worked to completely re-do our front walkway with a flower wall and a “KAPPA DELTA” sign. I also bought furniture and decorations to re-do our small tv room. I wish I had a before and after picture because the before was horrifying. I wrote a script for myself and other council members to read, and I got a great group of sisters together to represent our chapter. 

Our Open House video is still so special to me. This video shows the authenticity of our chapter; we are unique, fun, and can be relaxed and our true selves around each other. We wanted this video to show the values of our chapter, our philanthropies, and a glimpse into our sisterhood. 

I want to share this experience with others because it may take work, but the recruitment process can be fun on both sides. Both running/recruiting, and being a pnm take a lot of planning, but both have huge payoffs in the end. 

So what all goes into recruitment? 

It can seem easy. You talk to some of the members, the members vote on you, you rank your houses, then you get a bid. 

BUT...it’s not that easy. And I wish it was. 

Recruitment, on our end, takes a year to plan and a lot goes into it. And for pnms, preparing for recruitment is daunting and overwhelming because there are so many factors to consider. But there is no need to stress. I am going to break down what you need to know about getting a bid. 

Let me tell you a little secret. Your GPA, legacy status, hair color, and what you are wearing will NOT get you a bid. 

TIP # 1: FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT IN A SORORITY

Everyone says to go into recruitment with an open mind, and as former recruitment chair I 110% agree. However, if you do not know why you are rushing or what qualities you are looking for in a sorority, you will make the process much harder on yourself. 

Here is what happens when you don’t know the qualities you want in a chapter:

Every house will seem identical. Your conversations will be the same. And at the end of the day, it will almost be impossible for you to rank houses. More importantly, you will blend in and not be memorable. 

That's not what you want, right? Here’s what happens when you do know the qualities you want in a chapter:

 You will know what questions to ask. You will know how to answer questions. You will make real connections. And you will get to see what kind of experiences you could gain from joining a specific chapter. 

TIP #2: DON’T GO INTO RECRUITMENT ONLY WANTING ONE HOUSE

Like I said above, it is crucial to have an open mind during recruitment. 

When you only have one sorority in mind, you are comparing every other sorority to that one. Most likely, you will start to write off other chapters. AKA...you show little interest when talking to those members and won’t try to make connections. And I am going to let you know right now that the members will be able to pick up on that, and do you think they will want you back? 

Do you know what that means?

You are going to get dropped. 

Trust me having an open mind during recruitment will make your experience a lot easier. You never know which sorority you are going to connect with! Don’t rely on things like greek rank and what other people have told you. Stay positive and don’t minimize your options!

TIP #3: DON'T FOLLOW WHAT YOUR FRIENDS ARE DOING 

You will hear a lot of gossip during recruitment, and my best advice is to not listen to any of it. If you do, you are self-sabotaging your recruitment experience. 

For recruitment here at Virginia Tech, it takes place in the Spring, which means you have the first semester to make friends and then can go through recruitment together. This can be a good thing, but it can also cause problems. 

Continuing the theme of having an open mind, it is also important to stay true to yourself and not do what others are doing. It is tempting to want to talk to your friends about the houses you had, who you talked to, what houses you liked and didn’t like, etc. It can be easy to want to go where your friends are going, but if you do that you could end up in a chapter where you aren’t truly happy. 

Just because your friend is connecting with a chapter does not mean that you also have to connect with them. And if your friend does not like a certain chapter that doesn't mean it’s wrong of you to like and connect with them. Your real friends will still be your friends even if you are in different chapters. 

That is one thing that I love about greek life at 

Virginia Tech. My old roommates were in different chapters than me, and some of my closest friends aren’t in Kappa Delta. You can have the best of both worlds: best friends that are your sisters, and best friends that aren’t. 

The recruitment process is not perfect for everyone. Not everyone will get a bid from the house they want, and the week can be overwhelming for many. 

Sorority recruitment is an emotional rollercoaster. I am not trying to be dramatic, I am being honest. Everyone has their ups and downs, and recruitment can definitely bring out your insecurities. 

Why can sorority recruitment bring out your insecurities?

It can seem like everything is going well. You are really connecting with the members and opening up. 

But then you get dropped from your top house. 

Now you are questioning everything, like what happened or what you did wrong. 

However, you cannot question the process. You have to remind yourself you are doing an amazing job, and you need to keep pushing yourself forward. 

If you are reading this and are scared to sign up for recruitment, or just scared to make a move and do something risky in life that could benefit you, DO IT. 

Coming from the girl who was shy freshman year and didn’t think I was enough, and then became recruitment chair, I am telling you that you can do it too. 

SIGN UP FOR FORMAL RECRUITMENT HERE:

Vt.mycampusdirector2.com

As always, Go Confidently