Will I get into the sorority I want? Do they vote me in? Do I choose them? How does this whole thing work?
Don’t worry, we were there, too – After you sign up for sorority recruitment, you start wondering how the whole selection process works. Let’s start by explaining that the selection process can vary mildly from school to school and can sound rather complicated when gone into great detail. BUT – rest assured, the process is actually based on a simple concept.
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You choose them AND they choose you. It is a mutual selection process.
It’s a lot like when you were figuring out where you were going to go to college. You were busy applying to colleges, going on college visits and weeding out the universities that you didn’t like, while sending applications to the ones you did. At the same time admissions offices at each school were checking out your credentials. No matter what college you ended up at – you chose them and they chose you.
Here is a breakdown of the mutual selection process:
- Potential New Members rank the sororities. PNM’s are asked to list the sororities in their preferred order. Some schools have you rank the sororities after all the parties are finished each night, while others ask you to decide which parties you want to attend based on which sororities invited you back. This is why it is extremely important you work to distinguish between the similar sororities, in order to narrow your list to the ones that are the best fit for you.
- Sororities create a list of PNM’s they would like to invite back to the next round. Typically, this is done by some sort of member voting. That is also why it is important to meet as many girls as you can and make a great first impression.
- These rankings and lists work to narrow the group of women that will go to each sorority in the next round of parties. Most likely the recruitment counselors enter the lists into a computer program that matches PNM’s and sororities according to their preferences.
- After the final round (preference night) the PNM will rank their final choices, with the first choice indicating the top sorority they would like to accept a bid from.
- Unfortunately, a PNM may not be invited back to a sorority of their choice or could possibly not receive a bid from their first choice. This could happen due to invite list limits and quota. It is very important to keep an open mind. Give the sororities that invite you back or offer you a bid a chance, because you may be surprised. Many women go into recruitment single-minded and then the process opens their eyes to a better fit!
- This also means that sororities aren’t always revisited by PNM’s they invited back. The sorority members should not harvest ill feelings towards you if you do not attend their party. If they do, then they are only reinforcing your decision to look elsewhere for your perfect fit.
- If you have questions do not hesitate to ask your recruitment counselor. They are the experts on your school’s process and their duty is to help you navigate this process.
All in all, it is important to remember that the mutual selection process is there to help and has proven to be very successful. Most often – if you feel a fit with the women in a sorority, they feel that you fit with them, too. Don’t concern yourself with the numbers, quotas, or if a sorority didn’t invite you back for some reason. Focus on the sororities that you feel comfortable with and have opened their door to you. Be true to yourself throughout the process and the pieces will fall into place.
Cheers!
Casey, Kate, & Rachel
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